The movement that I would inspire would be around educating under represented communities, specifically those that are struggling economically. I have seen many people on the streets either holding up signs for car washes or posting GoFundMe pages in order to help cover burial cost, and I am concerned by this. I want to help people understand that there are insurance companies that can provide an affordable protection package that will help not only cover the cost of a loved one who passes away, but also, one that can help the surviving family members have more money to help them move up economically.
I had the pleasure to interview Monte Marable. Monte is an Insurance Agent based in Los Angeles, CA and deals with Insurance related to Life, Accident, Health and Disability. Before becoming an agent, Monte attended California State University, Northridge and graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Art in Urban and Regional Planning, and worked in the Public Sector shortly after. After a few years, he left in order to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities in the Insurance Industry. Monte is currently working on obtaining his Real Estate License, as well as his Series 6 and 63 in order to help people in lower income communities move up economically through educating them on the importance of Life Insurance, as well as protecting and keep their assets.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I recently got into the Insurance Industry after working in the Public Sector. I left the prior due to the lack of upward mobility, and I found the insurance industry to be both a lucrative and time flexible career path to be in. The Insurance Industry has allowed me to see that I do not have to be limited solely by one occupation, but instead, allow me to get into other related industries such as Real Estate, Real Estate Finance, and even Financial Advisement.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting in the industry? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first received my Life/Accident/Health license, I began selling a life insurance product, known as Indexed Universal Life. With this type of policy, you are able to earn either a set limit of equity tax-deferred interest on your cash account tied to your premiums (usually up to 12.5% in a upward market) without losing your principal and your gains from interest if and when the market were to ever have another crash.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am currently in the process of creating two new social media pages to promote myself as an agent, as well as promote the insurance and financial services products offered by both 3Mark Financial, as well as Fortress Brokerage Solutions. Both of these platforms offer a wide range of insurance coverage that can be designed to cover anyone regardless of various health conditions.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Is there a takeaway or lessons that others can learn from that?
I began seeing a major tipping point after the first year of having my license. In the beginning, when you first get your insurance license, you may go through a period when you are in the learning phase of how you approach people to potentially be you clients. When you are new, you may not be taken seriously as a life insurance agent, but, in order to be taken seriously, you have to start establishing yourself as a knowledgeable insurance agent, you will have to know how to explain how insurance works, and even at times, explain how insurance companies work. This will help you become more knowledgeable, while at the same time, potential clients will see that you know how the industry works. For me, once I got my license, I had to observe the behavior of senior agents, and how they approach potential new clientele, and I also had to learn the different features and benefits each different insurance companies had to offer to make sure that clients receive the right coverage that fits their own needs. When you get in the industry, find a good mentor who is licensed, and who will help you build your clientele, they will be there to help explain concepts to clients that you may not know right away.
What advice would you give to other people in the insurance field to thrive and avoid burnout?
I would advise them to keep up their efforts, in the beginning, it takes time to establish a strong clientele base, and it even takes time for yourself to be confident in the work that you do.
As an “insurance insider”, you know much more about insurance than most consumers. If your loved one wanted to buy a policy from another person, which 5 things would you advise them to find out about before committing to a policy? Can you give an example or story for each?
(1) The first thing I would advise my loved one to find out about is what company are they from. A lot of agents work for Insurance Marketing Organizations (i.e. World Financial Group, Primerica, People Helping People), or Management General Agencies. A lot of these agents are focused solely on the recruitment side of the industry, and while there is not necessarily a problem with this, the product they might be promoting to you may be problematic. (2) The second thing I would advise a loved one to look out for is the type of insurance policy that agent is trying to sell to them. There are three main types of Life Insurance products, they include Term, Whole Life, and Universal Life, and can all fit into a clients needs depending on what they are. (3) The third thing I would advise my loved one to do is make sure that their needs are being addressed, and not the overall main objective of the agent, which might be for them to sell a policy to my loved one, regardless of whether or not they will be able to afford the premium long term. (4) The fourth thing I would advise my loved one to do is take into account how much life insurance coverage they will need in the event of their passing, unfortunately, many families who claim they have life insurance are sadly underinsured, I know personally, my late great aunt, who passed away back in July was severely underinsured, this can be one of the biggest problems for families. (5) The fifth and final thing I would advise my loved one is to be steadfast in their decision, whether it is to move forward, or decline an agent’s proposed insurance product. At the end of the day, my loved one is the ultimate decision maker, if it is a yes, or a no, it is ultimately their decision to either go with the agent, or keep doing their research.
Insurance agencies or companies are often known to be very creative and innovative marketers. Do you use any clever and innovative marketing strategies that you think large legacy companies should consider adopting?
When it comes to marketing, I always offer the top 3 products to present to my client, we go over the features of each product, the overall cost of it, and see which one fits the best for them.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am grateful for a woman named Jade Huynh, she helped me understand my power as an insurance agent, and she helped me see how significant our occupation and industry is. I remember when I first became appointed with National Life Group, and going out on an appointment to promote their product. She was there to help me explain the unique features that their policies have to offer, and once we were able to close, she helped me make sure that the required paper work was filled out to expedite the underwriting and policy issue process. For that, I thank her tremendously, and from gaining her knowledge, I have been able to strengthen my skills as an agent, and use them when talking to new clients.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The movement that I would inspire would be around educating under represented communities, specifically those that are struggling economically. I have seen many people on the streets either holding up signs for car washes or posting GoFundMe pages in order to help cover burial cost, and I am concerned by this. I want to help people understand that there are insurance companies that can provide an affordable protection package that will help not only cover the cost of a loved one who passes away, but also, one that can help the surviving family members have more money to help them move up economically.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
I am currently working on two new social media pages both for Facebook and Instagram. In the meantime; anyone can reach out to me via LinkedIn @Monte Marable. Please feel free to chat with me anytime to see how we can work together either to provide coverage for your family members, or work towards reducing your business’ payroll tax liability by providing an insurance benefit to some or all of your employees.
About the Author:
Matt Schmidt is the founder of DiabetesLifeSolutions.com which specializes in helping people with diabetes find affordable life insurance. Matt founded the company after his father was diagnosed with diabetes in 2010. He is also founded Diabetes365.org to provide helpful information for those living with diabetes. Matt is also pre-diabetic.