Here’s A Reason That It Is Cool To Be An Insurance Salesperson

Laura and I watched the comedy movie ‘Cedar Rapids’ partly because it is about an insurance agent who is sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention and that I was in Cedar Rapids speaking on behalf of NAIFA Iowa ( National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors ) during the NAIFA Iowa Sales Caravan in November of 2010.

Please note that while this movie is very charming and funny at times, it will be highly irreverent for some so I’m not giving it two thumbs up.

Even with what some could see as a sow’s ear, even a sow’s ear can have a silver lining and , ‘Cedar Rapids’ the movie provides an excellent example of a Parable which some might understand as a longer Elevator Speech.

Here is what I mean by a Parable.

They say that wisdom enters through the wound and the core of the passion to serve is based on life experience both positive and negative and the best advisors seem to have the deepest scars.

The life experience equipped them with the knowledge and the skills to pass onto other people to help them move forward.

This experience gives one something interesting to stand up and say rather than;

Hi, I’m Joe Advisor and I sell investment products and life insurance.

They use what has happened to them both personally and professionally, good and bad and use it as a catalyst to pass their experience and passion onto other people.

Here is the Parable from ‘Cedar Rapids’ …

Joan played by Anne Heche – “So how did you get involved in the insurance game?”

Tim played by Ed Helmes – “I lost my dad in a sawmill accident when I was 6 years old.”

Joan played by Anne Heche – “Oh my God!”

Tim played by Ed Helmes – “Yeah. But the insurance agent fought like a tiger with the sawmill to make sure that my Mom and I were taken care of, and we were, and I remember thinking that when I was a kid, this guy is a hero. I gotta say, I think that the insurance agents get a bum rap. Ya’ know like this river, The Cedar River flooded a couple of year ago, and flooded the whole city.”

Joan played by Anne Heche – “I can remember that massive disaster”.

Tim played by Ed Helmes – “Massive disaster that cost billions of dollars in damage and who do you think was in the trenches trying to get people’s lives back in order? It was the insurance agents. Not all, but a lot worked really hard to get people’s lives back on track.”

Joan played by Anne Heche – “Do you realize that you just made it sound cool to be an insurance salesman? You are a hero!”