Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed... Poor ole boy just trying to keep his family fed... Combined Insurance is NOT the way to do it. If you ever have the opportunity to work for them DON'T DO IT! You will be dazzled by the Bull... And led into the "Rainbow" vacuum selling and "Cutco" knife selling version of the supplemental insurance industry.
First you will go through an "extensive" interview process by a "Marketing Director" (newname for a CON artist). After you "pass" the interviews and get "hired" you will be sent to Raleigh NC for training. You are kept prisoner in your hotel (they do pay for that - but you must leave a CC deposit for your phone to work). You will be given $11/day per diem for food (try an eat in Raleigh for $11/day), which may or may not be given to you when you need it... I was one of the "last" classes that the "company" put through licensing training. Now they want you come with your Life, Health and Annuities license.
At least they did provide the mechanism for me to get my licenses. Next they put you through "sales school". This equates to Communist "Re-education" training, or maybe close to Hari Krishna Cult training. They keep you sleep deprived, still keep you prisoner in the hotel, threaten you with being fired instantly with the consumption of alcohol, or "fratenizing" with any classmate of the opposite sex. The only thing that is missing is the diet of high fructose corn syrup enriched strawberry pies... You are taught to "memorize" the scripts of the "Success System" that W.C. Stone used back in the 1920's and 30's... I even ran into a person who worked as an agent for Combined 30 years ago, and they were using (and selling) the same material. That an a combination of "high pressure" assumptive selling (which is verboten by Combined's parent company insurance giant ACE Ltd. Of America).
Bottom line is, you come away from training thinking you can sell ice cream to eskimos (or Inuit for the more PC). What you are selling is basically Industrial Insurance... Cheap policies (philosphy is something is better than nothing), to poor folk who CAN use them, however most lack the understanding of how to use them. As well you will be picking up premium (back to the industrial policy days) after dark in neighborhoods even the crack dealers won't come out in...
Combined is implementing an "New and Improved" series of products. More upscale than the Accident, Sickness, Disability and Cancer policies. Now they are pushing a Whole life, combo accident/sickness, advanced income protector, etc. The problem is the sales on concentrated on the same demographics... Existing customers who are over-covered, over-sold, and who really shouldn't have the stuff anyway. At least now they are "supposedly" going through actual underwriting and the MIB. Which means most of the "cards" for your assignments will be no good. Your "clients" are overweight, diabetic, high blood pressure, heart conditions, etc. Who will never make it through "most" reputible underwriters.
You will still go through the "field training" joke... 2 days with your AE/TM or whomever you have as a MGR, then your on your own. But, you're not making your own commission. Anything you write gets turned into your manager, and depending what kind of week they have can put his signature and agent code above yours and Voila... They get 50% of your commision as "field training". The bull of do what is expected of you and your guaranteed $500/wk is a joke... Even if you do all and more of what is expected of you, you will not receive your awards... Or anything else you are told or promised. It is only a matter of time before someone reports them to the State Commission. Let's see in the 6 or 8 weeks I was with the company I saw; kickbacks, policy switching, diliberate misrepresentation, back dating, cold decking, over coverage... Just to name a few violations of VA insurance codes. Of course this all takes place on the lower end manager levels, but Corporate could easily pick it up by checking the database on client coverages. Maybe ACE will straighten things out, but I highly doubt it.
You are better off going retail or the food service industry, there is nothing good about Combined as an employer! If you do decide to be stupid, and try to make your first million with Combined Insurance - PRODUCER BEWARE!
I agree with everything another writer indicated about Charlie Woolf and Josh Couch... And they are way up on the food chain now! I don't know anything about the new Marketing Manager for Open VA, but most likely he'll be another pro Con Artist! Problem is, you have to go through the Territory Managers first. Both that I dealt with are as crooked as an "S" hook...
When W. Clement Stone founded Combined, I'm sure it was as intended. I bet the late Mr. Stone has turned over in his grave 100 times...
I got out before I had nothing
Lynchburg, Virginia
U.S.A.
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