An insurance career can be equally challenging and rewarding, so finding a work-life balance in our line of work may feel daunting. Every day we juggle professional commitments, social events, family bonding, and extracurricular activities – sometimes planning our days down to the hour. That’s why it’s no surprise that adding continuing education courses into the mix can seem more like a chore than an exciting growth opportunity.
If you’re overwhelmed by your current (or future) CE courses, remember that many of your peers and colleagues have been in the same position. More importantly, they’ve pushed through the fatigue to complete their CE requirements, become more experienced agents, and better serve their clients.
Community Educators believe in the effectiveness of continuing education and are highly passionate about making it accessible to and enjoyable for our agent partners. We’ve compiled eight benefits of continuing education to rekindle your love of learning.
1. You will gain confidence not only will continuing education training give you more industry knowledge, but by participating, you will also prove your willingness to put in the work needed to become (and remain) an expert in your field. This will build confidence in your knowledge and dedication – which will be evident in your professional interactions and bring you continued success.
2. You will keep your finger on the industry’s pulse.
It can be challenging to stay up to date on the insurance industry trends in an ever-changing digital world without regularly attending continuing education courses. As trends change and new information is uncovered, agents must actively maintain their knowledge to be an accurate information source for their colleagues and clients. By keeping your finger on the industry’s pulse, you can stand out from the competition and quickly grow your client portfolio.
3. You will learn how persistence breeds success.
Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, success doesn’t happen overnight – it requires hard work, dedication, and a willingness to adapt when necessary. Since continuing education helps you keep your finger on the industry’s pulse, it will also help you know how and when to change your strategy. By staying informed and pushing through failure, you will become your inspiration as you achieve results that once felt far out of reach.
4. You will know how to fail and the benefits of failure.
By understanding that persistence breeds success, you will, in turn, learn to accept failure as a crucial stage in that process. After acknowledging this, your fear of failure will quickly fade away as you become comfortable taking calculated risks to grow yourself, your knowledge, and your business. A successful agent knows how to learn from their mistakes and identify actionable takeaways to improve their strategy when it’s time to face a new challenge.
5. You can better identify your strengths.
By broadening your knowledge and experience through continuing education courses and challenging yourself to push through your fatigue, you can identify previously unknown strengths. Community Educators course catalog demonstrates just how diverse the training options are for agents working to maintain their credentials and expand their expertise. As you browse these options, consider which ones offer a chance to unlock a new skill or pursue a unique specialty. And if none spark a specific passion, at least you will learn new study habits and organizational techniques as you balance your work, course, and personal life.
6. You will learn to use new tools and technologies effectively.
Finding new strategies to grow your business is one sure-fire way for an agent to stay motivated. And in some ways, growing your business is now easier than ever technology improves. However, this is only true if you know how to use them. That’s why enrolling in courses focused on the latest technological advancements, tools, and trends will set you apart from the competition as you find ways to grow and manage your business more efficiently.
7. You will discover new sources of inspiration.
By challenging yourself to complete continuing education courses even when the task feels daunting, you will be pushed to find new ways to motivate yourself to achieve your goals. Fortunately, you are not alone in this endeavor, and there are countless resources available online – including motivational quotes, podcasts, books, and TEDTalks by insurance experts, life coaches, and other inspirational people who have had comparable experiences to your own.
For specific examples, check out our blog posts about inspirational TEDTalks Everyone in the Insurance Industry Should Watch and Books Every Insurance Agent Should Read.
8. You will serve your current clients most effectively.
Your clients deserve best-in-class service and to have all of the facts about a situation before making informed decisions regarding their coverage. Actively participating in continuing education courses will ensure that you are prepared to support them in any problems that arise and ensure their continued success. By acting as a competent and trusted advisor, you will build stronger relationships, recruit new clients based on your reputation, and increase your confidence further.
Remember, the key to your success as an insurance agent is to keep your clients happy. They should know they can depend on you to be there when disaster strikes. Investing in and Implementing tools and technology will help you increase efficiency and better serve your clients.
The Bottom Line
Continuing education requirements shouldn’t be a demotivating item on your long to-do list. They should be an exciting opportunity to challenge yourself, expand your knowledge, grow your business, and learn about yourself along the way. Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of starting a new CE course, remember the countless benefits the process will bring and approach the task with an optimistic and open mind.
Community Educators is committed to helping insurance agents remain compliant with local licensing regulations by outlining state-specific requirements and offering a wide variety of continuing education courses that help fulfill them. Explore our course catalog for even more inspiration. And to learn more about how you can most effectively maintain your credentials and continue to support your loyal clients, please visit us online today.