Typical Day
Irving Insuranceman wakes at 7:20AM, feeds his dog, gets dressed, and heads into work—a twenty-two-person brokerage firm. He arrives at 8:25AM, and after stopping in the break room for a cup of coffee and a bagel (Maryann brings in a whole box of them every Monday—bless her heart), he goes to his office and starts going over his emails and messages, most of which he forwards to his assistant for her to handle. There are, however, some clients and situations that require his expertise.
First, he calls one of his clients back to assure her that she's covered for earthquake damage after a small one hit near her home (it was a 3.1, lady—get a grip). Then he deals with a few emails and messages from new prospects who are looking to become insured.
He starts by calling each one back, getting the details of what coverage they need and a slew of relevant personal information, and then starts calling the wholesale insurance companies that he knows have the best chance of selling the requested coverages at the best price. (Irving works at a brokerage, so he simply brokers the best deals rather than selling direct to his clients.)
He also has a few calls from existing clients who wish to drop, add, or change coverage, so he has to take care of those, too. At 10:30AM he speaks to a client who has $9,000 worth of damage to his car; however, he had a $10,000 deductible (this is the amount a client must pay first before the insurance kicks in). You hear a string of curse words you never even knew existed when you try explaining that he's on his own with this one.
Once the client gets angry enough to hang up on Irving mid-sentence (he's actually relieved), he sends renewal letters out to clients whose policies are expiring, puts together a couple of proposals to be sent out to prospective clients, and prepares new policies for those who have already renewed or accepted a proposal.
At 11:00AM, he has an in-office meeting with a high net worth client whose business would be a huge boon to the firm—he drags a couple of the other agents into the conference room with them to help make him look good.
After taking a late lunch at around 1:00PM, Irv responds to a few more messages and emails, then attends a departmental meeting (Personal Lines only) from 2:00PM-3:00PM, where the main focus is exploring marketing concepts for the department, such as submitting press releases or advertising in relevant publications. Irv's idea to stand outside the building and spin a large cardboard sign reading "Kick Butt Insurance—This Way!" is firmly rejected.
After suffering this cruel dismissal, he goes through another couple dozen or so client files, taking whatever action is required for each, and then has to field another call from an irate client whose hamster was injured in an accident at her home (what the hamster was doing in the knife drawer, Irving doesn't even want to know), and he has to tell her that there was a pet exclusion on her policy that relieves the insurance company of liability in the event of just such an injury.
Once that's over, Irving grabs his jacket, flips off his lights, and is out the door at 5:00PM.