Selling life insurance from home is a career option that has gained traction in today’s digital age, where most interactions can happen online or over the phone.

This allows flexibility, allowing life insurance agents to set their schedules, which can be an appealing benefit for those seeking a work-life balance.

In this article, we will explore the ins and outs of how to sell life insurance from home, covering the steps, tools, requirements, and practical strategies for success in this flexible and rewarding career.

Become a Licensed Life Insurance Agent

To be able to sell life insurance from home, you need to become a licensed life insurance agent first.

Usually, a life insurance license goes together with a health insurance license. You may specialize in either one or both.

The licensing process for life insurance agents involves a number of steps, which can vary depending on the licensing process in your state.

• Complete pre-license education: Many states require a certain number of pre-license education courses that cover the basic principles of insurance, including life insurance policies, insurance law, and the ethics of insurance selling
• Pass the licensing exam: After you’ve completed your pre-license education, you’ll need to pass the state licensing exam. The exam includes a combination of multiple-choice questions covering the basics of life insurance and the specific insurance laws in your state
• Get a fingerprint-based background check: Most states require you to undergo a background check and have your fingerprints on file before getting a life insurance agent license
• Apply for your license: Once you’ve passed the exam, you can apply for your license through your state’s Department of Insurance
• Application review: The state will review your license application, along with your background check. This process can take from a few days to several weeks, depending on the state. You will be notified by the state of your license status
• Keep up with continuing education (CE): After you become a licensed life insurance agent, you’ll need to complete CE courses to keep your license active. The number of CE hours required varies by state

The licensing process ensures that you have a solid understanding of life insurance products and that you understand the ethical implications of your role to act in the best interest of your clients.

Work With Insurance Companies

Working as a life insurance agent from home requires a solid relationship with insurance companies.

Here’s a guide on how you can work with insurance companies as a home-based life insurance agent.

• Choose insurance companies: Research different insurance companies to see which ones offer products that align with the needs of your market. You can consider factors such as the company’s reputation, policies, commission structure, and support for agents working remotely
• Apply for appointment: Once you’ve selected an insurance company to work with, you’ll need to apply for an appointment. This is the process by which the insurance company gives you the authority to sell their products
• Complete company-specific training: After being appointed, you’ll typically need to complete company-specific training. This will cover the specific details of the company’s products, sales process, and procedures for submitting business while working from home
• Use the provided tools and resources: Many insurance companies provide their agents with tools and resources to help them sell policies. This may include marketing tools, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems

Building a good relationship with your insurance companies can lead to better support, which can ultimately help you succeed as a home-based life insurance agent.

Set Up a Home Office

Setting up an efficient home office is a crucial step towards selling insurance remotely successfully.

Here’s a guide on how to do it:

• Choose a dedicated space: Find a quiet, comfortable space in your home where you can work without interruptions. This could be a spare room or a quiet corner in your living room. Having a dedicated workspace can help you maintain a good work-life balance
• Invest in a comfortable chair and desk: You’re likely going to spend several hours at your desk, so investing in a comfortable, ergonomically designed chair and desk is essential. This can help you maintain good posture and avoid work-related physical discomfort
• Get a reliable computer and internet connection: Selling life insurance from home requires a lot of online communication, so a reliable computer and high-speed internet connection are essential. Ensure your computer is capable of running any necessary software or applications smoothly
• Use a dedicated business phone line: Having a separate phone line for business can help maintain professionalism and privacy. Get a business cell phone or a Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service for this purpose
• Organize your space: Keep your workspace tidy and organized. Get storage solutions like filing cabinets or desk organizers for documents, and try to keep your workspace free of clutter
• Install appropriate software: As an insurance agent, you’ll likely need specific software such as a CRM system to get client data organized, digital signing applications, or quote comparison tools. Make sure your computer is equipped with all the necessary software
• Ensure privacy: Since you’ll be dealing with sensitive client information, privacy is essential. This could mean physically securing your workspace or securing your computer with password protection and up-to-date antivirus software

Having a well-organized and dedicated workspace can significantly increase your productivity. With all your work essentials within reach, like your computer, files, and office supplies, you can ensure that you’ll be able to work more efficiently.

Create a Digital Marketing Strategy

Marketing life insurance involves the use of digital tools and strategies to attract potential clients, engage with them, and increase insurance sales. You can do this while working part time or full time, and the best part is, you can do it all online.

We’ve compiled some helpful strategies that you can use to succeed.

Social Media

Using social media to sell life insurance from home can help you reach and engage potential clients. Social media can be a very cost-effective way to reach a large audience, which is beneficial for home-based agents who may be working with a limited marketing budget.

• Create a professional profile: Make sure your social media profiles represent your business. Use a professional photo, include your contact information, and write a bio that clearly explains what you do and how you can help your clients
• Share valuable content: Post content that is useful to your target audience. This could include blog posts, videos, or infographics about life insurance, tips for choosing a policy, or news updates related to the insurance industry. You must balance promotional posts with educational or entertaining content
• Engage with your audience: Respond to comments on your posts, engage with other people’s content, and participate in relevant group discussions
• Use social media ads: Use paid advertising options on social media platforms. You can target ads based on demographics, interests, and location to reach more potential clients
• Monitor your results: Use the analytics tools provided by social media platforms to track the performance of your posts and ads. This can help you understand what content is resonating with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly

Note: Not all social media platforms are the same, and each attracts a different audience. Depending on your target clients, choose the platform that will be most effective.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a clearly defined audience.

Here are some content marketing strategies that could be effective for selling life insurance from home.

• Create an informative blog: Start a blog on your website where you regularly post informative articles related to life insurance. The goal is to provide value to your audience, answer their questions, and position yourself as an authority in the field
• Develop downloadable guides: Create comprehensive guides on life insurance topics that can be downloaded from your website. You can ask visitors to provide their email addresses to download the guide, helping you build an email list for further marketing efforts
• Make educational videos: You could create videos that explain different life insurance concepts, provide advice on choosing a policy, or share guidance on how to find financial advisors. These can be shared on your website, social media platforms, or YouTube channel
• Search engine optimization (SEO): SEO involves optimizing your website and its content to rank higher in search engine results. This involves using relevant keywords, which can help your content get discovered by people searching for information on life insurance
• Create case studies and testimonials: Potential clients can see real-life examples of how life insurance works and the benefits it can provide

By offering valuable content, you can attract potential clients, build trust, and guide them through the decision-making process. This increases the chances that they will choose to purchase life insurance from you.

Email Marketing

Regular communication helps keep you at the top of your potential clients’ minds. Email marketing is one of the ways to directly stay in touch without being overwhelming.

Here’s how you can utilize email marketing effectively.

• Build your email list: You need to build a list of people to email. You can do this by offering a free download, such as an ebook or guide related to life insurance, on your website in exchange for a visitor’s email address. You can also ask website visitors to subscribe to your newsletter
• Use email automation: Email automation allows you to send emails based on triggers or schedules. For example, you could set up an automated email series for new subscribers that introduces them to life insurance concepts
• Track your results: Most email marketing software provides analytics that allows you to see how many people are opening your emails, clicking on links, and taking other actions. This can help you understand what’s working and what needs improvement

The goal of email marketing is to guide potential clients through the decision-making process and encourage them to choose you when they’re ready to purchase a life insurance policy.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is part of a digital marketing strategy where advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. It’s a way of buying visits to your site, rather than attempting to “earn” those visits organically.

Read below on how you can use PPC for selling life insurance from home.

• Create engaging ads: You’ll need to create ads that will appear in the search engine results. Your ads should be engaging and clearly communicate the benefits of your life insurance services
• Landing page optimization: When someone clicks on your ad, they should be taken to a landing page that matches the offer in the ad and encourages the visitor to take action, such as requesting a quote or contacting you for more information
• Apply geo-targeting: If you’re licensed to sell insurance in a specific state, use geo-targeting to ensure your ads are only shown to people in your area
• Consider remarketing: Remarketing is a way to connect with people who previously interacted with your website or mobile app. It strategically positions your ads in front of these audiences as they browse Google or its partner websites, thus providing you with another chance to attract them back to your site

Note: PPC ads require ongoing testing and refining. You’ll need to monitor your results, experiment with different keywords and ad copy, and adjust your strategy based on what’s working.

Build a Website

Your website should provide visitors with valuable information about your services, establish trust, and encourage them to contact you or request a quote.

Here are ways that you can follow.

• Choose a domain name: Your domain name is your website’s address on the internet. It should be related to your insurance business name and easy for people to remember
• Build your website: If you’re not familiar with web design, you can use a website builder like GoDaddy, which provides templates that you can customize with your own text and images
• Design your website: The design of your website should be clean, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly, as many people will be accessing your site from their smartphones
• Create content: The content on your website includes information about different types of life insurance, tips for choosing a policy, and blog posts on related topics
• Include a contact form: To generate leads, include a contact form where visitors can request more information or a quote. You can also include your phone number and email address for those who prefer to contact you directly
• Implement SEO: SEO can help more people find your website when they search for life insurance information online. A common SEO strategy involves using relevant keywords on your website
• Monitor and update your website: Once your website is live, it’s important to monitor its performance and update it regularly with new content. This will keep your website relevant and help it continue to rank well in search results

Use your website as a platform where you can share a wealth of information about life insurance, your unique value proposition, the types of policies and insurance coverage, and how these can benefit your potential clients.