Graduated in 2015 with a major in Music Business. Principal Instrument: Bass Trombone
Position: Corporate Agent at Allstate Insurance Company. Darien works remotely, selling auto insurance and home insurance to consumers, speaking with folks who have been pre-screened for interest plus some referrals. Unlike most agents, he works directly for Allstate, receiving a combination of base pay and commission.
Overview: After graduation, Darnien moved home to Philadelphia. Financial pressure led him to work in an Amazon warehouse after graduation, putting in lots of overtime and making decent money. Then he got a terrible infection from stepping on a nail and almost lost his leg or died! By late 2017, after a painful 8-month recovery Darien was ready to work again–now armed with a lot of self-confidence from that successful recovery! He got a job doing door to door sales, for a company that was a subcontractor for many other companies with different products. It was good for a while, but by late 2019 the pay was dropping while the hours got longer so he left and moved to Ohio. He started working for Amazon again, this time delivering packages, but was frustrated by the mediocre pay and the seeming inability to earn more by working harder, so he applied to other jobs. An ex-girlfriend told Darien how she worked for AT&T and made fantastic money, so he applied and was hired. It turns out she was lying about her pay–oops.
Nevertheless, Darien did great at AT&T. He was there for 4 years, was promoted multiple times to a sale manager position which paid six figures but was extremely stressful and long hours, and Darien felt that he was a better salesperson than manager. So when Allstate reached out to him about a sales position–less stress and more time with his family–he said yes.
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You can see Darien’s LinkedIn profile here.
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Choice Quotes: I’ve done sales for 15 years. That long, it’s like playing a brass instrument. You put a sheet of music in front of them, they just play. You just know how to position your lips without thinking about it. Same thing in consumer sales. I just know how things go. I know if someone’s going to say yes, no, try to bs me.”
“When I sold cell phone plans, people didn’t care who their carrier was. It was hard for me to care. But with insurance, I’m educating the consumer on what they’re paying for. The folks who choose to sign up with me, I get all 5-star reviews. Afterward, nobody’s upset. They understand what it is and appreciate my help. Some will tell me they’ll even pay more to stay with me becuase I’m helping them. Every week I read those reviews–it’s a proud moment.”
“These days I work 20 – 30 hours/week. So long as I make my quota, my boss doesn’t care when I’m working. My wife was a stay-at-home mom for five years, and this job is letting her get back into the workforce while I do more at home.”
“If you’re looking to work in sales, try to get into something that you want to sell. Cell phones, I didn’t care. Auto and home insurance, I’m into that. Life insurance–the money can be good, but I have to get all into people’s busines and that wasn’t my thing–I could do it, but I’d hate my day. Also, your manager makes all the difference in the world. If you get a good manager, follow their instructions and you’ll be fine. If you get a bad manager, find someone else.”
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