A New Agent's Journey: Vera Jenkins

Every agent has a starting point when joining the insurance industry and Equis Financial. Sometimes success comes quickly. Sometimes there are trials and tribulations. Every journey is different—but recently, new agent Vera Jenkins shared her story of getting started, writing her first application, and the knowledge she’s gained along the way.

"This summer, when I first started listening to the Equis training, there were a lot of conversations about helping people with insurance, which I thought was strange based upon my previous sales jobs," Vera said. Listening to dial sessions on the Gold Standard Coaching Call was a little overwhelming at first. “It was hard listening to the dial sessions and not fully getting what and why people were doing things the way they were. The areas that I learned the most were from agency builders and having the opportunity to ask questions in the chat on many of the dial sessions I observed on the call."

Vera's first real opportunity came unexpectedly—through her electrician. When she casually mentioned she was working part-time selling life insurance, he said, “You are? I have some, but would like more.” Vera had to wait for his application because of a knockout issue, but it opened her eyes. Opportunities are everywhere—you just have to mention what you do.

From then on, she started talking about life insurance to everyone she ran into, even people she saw every day. One of those conversations led to her first application. “I mentioned it to the paralegal at the law firm next door when she asked why I wasn’t out in my yard as much. She asked, ‘Is it true you can get insurance without bloodwork?’”

That conversation turned into her first real case. Both the paralegal (46) and her husband (51) had multiple health issues. “The good thing about working with someone who knew me was I got to practice on them and learned why you need to ask or say things a certain way,” Vera explained. Both were approved as graded, proving to her that “you can help someone with the sale of life insurance who thought they could not afford it. They did not have a 401(k) or life insurance at work.”

Vera admits she tends to overthink things and sometimes gets in her own way. “There is no way I could have done this without the support of my manager, Susan Elliott, who is a great sounding board for me. I was then introduced to Chris Tinsman through weekly meetings. With her support and experience, I was able to grow even more and see a way to do this as a part-time job working a few days a week.”

Now, with her first applications approved, Vera’s confidence is growing. “It has helped my confidence and encouraged me to not only work my warm circle but also work, improve, and practice more on leads to balance my opportunities for even more growth and success.”

Vera’s journey is just beginning, but it’s already a powerful reminder: every agent starts somewhere, and with persistence, practice, and support, success is within reach—one application at a time.