COMBINED INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA DO NOT WORK FOR COMBINED INSURANCE chicago, Illinois

I have a few things to say about Combined Insurance.  I will say the people I worked with didnt seem as bad as some of the other people mentioned on this site.  But I will tell you what happened to me; as it was very similar to what happened to other people. 

I went to the initial interview after posting my resume on careerbuilders.  I thought I would give it a shot because what did I have to lose.  I went on the field demo which, looking back on it should have raised some red flags.  My territory manager(TM)  only made one sale that day; and it was a very small upgrade for an accident policy to an existing customer.  But I decided to give it a try.  I accepted the offer of employment and took the online course and state test to get certified.  The crappy part is when you have been unemployed like I have been for most of the year this year it is hard to come up with over 200 dollars to pay for those things.  But I did and before I knew it I was in Glenview at training school.  For anyone who has gone this far and not found this website,  BEWARE!!!  We actually had 2 different teachers.  The first teacher I actually felt kinda sorry for.  We didnt absoluletly nothing but paperwork our first day in class.  Our teacher would veer off the subject and start telling personal stories at times.  We hardly learned anything the first 5 days of class;  6 days if you start on a monday; luckily monday was labor day.  Our class had about 20 people and those who had never been with combined before felt like we didnt learn anything in the first week.  The second week was a little better.  The teacher actually taught us a few things and we actually got to learn something about the policies.  The final exam is a complete joke.  A monkey could have passed it.  All you had to do was learn a couple basic things about the policies and memerize a script here and there and you thought you were good to go. 

Upon returning home I had to go to a 3 hour meeting at the office; then I finally got to go home and see my family(I was doing this for the family cuase I thought it would help not hurt).  My TM actually had the first week arranged for me.  The downside is that in the field he did most of the talking.  The first day we didnt sell anything at all.  The second day we sold a small life policy to a young lady for like 20 dollars a month.  That means I only made like 80 dollars on that sale; and what they fail to tell you in all the interviews is that their payroll is done on a monday and the policies dont get to chicago until tuesday.  You dont get commision from your first week until 2 weeks later.  So here I sit, broke from putting so much gas in my car cause the city we were going to was so far away. 

Another thing they fail to mention is the pressure you feel once you are in the field.  I had my TM up my butt last week because I feel 150 dollars short of maxing my bonus.  I couldnt help but think what do you care its not your money.  But if I get a bonus so does he, thats why he cares.  I wouldnt have done as good as I did the first week if I didnt go to my family and some friends and write them up.  My TM and I only wrote up about 3 or 4 policies in the first week.  The other 5 came from family and friends. 

 My second week was rougher.  We went back to the same city which felt like a waste of time.  My TM actually told me he had wrote up a lot of business there a few months ago.  Well thanks for bringing me 40 miles away from home for nothing.  At the end of the second week I got new leads for a city that was even farther away.  We did a phone clinic on thursday night and I only contacted about 2 people from the leads they gave me.  All the leads I was getting had a do not call after date on them.  The do not call after date was 8/4/09.  Its the end of september.  So I asked my TM who can I call.  He said I can call existing customers.  I barely got any answers and when I did they didnt want to make appointments with me.  I read right from the script but its not always that easy.  People ask things that arent in that handy little talking points book they give you.  So the second week wasnt as good as the first; the only thing that saved it again was me getting a hold of an old friend and selling her mom 4 policies. 

To start my third week, my TM was gone for some training in chicago.  I was told to meet with my district manager in the morning on monday.  He was unable to make it and told me to go on without him until that afternoon.  So I talked to my neighbor and sold him a policy to start my week off right.  My DM finally meet with me at 2 in the afternoon.  He has been with the company for over 20 years and has no problem telling everyone he meets this fact.  He has told several people he has only meet 2 people in his 20 career he couldnt sell to.  NEWS FLASH!!!  The 3 appts he went with me on we didnt sell a thing.  Guess you can add those onto your 2 buddy.  I quit the job today after realizing it wasnt worth the gas money and not having a family life.  I dont want a job where my life revolves around this one company.

In closing, some people may find success with this company.  To those people I say thats great.  Congratulations.  It just took me 2 weeks to realize that this wasnt for me afterall.  Of course I got the guilt trip when I told my district manager I was leaving and wanted to go back to school instead.  He said, "You would leave a company where you are making 1000 dollars in a week to pay to go back to school and join another company making less money?"  To that I replied yes.  If I can leave my work at work when I leave, then yes.  If you have no life and want a life that revolves around work, this company is for you.  But its not for me.