Assistant Manager - Sales

Overview

Leads, motivates, and manages team of licensed Gerber Life Insurance professionals to meet and/or exceed annual sales targets using established sales practices. Sets and maintains high standards of ethical conduct and performance for life insurance professionals when providing customer service or providing sales advice. Develops and implements strategies and marketing promotions, support processes and productivity tracking. Directly supervises associates, maintaining effective staffing levels through appropriate selection, training, coaching and development activities. Provides support to CRC upper management with all strategic initiatives and projects impacting the team. Works with minimal supervision and is responsible for making an established range of decisions, escalating to Manager when necessary and updating Manager on a regular basis.

Responsibilities

What you will do:

• Responsible for annual production of assigned team and CRC Sales.
• Drives productivity of the team and the department through direct feedback and coaching.
• Responsible for developing associates to their full potential utilizing prescribed coaching methodologies. Addresses areas of skills/competence, client experience and technical knowledge (product and process) with each team member.
• Maintains frequent and open communications with all CRC team members. Holds regular one-on-ones and team meetings with direct reports to provide information that will aid in improved communication and performance.
• Monitors and coaches assigned number of interactions (calls, chats, email, etc.) for each associate each month following established "coaching folder" format. Ensures coaching notes are complete and accurate for each session. Tracks and records progress toward improving or enhancing performance as a result of coaching.
• Ensures associates have the resources necessary for efficient and effective completion of their roles communicating and reinforcing corporate and departmental missions, purposes and goals.
• Maintains a balance of project work and other off phone activities across team members as appropriate. Assigns projects taking into consideration individual performance, associate competencies and tenure in department. Describes assignments clearly and makes sure the appropriate resources are available. Communicates time frame, monitors progress and provides assistance when necessary.
• Monitors the interaction (inbound call, dialer, chat, fax, etc.) of systems. Makes appropriate and necessary staffing changes, balancing needs, resources and based upon inbound/outbound call volumes. Monitors and reviews daily and long-term call statistics of all team members and utilizes for associate development.
• Ensures staffing levels are appropriate at all times during the day/evening through the establishment of a staffing plan for the team to include individual schedules. Emphasizes and ensures associates are available at their designated start time and adhere closely to scheduled meetings, lunches, etc. Makes "real time" adjustments to schedules when necessary.
• Responsible for daily “Manager on Duty” on rotating basis, including but not limited to: monitoring sales operations, systems, telephony platform; resolving representative issues; and managing escalated client cases.
• Communicates new product information, techniques, industry information on a continual basis. Ensures associates understand how this information can positively impact performance.
• Provides statistical and status reports to manager (or appropriate area) in a timely fashion. Uses judgment when additional information or reports may be required.
• Participates in projects and initiatives, as assigned, to facilitate the team's (and the CRC's) overall success. These may include, but are not limited to, projects to identify, measure, track, improve and communicate the CRC's impact on the organization (e.g., stakeholder initiatives).
• Clearly communicates to associates the appraisal process and their expected results throughout the review period.
• Works with CRC management and HR in recommending associate performance ratings, salary increases, promotions, transfers or disciplinary decisions.
• Maintains proper levels of documentation in personnel files and associate PTO calendars to allow for disciplinary and promotional actions. Quickly identifies and addresses associates not meeting expected results.
• Ensures orientation and training of new associates is completed in a timely manner.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all policies and standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree Or commensurate selection criteria experience. - Required
• Demonstrated experience working effectively within a team. Must provide examples of motivating co-workers in difficult situations. - Required
• Proven experience adapting and demonstrating flexibility associated with changes to policies/procedures. - Required
• Cite experience identifying and resolving problems where independent decision making and self-initiative was demonstrated. This includes providing examples of strong negotiating skills to resolve problems. - Required
• Demonstrated superior professional and technical competence and a strong client focus. Can demonstrate a history of providing proactive and innovative advice to clients and customers. -
• Proven ability and skills to supervise the day-to-day operations of a team. Demonstrates a strong attention to detail with excellent organizational skills. Can cite examples of organization and time management methods used to manage or prioritize workload demands for self and others. -
• Demonstrated strong project management skills - must cite examples of developing, organizing, initiating and maintaining a project and successfully accomplishing set goals. -
• Proven strong analytical skills, including demonstrated experience identifying and quantifying problems, and providing effective resolutions. Proven analytical skills necessary to understand, monitor and manage statistical data in support of goal/mission success. -
• Can provide examples of handling effectively difficult situations while maintaining high volumes of work. -
• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills with proven ability to convey information to internal and external customers in a clear, focused and concise manner while following proper rules of punctuation, diction and style. Ability to prepare correspondence, reports and forms using a prescribed format. -
• Proven proficiency working with the Microsoft Office Suite. 
• Life and Health Insurance License in home state within 45 days - Required

Work Setting/Position Demands:

• Works in an office setting and remains in a stationary position for long periods of time while working at a desk, on a computer or with other standard office equipment, or while in meetings.
• Requires the ability to verbally communicate and exchange accurate information to customers and associates on a regular basis.
• Requires visual acuity to read and interpret a variety of correspondence, procedures, reports and forms via paper and electronic documents, visual inspection involving small defects; small parts, and/or operation of machinery (including inspection); using measurement devices continuously. Visual acuity is required to determine accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of work assigned.
• Requires the ability to prepare written correspondence, reports and forms using prescribed formats and conforming to rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style on a regular basis.
• Requires the ability to apply principles of logical thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• Performs substantial movement of wrists, hands, and fingers for continuous computer work.
• Extended hours required during peak workloads or special projects/events.

Travel Requirements:

• None