Interview Analysis Memo and Letter of Thanks

Kade Steidley
Interview Project
Communication 1010
04/04/2015

Interview Analysis Memo

Date: April 6, 2015
To: Justin Metcalfe
From: Kade Steidley
Subject: Interview Analysis Memo, COMM 1010
I had the pleasant opportunity to interview Justin Metcalfe an Insurance Sales Agent with American Family Insurance
located at the Scott Hirschi American Family Insurance Agency in Kaysville Utah. I was recently approached and offered a
position with another insurance agency in that area close to my home and have been juggling the thought of changing careers to
go to work as an insurance agent. I chose to ask Mr. Metcalfe if I could interview him for the purpose of my communications
class at Salt Lake Community College as well as get an insider look at the insurance industry.
Mr. Metcalfe was very friendly and interested in helping me with my class but also with choosing whether or not to
leave the career that I have worked so hard to build over the past 7-1/2 years. I have worked extremely hard to develop a good,
honest, hard earned and hard maintained reputation throughout Utah and the south western United States as being an individual
who has a strong moral fiber and compass. Changing careers after giving so much to create my reputation as an honest,
hardworking, dedicated individual in my current industry and the thought of moving to the insurance industry is quite frankly
terrifying. It is a move I would not be considering if my two primary concerns were not being addressed with the proposed job
offer and possibility of no longer having to commute two hours a day. So as such I decided to complete two tasks with my
communications project, complete the task of my communications class as well as gauge the insurance industry and how I would
fit in it. Starting from scratch is something I do not take lightly but the incentive of being in close proximity of my home and the
possibility of increasing my salary by over 10-20 thousand dollars a year has intrigued me and I would like to know an honest
opinion on the industry, on the job itself and its duties and what the future may hold if I did decide to change.
This memo summarizes the useful and insightful advice gained from meeting with Mr. Metcalfe and analyzes what I learned from
conducting the interview.
Summary of Lessons Learned
Getting Started in the Insurance Industry
After speaking with Mr. Metcalfe and gaining his opinion and experience I am even more enticed to pursue this
opportunity further but I do still hold reservations. Reservations such as not having a fixed salary after two years, having to turn
up New business which Justin explained is new policies written for clients that have never had American Family insurance. This
was a very troublesome discovery because when you think about how many American Family Insurance agencies are in your
local area let alone in the United States and how many Americans have at one point in time had their insurance through
American Family Insurance it becomes a pressing matter as to how you are going to keep getting New Policies month after
month. To me it sounds like no matter how hard your work you will never be able to meet your monthly quota of New Policies
therefore you do not meet your bonus criteria which he explained was a set number of life, home, auto and property policies that
you must obtain each month. This seems like an impossible task, I currently work in sales every day and never had I heard that
New Business is business that has never been through the nationwide companies doors such as American Family Insurance. I
voiced these concerns to Mr. Metcalfe and he gave me honest insight as to what being an insurance agent entails. This does not

sit well with me at all but once all of that is completed Mr. Metcalfe went on to explain that after you begin signing new policies
once youre an agent then as long as each client that remains an American Family Insurance client you will receive x amount of
money each month for every policy you have wrote. After a few years this adds up to be a rather large number and could
become a rather lavish salary. Though enticing I do not like the unstableness of it and the fact that new business is not business
you regained but business that the company has never had. In most industries new business means acquiring new business and
clients that youve never had or didnt have last month. To me if a customer has stopped using your company and your services
but you convinced them to come back and that their trust is well placed and they begin to use your services again that qualifies
as new business in my industry as well as most. But not in the insurance industry. New Business in the insurance industry
means gaining a client that your nationwide company has never provided services for. There is a demand for insurance services,
every American needs insurance whether it be auto insurance for your teen to drive, home insurance to protect you and your
families greatest investment, to varying degrees of life, health, property and motorcycle insurance. There is a strong foundation
for the business and it cannot go anywhere despite how the market is acting and the current state of the economy.
The insurance workplace for agents is a casual, professional and clean job that offers many benefits such as working
the hours you wish to work as long as youre producing policies and developing trust with clients over the years. In order to be
successful in the insurance industry you must be honest, hardworking and live by a strict code of ethics that if broken could lead
to criminal charges. It requires an immense amount of motivation and personal strictness as well as continuing education to
maintain your licenses and revolving clientele. Mr. Metcalfe explained that if you can make it through the first few years that the
rest is pretty self-sustaining as long as you continue to work diligently and stick to rules.
Speaking with Justin I learned that to be successful in insurance sales is that you must go month to month scrounging and
scraping to come up with policies in an area already saturated with existing clients, clients whom have had previous business
with your insurance agency (most of which are nationwide). Though the salary, hours, and proximity to home this poses a real
problem to me, I have no problem working hard to earn a wage but to have to scrounge each month trying to meet quotas that
arent realistic. I am going to speak with a few more people in the insurance industry and find out if what I assume is correct.
Justin says that the first few years are hard but after that it becomes much easier because you would then have revolving
clientele that every month a portion of their payments go towards your wages.
A Typical Day
Justin spoke about how much he enjoyed his job and the lifestyle it provides him. He spoke passionately about being able to help
people when things seem the most down in their lives. Mr. Metcalfe gave an example of a family who recently lost their home
and all their possessions to a house fire, this fire cost them all of their possessions, their life savings invested in their home and
all seemed lost to them. But with Justins help and their policy that they had purchased less than a year prior. Justin and the
family were able to work out the details and get the family monetary value on their things so that they could begin to rebuild their
lives. Mr. Metcalfe spoke of how helping others gives him great joy and a sense of satisfaction that his previous jobs never held.
He has a passion to serve others which I can tell from the reputation he has and from speaking with him today that he is deeply
invested into his work.
Justin spoke about how no matter what you do you should do it for the right reasons and if you can find a job that is true to your
heart and keeps you happy then that is the career to pursue regardless of wage or other Earthly things. These things Justin says
will be the key to a happy and healthy successful life.
Justins work schedule is Monday through Friday, some Saturdays and when necessary works late hours into the night trying to
help a client. He is supposed to work 8 to 5 in a perfect world but usually works later to help clients sort out their current
insurance needs, following up with clients, such as calling clients to confirm previous arrangements and ensure they are to their
satisfaction. Justin is allowed up to one week vacation per year, but if possible he must make plans well in advance. His boss
give him the flexibility to be with his son and family if they needed him for a school event or for an emergency situation
A typical day for Justin starts with ensuring that the previous days tasks are all completed. Second arranging the morning 7 a.m.
agency meeting to encourage sales, go over numbers, and assign tasks to be done for the day using downward communication.
After the meeting he returns to his office and proceeds to make sales calls on leads and make a number of cold calls. Then
depending on the day he will go out of the office to visit clients and go to various business to try and gain more clients and
policies upon which he can continue to build on. After completing all his tasks he will return to the office to document which leads
may be worth pursuing and other leads obtained throughout the day. Mr. Metcalfe finishes up responding to emails of the day
and preparing for the following day. After a long day he shuts everything down and heads home to his family usually in time for

dinner. Which he speaks highly about and puts family above all else in his life. Overall I would say that Mr. Metcalfe has found his
calling in life and leads a happy and fulfilling life.
Continuing Education
First after hired but before receiving a paycheck you must go through intense training to obtain all of the proper licenses for four
months flying twice a week from Salt Lake City to Minneapolis Minnesota for 18 straight weeks. During these 18 weeks your take
intense classes and training of which you must fund your meals, car rental, hotel rooms, books and class room fees, as well as
licensing fees before you ever receive your first paycheck. Many AITs (Agents in Training) spend months after the classes trying
to cram study as Justin put it so that they may pass and become licensed. Each agency has a minimum amount of time that
they will allow you after you pass your first test to complete the rest of your licensing or you will be let go. Upon completion of
these various licenses you must continue to take a series of maintenance courses as Justin called them and comply and be
schooled on the various ethics codes which are constantly updated and attention to detail on them is a must. You cannot make a
mistake when it comes to insurance, if you do you could be charged with criminal charges and even face prison time depending
on the violation.
Interview Analysis
This interview introduced me to a real in depth look at Insurance Sales and how it is a job that can make you or break you. Mr.
Metcalfe and I had a stimulating interview on the subject and he gave me real insight as to what the future may hold for me if I
choose to go that route. But he also cautioned that if not fully invested in Insurance Sales that the tough grit insurance industry
would leave you beaten and broken in more ways the one. Observing Mr. Metcalfe gave me insight as to things that I could
better in myself in future interviews.
Analysis of Insurance Agent as my Career Choice
From this interview I realized I am not ready for the unstableness and month to month scrounging for policies and constant
repetitiveness. I have decided to continue in my current career, continue my education until I receive my degree and put it to use
in the field I have developed relationships and a honest reputation.
By following Justins advice on family, work, education, and balancing work, family and play. I realize from speaking with him that
I spend too much time working, school and more working. I can gain more clarity on my educational path and what I wish to
achieve my degree in. I am grateful for this experience and having little to no knowledge of the insurance industry and how it
would not be a good fit for me.
Analysis of my Interviewing Process
Depending on the setting I am not a good public speaker. But I felt at ease talking to a stranger on a professional and
educational level. I think my interview went as well as it did because of how easy going Justin is and can be easily approached
on any topic no matter how uncomfortable. I am glad that I decided to investigate becoming an insurance agent and kept me
from making a mistake in changing careers. Thank you for this assignment.
For the interview I typed up my questions and created a pdf file upon which I could glance at on my tablet so if falling off track I
could seamlessly resume the conversation. This helped me to stay focused and stay on topic. I was able to glance down when I
couldn't remember the next topic and move forward in the interview with ease. I rarely had to view the questions because these
were questions that I have been pondering upon relentlessly for weeks so it was not hard for me to stay on topic and obtain the
information I was in search of. I was always taught to maintain eye contact sit up straight and be honest and straightforward so
using my tablet to help guide the conversation it helped me keep better eye contact when asking the questions. Justin did a great
job of staying on topic and on task so I did not have to intervene and steer the conversation back to often. We did however a few
times share a laugh and a story and then proceeded to resume. Justin did a good job of giving great in depth answers that I
didnt have to poke and prod to get the answers I was looking for which was great. Other than a couple of times during the
interview did we rarely stray off track. Overall I feel as though the interview was a success.
Things I would change in the future when I am the interviewer was writing notes. I did try to write brief notes that were to the
point and I could go back to in the recording later on. Also I feel as though if I would have sat down in my car or the lobby and
write some thoughts from the day while I was still there that would have been helpful to add to my paper.
At the end of our interview I felt more comfortable. Although I had done many interviews before from both sides this was this first
time I was interviewing to achieve a certain goal so I wasnt quite sure how to approach the interview itself. I am confident

enough in my people skills and communication skills that when the interview was over I calmly thanked him for his time and
going farther in depth even though he didnt have to. I asked him if he would mind filling out the questionnaire that we had
spoken of earlier in our various communications. I shook his hand thanked him once more and let him know how appreciative I
was. Though looking back I feel I may have been overly appreciative, which is not a good thing to do. But overall I feel as though
it was a great success and I am glad for the experience.
All in all, I found this to be a useful assignment that will help me as I decide on a career path, and also as I conduct future
interviews in the workplace.

Letter of Thanks
1155 E. Holmes Creek Lane
Layton, UT 84041
April 4, 2015

Justin Metcalfe
563 West 2600 South
Kaysville, UT 84039

Dear Justin,
I just wanted to thank you immensely for taking time out of your busy schedule and allowing me to interview you about your
career. The answers you provided during our interview were extremely insightful to me and exactly what I was hoping to achieve
in meeting with you.
I admire the dedication you give to your job, family and the clients you interact with daily. The care you give to each client to
ensure that every client is treated fairly and any worries or issues are resolved in a timely manner. It really struck me how you
treated the few people that came in no matter whom the client is or how much they are worth you still give 110 % for your clients.
You make a superb role model sir. From this interview I realize that when pursuing future career paths I need to interact with
experienced professionals in that field and gauge whether or not the job is right for me. I have always known that only reading
about a career cannot give me a full perspective I need about that career or profession. Talking to you has provided me vital
information that I would not be able to obtain otherwise. I appreciate you going into great detail and depth in our conversation
even though the thirty minutes you set aside for me was well past. Spending time with you in your workplace gave me the insight
I was looking for and also added to my professional skills, communication skills and the power of proper wording of sentences
can change an angry client into an understanding one. I will use much of what I have learned as I continue in my life and explore
future propositions as I consider my own career.
Justin I appreciate you setting aside time for me in your busy schedule. You have really helped me for my communication class
as well as help me in making a decision whether or not to change careers. At this point in time I think it is best if I continue with
my current career and wait until I am closer to my degree and enter a similar field that I already have experience and a hard
earned reputation. Speaking with you helped me immensely and I have learned so much about pursuing careers and how I will
go forward from here when doing so. Learning about the insurance industry has been a great experience and given me much
needed insight as to how to further pursue a career in the future. I appreciate your feedback on interviewing and will incorporate
all I learned in our interview into my current career when interviewing which will help me in my future and further pursuit of a
successful and happy lifestyle.

Sincerely,

Kade Steidley