In the world of insurance it is an account handler’s job to sell policies to intermediaries such as independent financial advisers and insurance brokers with the aim that they will then recommend those policies to their customers. Typical duties involve developing business accounts and building relationships with brokers and other agents as well as promoting new products and working to specific sales targets
Skills necessary for the job include excellent communication skills and the ability to negotiate and sell. Employers may look for previous sales and marketing experience and may demand reasonable A levels for those applying for a training scheme. There may also be graduate training schemes in larger insurance firms for those already holding a degree
Most training will take place on the job as employees will need to become familiar with a particular insurance firm’s products. An account handler can expect to start on around £20,000 per year. There are often performance based bonuses and commissions on top of the basic salary.