In today’s America, more married women are calling the financial shots in their homes, and more unmarried women are choosing to remain single indefinitely. Both of these groups are in the market for insurance, but are they being served by the insurance industry? Specifically, are they being served by agents who will intuitively understand their needs, goals, and concerns?

As the insurance industry pivots to adjust to modern consumer expectations and more female-driven markets, it’s time to focus on developing leadership that fully represents the broad range of the market. Research shows that when women are provided professional development and given leadership roles within organizations, those organizations are better equipped to grow, innovate, and adapt. But are women in the financial, insurance, and risk-management services industries being mentored, sponsored, and nurtured adequately?

According to a survey conducted by Ernst & Young, “only 33% of female financial services leaders said they believe their organization is effective at promoting women into leadership positions versus 58% of men. Only 8% of insurance leaders surveyed said they have formal structured programs in place to develop women.”

That gap isn’t just a disservice to the women employed in the financial services industries. Ernst & Young also reported that “an analysis of the S&P Composite 1500 found that firms with women at the top were worth on average $40m more than those without.” Neglecting the professional development of female agents is a loss for agencies.

Confident, savvy women are an asset to insurance agencies, and independent insurance agencies that invest in developing and mentoring these dynamos will reap the reward. Not only in terms of profits but in terms of authority. In a landscape dominated by bulky, impersonal insurance goliaths, independent agencies have an opportunity to be agile industry leaders in the cultivation of talented, knowledgeable female agents.

Have you considered implementing a women’s initiative to support your female agents in the development of their sales and leadership skills?

At AgenciesOnline, we’ve been giving a lot of thought to this opportunity. Our goal has always been to help independent insurance agencies thrive. That means ensuring you have everything you need to nurture your markets and your agents. Offering educational and professional development resources has been an integral feature of our services for years, but we can do more.

We want to make upward mobility for female agents feel less like an uphill battle.

Study groups and mentorships drastically reduce the learning curve for female agents, and they provide a space for young agents to think about more advanced problems and issues than they’ve yet confronted. They provide time for developing agents to ask questions and find invaluable answers from knowledgeable mentors. We’ve got some big ideas for making this sort of ongoing mentorship available to your female agents in the near future, and we’d like your input.

Are you ready to nurture more clients? Are you ready for higher revenue? Are you ready to resonate with the growing female-driven markets?

Then let’s start empowering female agents today.