I’m an avid reader and wanted to share some of the most impactful life insurance sales books I’ve read. If I don’t have a paper copy, I head to Audible and download an audiobook version I can listen to in the car between appointments.
So much about selling insurance is mindset and staying focused on the daily activities required to drive results. Reading is a great way to stay fresh and inspired!
There are a handful of best life insurance books I can easily recall as some of the best I’ve read for building an insurance business. If you’re looking to grow your career, check these out! Below are my affiliate links to purchase these on Amazon (yes, I make a small commission).
Best Insurance Sales Books
There are a lot of insurance sales books to choose from, below are the best sellers I’ve read that are specifically targeted towards the insurance industry.
6 Hours To 6 Figures: Becoming A Trusted Senior Insurance Advisor
Author: Brandon Clay
This is my favorite!
This is my favorite! Brandon Clay is a friend and mentor, and I first read this book last year after hearing him speak at a conference. His message resonates deeply, and the level of detail he provides offers everything you need to know to build a six-figure residual income selling life insurance policies in the senior market.
This is a must-read for agents looking to sell life insurance successfully in the senior market.
Coach
Author: Art Williams
This is one of my favorite books about life insurance sales. Scotty Elliot, Chief Distribution Officer of Health at Amerilife, recommended it, and it’s a pivotal read. A.L. Williams, the founder of Primerica, spearheaded the “buy a term life insurance policy and invest the rest” strategy, disrupting the traditional whole life market.
It’s one of the best sellers for agents focused on retirement planning, estate planning, and financial planning.
The Digital Life Insurance Agent
Author: Jeff Root
Jeff Root is a pioneer in digital life insurance sales. Much of what I’ve learned about SEO and lead generation came from Jeff’s tactics. His book provides a step-by-step guide for transitioning from field sales to selling life insurance over the phone. It’s a must-read for agents exploring digital strategies.
I’ve spoken to many agents who say this is one of, if not the best book about life insurance sales they have ever read as it provides nearly everything you need to know regarding fundamentals of selling life insurance policies over the phone.
Go For Stupid. The Art of Achieving Ridiculous Goals.
Author: Steve Sims
Steve is the founder of BLUEFISH, an international company that makes once-in-a-lifetime events happen for the rich-and-famous.
STUPID things (in a good way). Getting married by the pope at the Vatican. An Elon Musk-guided tour of SpaceX. Private dinners at the foot of Michelangelo’s David. And surprise serenades… by Sir Elton John.
Why is the relevant for insurance sales? Because it helps you reframe your mindset around customer appreciation. What are the things you can be doing to make your customer events more memorable and meaningful?
You’re not thinking big enough in the day-to-day. Add magic to the mundane by asking one simple question: “how far can I take this?”
If you’ve fallen asleep on the TO DO LIST hamster wheel, Steve will get you thinking big again.
25 Secrets to Sustainable Success
Author: Phil Richards
This book is another recommendation from Scotty Elliot. It’s about Phil Richards and his success with North Star Resource Group and eventually becoming the President of GAMA international. This is jammed full of great advice for those trying to build an agency with a strong downline. As part of the title states, it’s a Master Firm Builder Book.
The Official Guide To Selling Final Expense Life Insurance
Author: David Duford
David is one of my most fierce online competitors from an SEO standpoint and I absolutely love reading his content and listening to his questions and answers on life insurance through his YouTube channel.
He’s a great example of a personal producing agent that has dedicated his professional life to becoming an expert in his space. I admire his dedication and his final expense sales book is among the best I have read. as it’s nearly a step-by-step guide.
If you are looking to sell life insurance, this is a must read book for insurance agents whether you’re experienced or brand new!
Red Hot Introductions
Author: Randy Schwartz
This book was written for insurance salespeople and will reinvigorate your passion for getting referrals! Many agents forget the power of the referral and the tactics and examples in this book bring back that simplicity of that prospecting strategy.
How to Qualify, Present & Sell Final Expense and Medicare Supplements to Seniors
Author: Glen Shelton
Glen is another great friend and online competitor. He wrote this Medicare and Final Expense sales book from his personal experience and does a phenomenal job of outlining the do’s and don’t for agents getting into the senior market.
This step-by-step guide will help you learn everything from scripting to understanding life insurance and all the details that come with it such as underwriting, new life insurance vs. the old kind, death benefit options, and how life and health insurance are great combination sales.
The Wedge
Author: Randy Schwartz
This is a great sales book for commercial property and casualty agents looking to get an edge on building their practice.
Building a Financial Services Clientele 12th Edition
Author: Al Granum
This is the first book I read that helped me sell my first life insurance policy which was a term and whole life combo. I was hooked on the value that cash value life insurance could provide to my clients.
It taught me how to grow a financial services practice and the concepts to help people buy life insurance still hold true today in the digital world we all live in. It’s a long and detailed read, but you can’t fail if you follow the step-by-step guide to creating financial security.
I first read this insurance sales book in 2009 and it’s still one of my favorite books as it will literally teach you everything you need to know to secure your financial future as well as your clients. In fact, this is what kick started my networking with others such as CPAs and attorneys to generate referral business.
Treat this like a workbook that you consistently reference while growing your business.
Best Insurance Sales Books for Prospecting
These aren’t necessarily insurance specific, but the concepts you’ll learn can easily be translated to our business and relate to the struggles all insurance agents face at some point in their sales career.
Think Like a Monk
Author: Jay Shetty
This book was highly recommended by Jeff Pitta, CEO of Healthcare Holdings of America, one of the largest players in the Medicare wholesale space in the country. Jeff started as a personal producer and knows the mental battle that agents face in this business. One of the key highlights he mentioned was this book will help you learn to overcome negativity and battle your mind when you begin to overthink your sales or prospecting process.
Compound Effect
Author: Darren Hardy
This isn’t a specific insurance sales book, but the concepts you’ll learn will help you continue to grow your insurance practice. The compound effect is a great example of how the little daily actions you take compound into great results and opportunities.
You’ll gain an incredible mindset after reading this personal development book.
The Sales Development Playbook
Author: Trish Bertuzzi
We all know how important it is to have a strong pipeline and that is exactly what this book will help reinforce. I highly suggest this book for commercial P&C agents as it’s really strong for building a B2B pipeline.
Sales development playbook is absolutely the best description.
Top of Mind
Author: John Hall
I met John a few years ago and have followed him online ever since. He’s an incredible talented individual and his book brings an amazing mindset around how you can stay top of mind with your insurance customers.
This is a playbook to standout with your competition. Highly recommended!
Predictable Prospecting
Authors: Marylou Tyler and Jeremey Donovan
This is another book I highly recommend for commercial P&C agents. You can take these concepts and drastically increase your B2B pipeline of prospects.
Giftology: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through the Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Retention
Author: John Ruhlin
Lastly, John Ruhlin completely transformed my mindset around how to nurture relationships through completely out of the box ways to show appreciation. In growing our insurance marketing business we have been able to absolutely stand out from the competition by paying attention to the little details…which most of the time have the biggest impact.
His book and approach to relationship building is incredible.
Other Recommended Insurance Sales Books
Here are a few other books recommended by some friends and agents in the business.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
Author: Tony Hsieh
This is another recommendation from Scotty Elliot at Amerilife. He always says, “Leaders are Readers” and this book made the list for the March 2021 leadership book club. Zappos has set the bar for building company culture and Tony dives deep into that topic. Definitely a great read for anyone building an agency and looking for an edge to build a team culture for the internal staff as well as the field sales agents.
Money. Wealth. Life Insurance.: How the Wealthy Use Life Insurance as a Tax-Free Personal Bank to Supercharge Their Savings
Author: Jake Thompson
This is a best selling life insurance book on Amazon and as of today, has 867 positive reviews. Based on my time in the industry and working with many insurance agents, many always ask how to better understand how the wealthy use life insurance. This looks like a great place to start and I’ll be adding it to my reading list for this year.
If I Were You: The Complete Guide To Thriving In The Insurance Industry
Author: Preston Schmidli
Fill your pipeline with so many sales opportunities that you never have to wonder where your next client will come from.
How Any Agent Can Escape the Price Battlefield: Insurance Sales Secrets
Author: Ben Page
Learn a radically different paradigm that puts the agent, not the proposal, front-and-center in the game to win clients. It’s packed with solid little-known principles, strategies, and tactics that can help any insurance agent WIN a lot more quality business in a way that is entirely more fun, many times more effective, and not so driven by price.
