Meet Gayla Martin, 2022 International Confidence While Communicating (CWC) Speak Off Winner
I am a Senior Account Manager at Resource Pro in Lincoln, NE. As an Account Manager I assist clients with their insurance and risk management decisions. I help clients identify new exposures, leverage relationships with carriers, conduct risk assessments, implement risk management strategies, and stay abreast of market changes. One of the most important things I do, communicating proactively, helped motivate me to take CWC.
I lead a team of eight who all handle different things on our book of business, giving our clients an A-to-Z concierge service experience. I believe success comes from learning and understanding your clients, your agency and your teams’ goals and values.
To be an account manager you must be a licensed insurance agent. Each state and your agency establish the educational requirements you need to obtain your license. After you obtain your license, you are required to have continuing education every two years for your license renewal. Although a college education is ideal, many people that work in agencies are successful without degrees. Insurance designations are beneficial in providing a deeper knowledge of coverage and continuing education credits you need.
IAIP has enriched my professional career. It has provided me the soft skills to provide top notch customer service. I have utilized IAIP education courses to help strengthen my communication – verbal and writing skills. I earned my CLP to sharpen my leadership skills. This directly impacted my position at Resource Pro. I have also built a large network of peers in which I can count on for advice, mentorship, and long friendships.
Hindsight is always 20/20 but if I had to start my career over again, I wish I would have had more confidence in myself and taken some risks as far as job opportunities I missed.
Gayla started in the insurance industry as a CSR in 2000 with a captive agent. She turned her focus to commercial lines as an underwriter but missed the clients on the agency side. Since 2008, she has worked as an account manager at independent insurance agencies. In 2018 she joined Resource Pro. She enjoys learning all that she can about all lines of coverage, getting to know the client and building relationships with customers and underwriters. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her children and grandchildren, reading, biking, walking, and cooking – even though she says she is not very good at it. She is heavily involved at the IAIP regional and international levels.