Ama Achiaw
This summer I worked with AFLAC out of a company office in College Park, Maryland. My duties were focused mainly in sales and marketing, but as I made more sales I became more involved in the communications and health care aspects of the job. The objective for all interns was to pass their state exam in health care, set appointments with small businesses, and set up enrollments with small businesses. Most mornings I would drive to the office and work on selling insurance by canvassing with fellow interns or making warm and cold calls. A goal would be posted in the office which represented the number of appointments we had to schedule that week. Together all interns worked to achieve that goal. It was critical that we attain our license in accident and health insurance because without it we were not able to sell AFLAC’s product. I studied for the test for about a month, passed and was then able to work further along side of my mentor. I shadowed my mentor to various meetings where she consulted with business owners and C level executives to help the businesses manage escalating benefits costs without reducing employee morale. I was specifically responsible for qualifying and contacting sales leads and managing activities that led to account acquisition and enrollments. Setting enrollments was the ultimate objective which entailed meeting with all employees and registering them for AFLAC’s benefits. My mentor emphasized maintaining a good relationship with all clients, helping them with claims, and answering questions whenever necessary. She was always convincing when making a sales pitch and taught me the correct phrases to use when sealing the deal. As interns we had to do a lot of memorizing of the various scripts for different scenarios. The scripts were used while making sales calls, attending meetings, during enrollments, or while canvassing. We were all provided with site sellers which were used during business meetings. A sight seller contained all of the different types of health insurance that AFLAC offers: Accident, Cancer, Critical Care & Recovery, Dental, Hospital Indemnity, Short term Disability, Vision, and a few other policies which we were not required to learn.
Class Year
Majors
Internship Location
Overview
The individuals I worked with were great mentors. They expected a lot from us as interns and provided more than enough tools for us to utilize. Mandatory meetings were held every Monday morning to make sure everyone was working productively and seminars were held throughout the week to focus on difficult areas of marketing and sales. On several occasions the top insurance producers in the region came to speak with the interns and give advice. The work was at AFLAC was very entrepreneurial in spirit. Interns set their own hours although almost all of us were in the office 5 days a week. We travelled separately to all business meetings and some people continued working when they left the office. Prior to working with AFLAC I was unaware of the company’s vale and purpose. Now that I have worked for the company I honestly think that the product we sell is a necessity for people. The company has persuaded me about the benefits of supplemental health insurance and problems that many people without it face. Besides that, the company really emphasized the importance of setting goals. During Monday morning meetings we would fill out an “intern weekly report” that covered the number of hours spent marketing during the previous week, appointments that were scheduled, appointments that were attended, and personal goals for the next 30 days. It also asked us to rate ourselves in product knowledge, enrolling ability, site seller ability, cold calling, and canvassing. Our mentors set high standards and we always met them. They also pushed us to work harder in the office by setting very desirable incentives. There were always flyers posted around the office offering cash to interns who set the most appointment or made the most enrollments. Competitions included going to an Orioles game, Nationals game, staying at a condo in Ocean City, Maryland for a weekend with 8 friends, earning $125 per account, and much more.
Advice
I would recommend this job to other students seeking internships. My advice to other interns is to be open in your job searches and to explore every opportunity you meet. Working hard during your internship will open doors for your future and will help you to gain a lot of experience
