Q&A with Cathy Trischan

Cathy Trischan, CPCU, CRM, CIC, ARM, AU, AAI, CRIS, MLIS, TRIP is IA&B’s commercial lines education consultant and bimonthly contributor to Primary Agent magazine. Also a faculty member for the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance, she teaches in the Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) and Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR) programs as well as Ruble Graduate Seminars.

Most recently, Cathy partnered with IA&B to develop the Insuring Careers Certification Program (ICCP) curriculum – online modules that teach the basics of insurance and then, after participants pass the state licensing exam, another set of lessons that focus on the technical side of insurance, digging deeper into the insurance policies as well as business skills training.

Q. Tell us how you got your start in the insurance industry and how your career progressed.

A. Like many in the industry, I fell into insurance. I graduated from college without a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I was offered a good job in an insurance company claims department, so I took a chance. I didn’t love the claims side of the business and left to work for an agency in the commercial lines department. From there, I never looked back. I held a variety of positions in insurance agencies starting as an assistant CSR and ending as Director of Commercial Underwriting. I started teaching insurance classes in the early 1990s and continued to grow my training and consulting practice over the years. In 2023, I left agency life to focus full time on my business.

Q. As a collector of designations, you obviously value insurance education! What motivates you to keep learning?

A. I have always loved being a student. I want to understand how things work and why they are the way they are. And the more I learn, the more I want to learn. As an insurance professional, I also recognize how important it is to keep up with all of the changes that happen in our industry.

Insurance doesn’t stand still. The best way for me to stay on top of things is to make the effort to keep learning.

Q. Thank you for all your work on the ICCP! How would you summarize the curriculum – who is it designed for and what do participants walk away with?

A. You’re welcome. Working on this project has been so rewarding!

The program is designed to help those who are new to the insurance industry develop the skills they need to be successful. It is so hard for people working in an agency to find the time to train new employees on everything they need to know. This program helps to fill that need. In addition, this program is perfect for someone just entering insurance and not yet in an agency. It allows them to work at their own pace and around other life responsibilities.

We begin with a four-part introduction to the basics of insurance. This introduction will help the learner get excited about the industry they are entering. It will also give them a head start in preparing for the state licensing exam. Once the learner is licensed, the real fun begins.

The program dives deeply into the primary policies they’ll be working with, both personal and commercial policies. We teach them the technical skills they’ll need to be insurance professionals. We’ll also teach them the business skills they’ll need to work well with clients, insurers and brokers, and others.

Q. Admittedly, the soft skills training component of the ICCP is atypical in insurance training. Tell us what it covers and why it’s included.

A. This is one of my favorite parts of ICCP and what makes the program so special. It is important for insurance professionals to be technically proficient and to understand the products they sell. We’ve got that covered in ICCP. But we need to remember that insurance is a people business. Without good business skills, the knowledge one has about insurance coverage doesn’t translate into helping a client. The skills training section covers several key areas including time management, communication, problem solving and negotiation, presentation and sales. These are the skills that most people are never taught; they learn them on the job, often by trial and error. Our graduates will be better prepared from the start!

Q. After ICCP participants pass the state licensing exam, they move onto more technical modules and applications. What will they learn in this final segment of the program?

A. Aside from the soft skills we just discussed, they will learn the mechanics of how some of the most commonly written insurance policies work. It is so important that agents understand the policies they are selling, and so many don’t because they haven’t been taught how to read and analyze policies. Many don’t get that kind of education until they are further along in their careers and possibly pursuing a designation. Pre-licensing is great, but it is just the starting point. The insurance training modules will help learners understand how policies work and what coverage to look and ask for. That knowledge will help them to feel more confident when discussing coverage with insurers, brokers, and clients.

Q. What advice would you give to new insurance producers just getting their start in our industry?

A. I was hoping you’d ask me this one. First, we have the most amazing people in our industry – get to know them. Network within your organization and outside of it. If you’re as lucky as I’ve been, you’ll make great friends as well as professional contacts. Second, take every opportunity to learn as much as you can about this business. The more you know, the more exciting the field of insurance becomes. Take classes, read industry journals, talk to those with more or different experience and learn from them. Lastly, know that there are so many opportunities in our industry. If you don’t like one facet of the business, chances are good there is another role that may be a better fit. I was not meant to be a claims adjuster, but once I got into an agency, I knew I’d found a lifelong career.

Q. When you’re not teaching (or writing, or consulting, or building curriculum!), how do you enjoy spending your time?

A. That list doesn’t leave me a lot of time these days. At this point, my priority is making time to spend with family, especially my grandchildren who are growing up so quickly. I don’t want to miss any of that. I also love to travel and want to see as much of the world as I can. And when I can’t do either of those things, you’ll usually find me in the middle of a good (non-insurance) book.