It sounded too good to be true. A career opportunity that was more than a job, where you could have a flexible schedule and help others, while earning a good living at a reliable company with supportive people that offered mobility for females.

Equation for Sales Success
Amy Scott learned quickly that being a life insurance agent for New York Life would afford her all of these opportunities. After speaking to a family friend, a managing partner at New York Life, and others in the insurance industry, she discovered that her background in sales had provided her with important skills that prepared her for work as a life insurance agent. In sales she had learned about prospecting, time management and putting maximum effort into something to get the maximum out of the situation — what Ms. Scott calls "maximum in = maximum out."

With work experience that she believed prepared her for the new career, Ms. Scott’s road to success at New York Life began when she joined the Mississippi General Office in 1994 as an agent. After two years she was promoted to partner. As her responsibilities and workload grew, so did her family and having a flexible work schedule to balance both work and family responsibilities was essential. She gave birth to two sons, one in 1999 and the other in 2000. In 2002, Ms. Scott accepted an offer to become managing partner of the office in Columbus, Ohio. She spent the next three years developing the office of 60 agents, 5 managers and additional support staff, and in 2005, Ms. Scott added a new daughter to her own family.

Talented Manager at Home and at Work
Based on her effective leadership in Ohio, Ms. Scott was appointed as managing partner for the Central Georgia General Office in 2005. Ms. Scott did not hesitate to make this move because she knew that her new New York Life family in Georgia would be just as supportive as her New York Life family in Ohio and more importantly, it offered her the opportunity to share her knowledge with a new group of agents.

"Watching agents who I recruited and trained become successful, knowing that they are helping families achieve financial security is so satisfying. It’s one of the most gratifying aspects of my job," said Ms. Scott.

In the Central Georgia General Office, Ms. Scott is responsible for overseeing 72 agents, 5 managers and support staff, and developing the agency through recruiting and retaining quality individuals. Although she’s been at the Central Georgia General Office for only about four months, the team has increased sales compared to the prior year. With her guidance and encouragement, she expects this trend to continue in the year ahead.

Although Ms. Scott has seen much success at New York Life, she also faces challenges that require her to make difficult decisions. When faced with a tough situation, she follows her own advice, which she also shares with her staff, "sleep on it, and don’t react immediately."

She also recommends that both new and seasoned employees should “listen, listen, listen” and by listening well, the answer will bethere. In fact, at New York Life, agents are trained that the initial meeting with a client should be one where the client does the talking and the agent does the listening. “To find the best solutions for your clients, you need to hear what their needs are,” states Ms. Scott.

Do The Right Thing for All of Your Clients
But, the best advice she’s ever gotten was to “do right by people and they’ll do right by you.” In other words, she says, “You’ll get back what you give tenfold and you won’t even have to ask.” Ms. Scott imparts this sage advice to her staff and reminds them to treat others the way they would want to be treated.

While she is extremely proud of her staff and is happy with her achievements, she is not one to rest on her laurels. She has many professional goals yet to achieve. Ms. Scott wants to continue to grow the Central Georgia General Office adding, "I’d like to have it reach tier 1 status–in the top 25 percent of all New York Life offices in the country–within two years. I want to continue to recruit good, quality people and continue to further my education within the insurance and financial services industry."

Lessons at Work Also Work Well at Home
Ms. Scott has found that what she has learned while working at New York Life also applies outside the office. "The lessons I’ve learned as an agent and managing partner have helped me be a better person, wife and mother."

This is why she encourages other women to explore career opportunities at New York Life. She believes that being an agent is a natural career choice for women, saying, "women empathize with others and it's natural for them to want to help others."

Ms. Scott has found much success as a woman at New York Life, managing a career and her family life and she believes others can, too. "I appreciate that I am able to work for a company that realizes that programs that promote a diverse corporate culture and provide a work/life balance make me a better mom and a better employee. Best of all, at New York Life, I am able to have a family and a challenging job I love. I don’t have to choose one over the other."

For information about career opportunities please call 866–368– 2914 or visit us online at www.newyorklife.com/professional