Feeling burnt out after a year and a half in sales… Anyone else?

Am I not cut out for this? I dread going to work and making calls every day. I’m always watching the clock, hoping it’s time for lunch or to go home. When I started, I thought this was the best job ever, just talking on the phone. But now it’s the same thing every day, only following a script and trying to sell renters insurance to people who either don’t have money or don’t care about it.

My performance is good; I’m one of the top on my team and my supervisor is great. But it makes me feel like I’m not grateful for having an “easy job” and decent pay.

I don’t know what to do. If I quit, I might have to take a pay cut. If I switch companies, I’m worried it will be the same thing elsewhere.

Is anyone else feeling this way or have any advice?

If you’re good at sales and don’t mind it that much, you might do well in sales anywhere. Many people I know left and succeeded in sales at different companies, earning a lot. You should consider medical sales or something similar where the pay is higher!

@Joss
Also, auto sales was the most stressful job I had. Service roles are different but better than sales, in my opinion. Maybe look into a specialty role like commercial or cycle sales? It can be tricky now, though, as specialty areas handle many types of business with little training.

@Joss
I’ll check out medical sales, thanks!

What about moving to a different role within the company? I’m not with Geico, but I work in the same industry and was in a similar position, making sales calls all day. It was okay at first but got old quickly. Every company is similar when it comes to call centers. Your best option might be to move out of the sales call center role into something with fewer calls, or maybe a coaching or leadership position.

@Emerson
They don’t really have opportunities for current agents to do that. These roles are often filled by people fresh out of college.

@Emerson
I joined to try sales for the first time and thought I’d be good at it. I enjoy the sales part but need a steady income right now, so switching isn’t easy. I might look for sales jobs that aren’t call center-based.

@Payne
Consider property and casualty insurance roles. They’re tough to get into but worth it if you can.

Avoid claims roles at Geico. It can be overwhelming and you might end up stressed out within a year.

Dacey said:
Avoid claims roles at Geico. It can be overwhelming and you might end up stressed out within a year.

I agree completely. Saw another comment saying claims is fun and couldn’t believe it. If you can’t handle sales, claims might not be for you either.

@River
Yes, I saw that too. Someone must really enjoy it.

@River
AD used to be fun…

Dacey said:
Avoid claims roles at Geico. It can be overwhelming and you might end up stressed out within a year.

I worked in claims for six years at GE and disagree. Claims can be tough if you’re not careful, but GE had good training and support.

@Vance
I worked in claims for almost 30 years, 20 of them in SIU. Geico was the worst place I worked for. If you do claims, gain experience and then move on.

Everyone gets burnt out because dealing with customers can be draining.

Claims are tough. With short staffing, bad lawsuits are coming. You don’t want to be in claims when that happens. It’s not fun explaining why a claim wasn’t handled right.

Don’t go into claims or service. I worked in auto and most service roles for three years, and it’s just angry customers all day. This forum has plenty of stories about claims too. It’s repetitive, but I agree with looking for sales outside Geico like medical sales—they pay well. That’s my next step after my degree. You seem good at sales, so find companies that aren’t call centers where you can earn real bonuses!

It doesn’t get better.

I was in sales since last July and got let go this May. I was already burnt out. The bonus structure wasn’t great. Now I’m at an agency that uses sourced leads. I prefer this over inbound calls. We still deal with similar issues, just in a different order. People complain about calls, but they signed up for quotes online, so it’s their responsibility.

Maybe try claims? Claims can be interesting and keep you engaged with different cases. If you want to stay with Geico, claims might be a good move. There are different departments in claims that offer more challenges if you need something new!