"Businesses should always look at adapting to change at all times."
Sarah Muniz has been in the Insurance industry for 21 years in various different roles. Her career started as a customer service representative and progressed to a producer at an independent agency. She’s also worked in an insurtech for about a year helping agencies hire Virtual assistants.
The insurance industry gave Sarah the most room for making a good living and growth but she’s found there is a glass ceiling that is hard to break through for women. Her goal is to help even out the playing field for all races and genders in the Insurance industry.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Sarah Muniz: I’ve recently published a book called Undiscovered Voices: Unlocking the Potential of Women in Insurance. I’ve been in the Insurance business for over 21 years and it’s been a love/hate relationship. I have fallen in love with the insurance industry because I can earn a decent living while helping others in some of the most devastating times in their lives.
I also hate insurance because it’s close to impossible for women to move up past a lower management level position into leadership. I’ve worked with several different insurance companies and hit the same wall every time. When sharing stories with other women we often come across the same barriers yet the men in the industry won’t listen or make any changes to improve it. I’ve written the book in order to shine a light on the problem and give solutions in order to start making positive changes in insurance.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Sarah Muniz: Undiscovered Voices was supposed to be released in 2020 but decided to wait because promoting a book online isn’t as effective as attending a live event or as impactful. Also, I found out that I’m not mentally strong enough to work from home I need to be around others in order to stay mentally healthy. When working from home my inner self-talk was very negative and I went into a really deep depression. I’m thriving in 2022 because I have the ability to surround myself with positive like-minded professionals.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Sarah Muniz: Businesses should always look at adapting to change at all times. The businesses that lag behind in making changes to keep up with the ever-changing environment will be the ones that don’t survive in the end.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Sarah Muniz: The Insurance Industry had to move to an online platform in order to connect with others. I’ve personally started recording videos to send to my referral sources so I stay top of mind and we grow a more personal relationship.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Sarah Muniz: I wish I would’ve been told that the pandemic was really going to the world down for almost 2 years. I was in disbelief for most of the hype up until March when all the businesses starting shut down.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Sarah Muniz: Automation will continue since we’ve already adapted to the change. Zoom has been a blessing because it’s allowed business owners to expand their practice to all around the world not just in the local area. This won’t change anytime soon.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Sarah Muniz: Way too many!!! I’d say I’m in front of a screen for 10 hours a day.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Sarah Muniz: I’ve recently shared my journey in the insurance industry with my book Undiscovered Voices. Through my pain point in the insurance industry, I’m hoping the reader will relate to the stories and healing will begin for women. When Leadership reads the book, I hope to spotlight what’s still happening in the insurance industry so corrections can start being implemented.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Sarah Muniz: The biggest challenge right now are a lack of soft skills. When all the communicating is happening online it starts to get hard for people to pick up the phone and truly talk to the client. In the Insurance Industry soft skills are absolutely essential for success.
We need to communicate effectively with the client, listening to what’s happening and finding a solution to the problem or empathizing. If we stop taking the time to talk to client then our products can just be purchased online and the promise to cover them at the time of loss wouldn’t be fulfilled.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Sarah Muniz: Crypto honestly scares me because it doesn’t feel like real money. I’d love to get better at automating online marketing in order to move my business forward. I’m currently learning how to speak to an audience or on a stage so I can share my story most effectively.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Sarah Muniz: When I wrote my book Undiscovered Voices it was actually to solve the talent shortage and crisis in the Insurance Industry. Leadership in Insurance has been worried about the lack of talent since before 2020 and it’s only gotten more challenging. Leadership is absolutely in denial about why people are leaving the industry.
When I share my struggles with higher-ups they seem surprised and act like they are doing better. When I researched it and found that 61% of the industry are women and yet only 12% of women make it into leadership problems I knew that I was not alone. Leadership needs to evaluate what’s happening in each of their companies and start opening their eyes to the talent right under their noses. Women are getting fed up and creating their own opportunities and the problem will continue until real change is implemented.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Sarah Muniz: Transparency – When I talk with a coworker or client they know right away that I’m 100% transparent in my actions and words. This builds trust super quickly which is beneficial in an industry where most consumers don’t trust their agents.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Sarah Muniz: Since we are at the halfway mark of 2022 I’d say that becoming the go-to thought leader for elevating women into leadership would be the ultimate goal to close out this year. I’m not sure how tangible this is but when anyone in the insurance industry thinks about women in insurance or the Insurance talent crisis I’d love to be the first one they think of connecting to.
On a more personal note my daughter is a highschool senior this coming fall and I’d really like to have college figured out for her too.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Sarah Muniz for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Sarah Muniz or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
