Juan Villarreal
Agent Spotlight – Juan Villarreal
Not everything goes the way you expect it to in life. You may start one career when you are younger, but circumstances beyond your control force you to change careers. For Laredo’s Juan Villarreal, that shift came nearly 15 years ago. He began working in sales in 2003 while also having the ambition to become a real estate agent. A few years later, his dream came to fruition. The industry provided success, but by 2009, Juan could not continue as a real estate agent after the housing market crashed.
Fortunately, Juan had a friend who encouraged him to pursue a career in the insurance business. His friend explained how an insurance career provided stability and was not subject to the ever-changing market conditions. Mr. Villarreal began working with American National and became a top producer by selling 7 to 10 life insurance policies weekly. Two years into his new venture, Juan was named a sales manager. Juan stayed with ANICO for seven years and enjoyed the rewards of his sales endeavors. He earned a trip incentive to Alaska his first year on the job; every subsequent year, ANICO rewarded Juan with trips to locations such as Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, and a cruise vacation.
His career was flourishing, but he wanted to spend time watching his son play high school football. In 2016, Juan decided to go independent, which allowed him to continue working hard throughout the week and weekends but take one evening off to watch his son play football under the Friday night lights. The promising insurance career also allowed him to travel to see his son play sports on the road. Before coming to Empower Brokerage, Juan found that not everyone was willing to develop new insurance agents. There are times when every agent needs a seasoned insurance expert to help and guide them in more complicated insurance situations. Juan is grateful to have found Empower Brokerage. Juan explains how going from working for one insurance company to being independent and selling different products from many companies can be challenging. He appreciates the training and insurance mentors that are available to assist agents at Empower Brokerage.
“I’ve learned to understand [different companies’] underwriting, how to present their case to them, so I don’t get delayed,” says Mr. Villarreal. “Having the backup of Enrique Torres, John Shinn, and Jeff Hess. It really helps when I have a question. They know when I call them, it’s something that we don’t see often.”
Juan further explains, “Knowing that I have their support with all their years of experience, that is something I like a lot. It helps me learn products that I’ve never seen.” Partnering with the FMO has also led to Juan enjoying the invitation-only Mayan vacation provided by Empower Brokerage. The Laredo-based agent believes his sales effort will give him the chance to attend again.
Juan’s Family
Additionally, Juan’s insurance career has changed the lives of his family members. His son and daughter both received college scholarships, but his prosperous sales allow Juan to provide for the remaining tuition costs and extra necessities. He is also pleased his kids will graduate debt-free. His family is the reason why Juan does what he does. One of Juan’s favorite things to do is travel with his family. They try to make time throughout the year to treasure travel experiences together.
When asked what advice he would give new agents, Juan says they should not let anything hold them back from an insurance career. “Take the leap and do it,” says Juan. He says there will be challenges, but there are opportunities for everyone. Even though a lead or referral didn’t work out, he tells his agents they must introduce themselves to people wherever they can. It could lead to an opportunity. Juan learned the insurance business doing cold canvases and still enjoys doing so. Juan says a simple conversation can help a potential client see the need for insurance.
Agents
We hope that this agent spotlight on Juan Villarreal is interesting to you.
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Joey Hinojosa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and a master’s degree in mass communications. He began working at Empower Brokerage in early 2022 and enjoys being creative in his writing, photography, videography, and other projects.
