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New Agent Training Guide
A structured 8-week onboarding plan for new commercial insurance producers. Follow this week by week to build the product knowledge, process skills, and professional habits that will define your career.
Agencies: adapt this plan to your markets and customize the checkpoints to your specific products.
Week 1
Orientation & Fundamentals
Understand how commercial insurance works before learning any products.
How insurance works
Study the concept of risk transfer, pooling, and how premiums relate to expected losses. This is the foundation everything else is built on.
Industry structure
Learn the difference between admitted vs. non-admitted carriers, independent agents vs. captive agents, retail vs. wholesale brokers.
Key stakeholders
Understand who the client, agent, broker, underwriter, carrier, and reinsurer are — and how they each relate to the transaction.
Policy anatomy
Read through one complete commercial GL policy. Find the declarations page, insuring agreement, exclusions, conditions, and definitions sections.
Insurance Glossary
Study the 20 most common terms in the agency's markets. Reference the full glossary at agencyassist.io/resources/insurance-glossary.
Week Checkpoint
Can you explain what an "occurrence" is, and how it differs from a "claims-made" trigger?
Week 2
Core Products — GL, Property, and BOP
Know the three most common commercial products well enough to explain them to a client.
General Liability deep dive
Learn the six coverage parts of GL: premises/operations, products/completed operations, personal and advertising injury, medical payments, damage to rented premises, and the declarations.
Commercial Property basics
Study replacement cost vs. ACV, coinsurance requirements, and the difference between building and business personal property.
BOP eligibility
Know which accounts qualify for a BOP vs. a CPP — typically small, low-hazard accounts with combined property and GL needs.
Read the Coverage Cheat Sheets
Go through every coverage on the cheat sheet at agencyassist.io/resources/coverage-cheat-sheets. Quiz yourself on exclusions.
Shadow one GL renewal call
Listen to how an experienced agent walks through coverage options with a client. Take notes on what questions they ask.
Week Checkpoint
Can you explain why a client with a food truck needs GL but might not need a BOP?
Week 3
Workers Comp and Commercial Auto
Understand the two most heavily regulated and most frequently misunderstood commercial lines.
Workers comp structure
Study Part A (statutory WC) and Part B (employers liability). Learn how experience modification factors (EMR) work and how to read a mod worksheet.
Class codes and NCCI
Learn how class codes determine WC rates. Look up class codes for 10 common business types in your market.
Commercial auto symbols
Know what symbols 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 mean and when each is used. Understand the difference between hired and non-owned auto.
Hired and non-owned auto
Know which businesses need HNOA and why (businesses whose employees drive personal cars for work, even occasionally).
State WC requirements
Know your state's employer threshold for mandatory WC and common exceptions (sole proprietors, certain family members).
Week Checkpoint
A restaurant owner asks why their WC rate went up this year. How do you explain the EMR to them?
Week 4
Specialty Lines — E&O, Cyber, Umbrella, EPLI
Understand the specialty lines that are increasingly mandatory for most commercial clients.
Claims-made vs. occurrence
Master this distinction — it affects professional liability, cyber, D&O, and EPLI. Know what a retroactive date is and why it matters at renewal.
E&O / professional liability
Know the professions that need it, what "professional services" means under the policy, and how to explain tail coverage when clients switch carriers.
Cyber insurance basics
Understand the two sides of cyber: first-party (your own losses) and third-party (liability to others). Know what ransomware coverage does.
Umbrella vs. excess
A true umbrella sits over multiple underlying policies and may cover some gaps. An excess policy just adds limits. Know which one your carriers offer.
EPLI — who needs it
Any employer with more than 5 employees should be discussing EPLI. California and New York accounts need it more urgently due to state law exposure.
Week Checkpoint
A client's E&O policy is up for renewal and they're switching carriers. What do you check about the retroactive date?
Week 5
The Intake and Submission Process
Be able to gather complete underwriting information and build a submission independently.
ACORD form overview
Know which ACORD forms apply to which coverages: 125 (commercial lines), 130 (GL), 140 (property), 160 (WC), 137 (professional liability).
The intake conversation
Practice the client intake scripts at agencyassist.io/resources/client-conversation-scripts. Role-play with a colleague.
Loss run requests
Know how to request loss runs from a prior carrier. The insured or agent can request them, and the carrier must provide them within a reasonable time.
Building a submission
Assemble a complete submission package: ACORD forms, loss runs, cover note, and any supplementals. Reference agencyassist.io/resources/what-underwriters-want.
AgencyAssist intake tool
Use AgencyAssist to collect client information and generate a completed ACORD form. Practice with a sample account before using it on a real client.
Week Checkpoint
Can you gather all information needed for a complete GL submission in a single 15-minute client call?
Week 6
E&O Prevention and Professional Conduct
Understand the professional obligations that protect clients and agents.
E&O Prevention Guide
Read the full guide at agencyassist.io/resources/eo-prevention-guide. Know the top 10 mistakes by memory.
Documentation habits
Every client conversation that matters should be followed by a written summary. Set up your system (email templates, CRM notes) before your first real client.
Coverage declinations
Practice the language for confirming declined coverage in writing. You will need to do this every week for the rest of your career.
Licensing and CE requirements
Know your state's continuing education requirements for your license type. Set a reminder for your renewal date.
Agency E&O policy
Read your agency's E&O policy. Know the retroactive date, the claims-made trigger, and what to do if a client complains about your service.
Week Checkpoint
A client declines umbrella coverage after you recommend it. What do you do next?
Week 7–8
Market Knowledge and First Accounts
Know which carriers write which risks, and start building your own book.
Carrier appetite guides
Get the appetite guide for every carrier in your agency's market. Know which accounts each carrier wants and which they don't write.
E&S markets
Identify the wholesale brokers your agency uses. Know when a risk goes to E&S and which wholesalers specialize in which classes.
Your first quote
Shadow an experienced agent on a real submission, from intake call through quote delivery. Ask questions after each step.
Prospecting basics
Understand the agency's target client profile. Know what industries your book focuses on and start building a prospect list.
Write your first account
Complete the intake, build the submission, present the quote, and bind the coverage on your first real account. Debrief with your manager after.
Week Checkpoint
Can you name the top 3 carriers in your agency's market for GL, commercial auto, and workers comp?
Learning Center Resources Referenced in This Guide
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