Carmen’s Career
For Carmen Alvaro, discovering a new career in the insurance industry was a much-needed lifeline. She enjoyed working as a professional clown and face painter, but Carmen wanted a change. Furthermore, the experience of losing a family member without life insurance resulted in financial and emotional stress that deeply impacted Carmen’s life. In 2017, when a recommendation and phone call from New York Life Insurance Company reached Ms. Alvaro, she listened and decided to work toward earning an insurance license. Upon attaining her license, Carmen focused on selling life insurance at New York Life. She was good at her job and served four years at the company. “When I discovered how we impact the elderly, it just made sense,” explains Carmen.
In 2021, Ms. Alvaro decided to go out on her own as an independent agent. Since then, Carmen branched out her services to include ACA, Medicare, annuity, and ancillary products. She also developed advantageous working relationships with experts in the industry like Claudia Howard. In 2023, when Claudia joined Empower Brokerage as a regional sales director for the Rio Grande Valley, Claudia introduced Carmen to the field marketing organization. An initial meeting with President and CEO Rodney Culp and Chief Operating Officer Shannon Culp made Carmen feel good about partnering with Empower Brokerage. “To me, it is the little things that make an impact. When we got to the meeting, they asked about my life. I told them that I was a single mom. It was just me and my daughter,” explains Carmen. “Then, the dinner went on. We had a conversation. At the end of the meal, they ordered a cookie for me to take to my daughter because they knew that my daughter was an important part of my life.” Carmen says the couple’s kindness convinced her to partner with Empower Brokerage. The FMO has helped Carmen grow her agency and provided plentiful training, opportunities, and resources for Ms. Alvaro and her team. “This is where I want to be,” states the McAllen insurance agency owner. “It makes sense to me that we are with the right FMO.”
Carmen is quite impressed with all that Empower Brokerage offers. “I get blown away by the amount of resources. I know we are not even tapping into the full potential [yet],” says Ms. Alvaro. The South Texas insurance agent also appreciates the helpful staff. She praises Claudia Howard for her constant availability and applauds Life and Financial Specialist Enrique Torres for his insight and extensive training that has benefited Carmen and her agents. She also recognizes how helpful the contracting department works to assist new and seasoned agents. “Know you are not alone. You have a team of professional people behind you, ready to help you grow your business.”
Inspiration and Advice
Carmen is grateful that her daughter, the inspiration for her insurance career, has joined her agency and is excited to continue working and building it together. “We just want to serve,” says Carmen. She mentions their central focus is to serve the public correctly by treating people well and giving them accurate information so they may make informed decisions. “Whether they become our client or not, we did our due diligence in truly serving,” says Ms. Alvaro.
So, what is Carmen’s strategy for acquiring clients? She says agents need to be visible in the community. Attend community events and give back. Additionally, Carmen believes referrals represent the best form of advertising. She also acknowledges Empower Brokerage’s lead program as the catalyst for an agent’s success. Carmen says she and her team utilize Empower’s free leads to contact more people than before partnering with the FMO. “I think this is one of the most powerful tools Empower Brokerage provides the agent because we do not have to spend money on the leads,” says Carmen. “If you work them right. Nurture them right. They do give results.”
For those considering jumping into the insurance field, Carmen has advice that she shares with her recruits. She believes that to survive and thrive in this business, you must be resilient and have a passion for helping people. “If you truly serve others, it comes full circle,” details the seventh-year agent. “The clients come back, and they refer you. And the growth comes to you if you do it with love and service.”
When she is not closing insurance sales, Carmen Alvaro enjoys spending time with family, traveling, painting, serving in church, and cooking. So, where does she see herself in five years? Carmen hopes to see her agency continue growing and help other agents grow as well. “I am just a little girl from Mexico who came here with a lot of dreams,” says a thankful Carmen. “God has been good to me and my daughter. We just want to keep doing the right thing.”
Agents
We hope this agent spotlight on Carmen Alvaro is interesting to you.
Empower Brokerage is dedicated to helping you make informed decisions about your health and finances. Whether it’s through webinar training, one-on-one calls, seminars, or marketing plans, we want you to be successful!
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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, animation, and other projects.
