Question by Georgie: What is the difference between a “certified insurance consultant” and a producer?
I am studying for my insurance licensing and can’t figure out: first, what exactly does a “certified insurance consultant” do? And, second, what differentiates a CIC from a producer/agent? Mainly I’m concerned with the second question. My prelicensing course isn’t explaining it very well and if it is I’m not getting it! I also looked on my state’s website and it basically said the same thing as the course text (which pretty much just paraphrases the state’s website). Also, I’ve spent about an hour researching online it and it’s just not making sense. Please help!
Thank you for the great answers so far… And for clarification, I am in Connecticut… And I am still a little confused– if a CIC has passed more tests and is more qualified, why can’t they “sell” insurance, too?

Best answer:

Answer by JJ
It is job title and can mean different things at different agencies. Typically, the consultant does not actually sell you the insurance, but they “counsel” you on what kind of coverage you should get to protect you and/or your company. They work for you, not the insurance companies and you can get unbiased opinions on policy language. Some will even be able to work with you and your insurance company to draft specific coverage language for your needs. These specific policies are usually only done with large customers ($ 100,000+ annual premium) but some things can be done for smaller policies as well.

Personal lines policies are typically take-it-or-leave-it policies but the consultants can still help you if you need additional help. Most independent insurance agents (producers) will be able to ask the right questions to get you the right policy.

There is also an industry designation of CIC -Certified Insurance Counselor. This means that the person has passed 5 exams from National Alliance for Insurance Education.

Answer by mbrcatz
A producer has passed a competency test in their state, and a background check, and has a license to sell insurance.

CIC is a professional designation, showing that someone has had EXTRA courses to get even better at insurance. There’s the official website: https://www.scic.com/courses/CIC/

Keep in mind, CIC as a designation, isn’t necessarily the same thing as a state licensed “certified insurance consultant”. Each state gets to define/determine what a consultant does, and in many states, an insurance consultant is unlicensed, unregulated, and unsupervised.

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