Influential Woman · Life and Health Insurance/Interpreter/Henna Artist/Cloud Kitchen owner/Digital Enterpreuer
Sonal Sharma
Life and Health Insurance Producer, Baystate Interpreters, Inc / Lp Marketing Group
Springfield, MA
Her Story
About Sonal
My professional day starts with making sure I have enough leads to approach people and setting up appointments. I follow up with previous appointments and give presentations to clients. My end goal is always to guide my clients with honest guidance, compassion, and patience, because life insurance is not something you can rush or push somebody to buy. I always try to answer all their questions and give them time when they need it. I don't count life insurance with only numbers - I want to build relationships with trust and consistency, with patience and empathy. What I love most about my career is that it's challenging and teaches you something new every day. Every client I meet, I learn from them. You think you've learned enough, but then you meet somebody where you think, oh, this is something new I didn't know about. The more you learn, the more you grow - the day you stop learning, you stop growing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sonal
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to resilience, faith, and my willingness to start again even after facing failures. The journey has taught me that success is not just about never falling - it's about having the courage to rise again with more strength and determination after falling. This value of falling and rising again is rooted deep inside me because I have polio in my leg, which I got when I was young. I'm very lucky to have wonderful parents who always supported me and did everything to make me what I am today. They gave me this strength. Even when I was a baby, they didn't restrict me from walking, running, or falling down. They didn't tell me I couldn't walk because I might fall - they said no, go ahead and run, and if you fall, get up and run again. This is the deepest value which I attribute to my success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received from my peers is to believe in yourself, stay patient and honest. Don't leave your honesty and your patience. The field of life insurance is built on trust, and without trust, you cannot build any career or have any relationships.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say it's a very good field with many opportunities where you can grow. As a woman, you feel empowered. This field gives you confidence, authority, and more perfection. I would say to anybody not to be afraid of getting into this field. It's really a good field to learn and empower yourself.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenges I face are related to my background and ethnicity. To build trust is more challenging in this field because if you're an immigrant, it's not easy for people to trust you and build that trust. As for opportunities, they are endless - there are a lot of opportunities in this field.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty is the most important value in my personal life and in life insurance. Without trust, you cannot build any career. Without trust, you cannot have any relationships. Trust is the most important value to me.
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