Grassroots mindset is a plus in many ways and I'm still a client, but working at the "field" level is - Financial Representative COUNTRY Financial Employee Review

4.0
May 27, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Conservative, grassroots mindset of this company leads to good business decisions, though they are a bit slow to react to market needs and resist new trends. Base starting salary can be a huge plus and general employee demeanor is positive at most levels, including upper management. Potential to earn virtually unlimited commissions with prizes and even free travel if you happen to be a top producer (generally top-100 in the company). Good company to work for IF you can handle selling multiple product lines equally well, can take a lot of stress AND have what it takes to beat out the thousands of other reps for one of the top spots.

Cons

What they don't tell you until you're locked in is that success in this job really requires a continuous 70-80 hours per week, including nights and weekends, to prospect, hold appointments, train, do paperwork and network. This makes the "base" salary on par with minimum wage for the hours you will be expected to put in during your first years and your significant other should be prepared for the large time commitment and odd hours this job necessitates. Training during first year is quite intense and you will be required to attain at least 4 separate licenses (2 insurance, 2 securities) before you can begin selling, all of which will have to pay for out of your own pocket, making it a large financial commitment to get started if you're not already licensed. It's best to have a very large "natural market" from which you can source business during your first 1-2 years. Without a large natural market, it is exponentially more difficult to be successful and maintain your monthly production numbers, aka: Benchmarks. Country's benchmarks (quotas) are completely set in stone with no flexibility and are based on a "rolling 3 month" calculation, so a really slow month can cause you to miss benchmarks in future months unless you are able to overcome the lost production in addition to meeting the new months' marks. It doesn't matter how amazing you are as a rep, too many missed benchmarks and they will not hesitate to terminate you. Also, missing benchmarks by any amount can result in $500 to $1,000 per month being stripped away from your base "salary", which makes it hard to recover if you stumble as a new rep. Benchmarks get progressively more demanding during the initial couple years and there is no leeway for newer reps during "slow" periods, such as tax season, back-to-school, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, which is unfortunate.

Explore other reviews about COUNTRY Financial

5.0
Dec 3, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great leadership, clear career path

Cons

Can’t think of a single one

4.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great Working Environment. Loved the people.

Cons

Was kept on contract for a very long time.

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