External Wholesaler, Annuity Distribution

MassMutual; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

MassMutual seeks an External Annuity Wholesaler to drive sales with banks, credit unions, wirehouses, broker-dealers across IL and IN. Build relationships with financial professionals and partner with internal wholesalers to achieve territory goals.

This role demands up to 90% travel, enterprise-level product knowledge, and superior presentation skills to educate advisors and executives. A Life/Health license and FINRA licenses are required; reside in the Chicago area or IL/IN territory.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in annuity or investment solutions sales.
• 2+ years of experience with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce.
• State Life and Health License.
• FINRA Series Licenses 6 or 7 at time of application.
• State Securities License Series 63 at time of application.
• High School Diploma.
• Ability to travel upwards of 90% within territory.
• Reside in Chicago, IL, or within the territory IL or IN.

Responsibilities

• Proactively develop, maintain, and grow annuity sales relationships with financial professionals in the Territory through in-person and virtual meetings, documenting activities in Salesforce.
• Execute on territory sales goals with banks, credit unions, broker dealers to maximize opportunities.
• Develop and execute a strategic territory business plan to drive revenue and sales results; complete minimum of 20 in-person meetings per week.
• Demonstrate knowledge of annuity products, positioning, riders, and market trends; act as Subject Matter Expert for MMSD Annuity products.
• Present confidently using various media; communicate effectively across in-person, virtual, written, and email channels.

Skills

Annuity sales

Channel development

Relationship building

Public speaking

Sales presentations

Travel 90%

Salesforce

Financial services knowledge

Education

High school diploma

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Opportunity

We’re growing and our clients deserve the best. We are building a dynamic team of external wholesalers to drive the sales of MassMutual’s Annuity Distribution to third party distributors. We are looking for a dynamic External Annuity Wholesaler. In this role you will build and grow relationships across our channel with Banks, Credit Unions, Wirehouse, National/Regional Broker Dealers, and Independent Broker Dealers in IL, IN. You will possess an entrepreneurial spirit, while striving for excellence. You will be responsible for territory production in partnership with an internal wholesaler, drive financial professional annuity penetration rates, and promote diversity of products sold through third-party distributors. You will have a strong desire to broaden financial wellness in a learning environment while providing education to communities throughout the assigned territory.

The Team

We have assembled a team of industry leading professionals making up our internal sales, key account management, advanced sales, and sales enablement & marketing teams. The team has a track record of focusing on the customer, collaboration and achieving sales results. The team is entrepreneurial in spirit and doesn’t back away from a challenge. The team has built a great sense of community and desire to execute since the MMSD division was established in 2021.

The Impact

As the External Wholesaler, MMSD Annuity Distribution, key responsibilities & competencies include:

• Proactively develop, maintain, and grow annuity sales relationships with financial professionals of the Territory through ongoing financial professional profiling, continual relationship-building, and refining and refreshing financial professional base. This is done via in-person and virtual meetings, while documenting activities in Salesforce.

• Execute on specific territory sales goals, activity expectations, and territory management with banks, credit unions, wirehouse, national/regional broker dealers, and independent broker dealers to maximize opportunities.

• Develop and execute a strategic territory business plan, coordinate linkage between segmentation strategy and zones/rotation execution to drive top line revenue and sales results. Complete minimum of 20 in-person meetings per week.

• Deep understanding and knowledge of annuity products, positioning, associated riders, and sales concepts while gaining industry knowledge and insights on market trends, demonstrate understanding of the annuity industry and competitive landscape.

• Subject Matter Expert for MMSD Annuity products and positioning, be viewed as a resource for financial professionals for competitive situations.

• Understand the selling process, including questioning techniques to discover and confirm client needs, strong listening skills, acknowledging of client questions, concerns, and overcoming objections. Demonstrate proficiency of sales presentations skills, both virtual and in person, demonstrate advanced presentation skills for variety size of audience, ability to present with a high degree of audience participation and buy-in. Possess experience with a variety of presentation medium (Zoom, PowerPoint, etc.).

• Communicate confidently with your customer base to drive sales in partnership with your territory’s internal wholesaler, speak & present ideas effectively, communicating in person, virtually, in writing, phone, e-mail, and other methods, possess effective conflict resolution.

• Optimize time management by prioritizing high-value tasks, streamlining communications with financial professionals and team members, while managing utilization and allocation of resources appropriately and efficiently.

• Be trustworthy, adhere to high ethical standards, adhere to the letter and spirit of applicable laws, rules, regulations, and company policies. Ability to be seen as trusted and valued business partner. Lead by example and inspire trust.

• Effectively partner with internal wholesaler, new business, key account manager team, and relationship management team on escalations/prioritizations in territory to achieve goals.

• Travel - up to 90% travel required, manage travel & expense budget, maximization of budget resources.

• Other duties as assigned.

The Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in annuity or investment solutions sales experience.

• 2+ years of experience with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce as well as various internet search tools.

• State Life and Health License.

• FINRA Series Licenses 6 or 7 at time of application.

• State Securities License Series 63 license at time of application.

• High School Diploma.

• Ability to travel upwards of 90% within territory.

• Reside in Chicago, IL, or within the territory IL or IN.

The Ideal Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.

• Experience in all channels of annuity distribution, especially variable annuity distribution.

• 5+ years of experience in annuity wholesale distribution.

• 2+ years of experience in an external wholesaling position.

• Possess excellent oral and written communication skills, interpersonal and customer service skills.

• Possess excellent public speaking skills and presentation skills to groups of varying sizes in person and virtually.

• Strong relationship building skills & sense of time management.

• Must be detailed-oriented and well-organized self-starter with high energy and creativity.

• Proven ability to multitask and attention to detail.

Compensation

Compensation: $65K-$85K base range plus sales-based incentive opportunity resulting in a total target compensation package of $200-$400K.

What You Can Expect at MassMutual

MassMutual offers the opportunity to do meaningful work within a purpose-driven organization that values long-term impact over short-term outcomes. In this role, you can expect:

• Clear areas of ownership and accountability, with work that connects directly to company and customer outcomes

• A collaborative environment where perspectives are welcomed

• Access to learning, development, and internal networks that support continuous growth and skill-building over time

• Employee-led communities and forums that foster connection, learning, and inclusion across the organization

• A culture grounded in integrity, responsibility, and stewardship—supported by a company with a strong legacy and a future-focused mindset

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#LI-REMOTE

MassMutual is an equal employment opportunity employer. We welcome all persons to apply.

If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.

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