Behind the Scenes with Patty Knox

Life at Metromile: Insurance Sales

Licensed Insurance Sales Specialist, Metromiler Since December 2019

Patty Knox is no stranger to change. Originally from Massachusetts, Patty started her career in pharmaceutical sales while raising her kids. “I stumbled into sales and found out I was pretty good at it.” 

Once her kids were grown, she made her way to Arizona for a new perspective and a fresh start. “I moved back out to Arizona because I went to ASU and I had a couple of sisters living out here,” Patty says. “When I came out here, I had a gap in my resume for a bit, and so I just didn’t know what to do next. I didn’t have any connections, you know, no networking opportunities.”

But she soon found her footing, and after a two-year stint as an insurance sales rep for a large traditional insurer, Patty arrived at Metromile in 2019 and began her journey with a position in outbound sales. We talked to Patty about her role at Metromile, what excites her about the company, and what advice she has for future Metromilers. 

What brought you to Metromile? 

When I worked at a large, traditional insurance company,  it was all bundling, selling policy after policy. I had some success there, no question, but their rates for auto insurance were actually quite high. And I would have people say, ‘I hardly even drive this car!’”. 

When I first heard about Metromile, I thought, this is exactly what the auto insurance industry needs: fair pricing. Car insurance is a commodity that everybody has to have, and nobody wants to pay too much for it. So I just loved the idea that Metromile was disrupting the whole insurance industry, and that’s how I came here. When I interviewed, I think I conveyed that excitement, like, you’re on the cutting edge here. I wanted to be a part of it.”

What does your job entail? 

Right now, I’m on the outbound sales team. That means I’m reaching out to people who’ve connected with Metromile previously but haven’t become a customer yet. It’s our job to talk to them by phone and explain more about how Metromile works and answer any questions they might have. 

We do this because a lot of times people have a basic understanding of pay-per-mile insurance, but they don’t necessarily know the details or how it can benefit them. We explain that there’s a device you plug in the car that counts their miles, and we also explain all of the features we provide through our app and dashboard. Talking to people is important because we don’t want them signing up if they’re really not a good fit for pay-per-mile.  

What do you like most about working at Metromile?

One is I love the energy of the company. It’s a small, fast-moving company, and I feel like we’re on the verge of something big here. I didn’t get in on the ground floor, but I feel like I got in when it was really starting to explode.

I also love the concept. Our niche is people who don’t drive very much, who very often are retirees. I love the fact that we can help retirees get more affordable insurance, when many of them are just on Social Security income. 

But we’re not just a good fit for older drivers. Anyone who drives fewer than 10,000 miles a year is a good fit—people who live in cities, suburbanites who drive mostly around their town…all ages! I get excited when people are like, “Oh, this is great! We have this car that just sits there and it’s registered. We don’t use it much but we have to have it.” I love saving people money when they really need it. It is really very satisfying. 

What advice would you give to future Metromile job candidates?

Somebody who’s joining us needs to have an open mind about growth. There’s so much potential for your career. When I worked at the other insurer, it was so hard for anybody to get into a role in management or other areas because they were so focused on the people who had been on board a long time. There weren’t new opportunities coming in. And so I think somebody who’s coming over here needs to understand that we’re a growing company, be flexible enough to understand that comes with some pain points, and be excited about what we’re doing. We’re disrupting the industry. 

What do you do for fun? 

I like to ski, but most of my traveling is back east to see my children. I have two in Boston, one in Mexico City. No grandchildren yet, but maybe once my kids have settled down we’ll do a weeklong trip to Hawaii. Luckily here in Arizona, it feels like vacation most of the time.