Meet WoodmenLife’s September 2025 Sure Start Winner: Mike Wicker

WoodmenLife is committed to offering training to our Sales Representatives to help them grow and have the tools they need to best serve our members. Qualifying new full-time Representatives are invited to Sure Start, an interactive training event that helps them kick off their careers with WoodmenLife. During the 12 months following their Sure Start education, these Representatives have a friendly competition with their classmates to see how well they put their lessons into action and compare their sales achievements.

Get to know our September 2025 Sure Start Winner: Mike Wicker of La Center, KY.

Congratulations on your Sure Start victory! How did you celebrate?

My Recruiting Sales Manager Desi Ginn sent an email to our Paducah team congratulating me on the successes of the past year. Later in the day, he treated me to lunch. My wife, Cindy, and I are planning a nice dinner in Chicago later this month.

What inspired you to choose a career with WoodmenLife?

Long story short: After several years of conversations with a former WoodmenLife Financial Representative/Recruiting Sales Manager and current Regional Director Greg Robertson, it was finally time. I needed to get back to the basics of why I came to the insurance industry 27 years prior. With 135 years of exceptional service and a great corporate history, WoodmenLife just felt like a good fit.

Have you always wanted to pursue a career in sales?

Maybe not on purpose, but somehow it worked out that way for me. I have been in a sales role since my first public job as a teenager.

What drives you to deliver great service for your members?

Sales is all about helping people get what they need today and preparing for future needs. Good service ensures a client feels their needs are being met, it helps people feel comfortable enough to ask questions, and it opens the dialogue for other opportunities. Service begins before the sale, and it must be there to complement the entire process. People will go where they feel wanted, welcome, comfortable, and their needs are being met — and through the service we offer, we want that place to be WoodmenLife.

What does success look like to you?

That’s a loaded question! I have always been a helper to others and have found it difficult to say “No.” Success is different for everyone and not always about being No. 1. Sometimes it is following the leader, and maybe being in the right place at the right time to reap the reward of your service to others.

Throughout my career, there have been many successful professionals who have encouraged and mentored me. They were great people who were willing to help others be successful in our industry and, more importantly, in life. Hopefully I can fill that role for someone someday.

Tell us a little about how you’re involved in your community. Why is community outreach so important to you?

In a small community, it’s all hands on deck. From volunteering at the school, donating to special events, or just being a supporter of the local activities, there is always something to do and a way to be involved in our community. My longest-standing commitment to our community is as part of our local emergency services, serving over 30 years as a volunteer firefighter/EMT and instructor.

Do you have a particularly memorable moment from your time so far with WoodmenLife?

It was great to travel with the organization on the annual Sales Incentive Trip in July. Qualifying for Pacesetters Sales Academy was a big accomplishment, too, and I am looking forward to memories we will make in Chicago later this month. But winning the Sure Start Trophy has to be tops as the most surprising and memorable thus far. The opportunity for this award only comes one time in a career — what a huge honor.

What are your goals for the future?

No matter where someone is in the cycle of life, I want to help: help plan for retirement, help protect your family legacy, help prepare for the unexpected things life throws our way.

We live in a here-and-now world — immediate gratification and answers, with everything at our fingertips. Planning is not instant. Having an advocate you can trust and call on for advice is vital. I want to be the person in my community who people trust and feel comfortable asking for help when it comes to protecting their family and financial future.

Read More

Meet WoodmenLife’s August 2025 Sure Start Winner: Dustin Cunningham

Meet WoodmenLife’s November 2025 Sure Start Winner: Owen Mathias

WEB897