What is remote financial sales
Remote financial sales is selling financial products or services, such as insurance, mortgages and loans, investments, financial coaching or education programs, and fintech software, by phone or video call instead of face to face. The catch is licensing: in Australia and the US, anyone who recommends or sells insurance, credit, mortgages or investments generally needs a licence (or must work under someone else’s), and there are at least three separate US licence regimes and two Australian ones to know about. Unlicensed setters and closers can still work in this space, but only inside clear limits.
What counts as remote financial sales?
Remote financial sales covers any sales role where the thing being sold touches someone’s money, debt, insurance or investments, and the conversation happens over Zoom, the phone or messages. It sits inside the wider world of remote sales, with one big difference: much of it is regulated.
The main categories:
- Insurance: life, health, income protection, car and home cover.
- Mortgages and loans: home loans, refinancing, personal and business loans.
- Investments: shares, managed funds, superannuation (in Australia) and retirement products (in the US).
- Financial coaching and education programs: budgeting courses, money mindset coaching, trading education.
- Fintech and finance software: accounting tools, payment platforms, invoicing apps sold to businesses.
The first three are regulated. The last two usually are not, unless someone recommends a specific financial product.
Which remote financial sales roles need a licence?
This is the part most job ads skip. Use this table to check any role you are offered.
| If the role involves… | In the US you generally need | In Australia you generally need |
|---|---|---|
| Selling or recommending shares, funds or other securities | FINRA registration after passing qualifying exams such as the Series 6 or Series 7, and state requirements that can include the Series 63 state law exam (run by NASAA) | An Australian Financial Services (AFS) licence, or to act as an authorised representative of a licensee |
| Selling, soliciting or negotiating insurance | A state insurance producer licence in each state you sell into | An AFS licence or authorised representative status (ASIC lists life and general insurance as financial products) |
| Originating mortgages or arranging home loans | A state mortgage loan originator licence or federal registration, both through NMLS | An Australian Credit Licence, or to work as a credit representative or employee of a credit licensee |
| Giving personal advice tailored to someone’s finances | The licence that matches the product (securities, insurance or investment adviser registration) | An AFS licence or authorised representative status, and to be on the Financial Advisers Register for investments, super and life insurance |
| Booking calls for a licensed adviser, without discussing products | Often no licence for securities firms, within FINRA’s limits (see below); insurance and mortgage rules vary by state | Depends on what you say and how you are paid; get the licensee to confirm your role in writing |
| Selling a financial education course or fintech software | Usually no financial licence, unless you start recommending specific investments or products | Usually no financial licence, unless you start giving financial product advice |
Sources: the NAIC says anyone who sells, solicits or negotiates insurance in the US must be a licensed producer. CSBS explains the SAFE Act requires mortgage loan originators to be licensed or registered through NMLS. ASIC says a financial services business generally needs AFS licence authorisation, and its credit guidance says credit activities such as broking generally need a credit licence unless you represent a licensee.
This is general information, not legal advice: treat it as your list of questions to ask.
The Recommend, Qualify, Commission check
Before you accept an unlicensed role, ask three questions about what you would actually do:
- Recommend: Will I talk about the merits of a specific insurance policy, loan, fund or investment? If yes, that is licensed work.
- Qualify: Will I ask about someone’s income, assets, debts or investment goals to decide whether they suit a product? If yes, that usually crosses into licensed work too.
- Commission: Will I be paid per sale, per policy or per loan of a regulated product? If yes, check carefully, because that pay structure is a sign the role is selling, not booking.
Three “no” answers usually means you are in appointment-setting or education-sales territory. One “yes” means you need a licence, or written confirmation from the licensed business that you are working under its authority. The business hiring you should answer all three without hesitating.
Can an unlicensed appointment setter work in financial sales?
Sometimes, yes, and the clearest published example comes from US securities. FINRA’s Notice to Members 00-50 restates the limits for unregistered people who call prospects for a broker-dealer. They may invite people to firm events, ask whether someone wants to discuss investments with a registered person, and ask whether they would like the firm’s literature. They may not discuss investment products, pre-qualify people on their finances or investment goals, or solicit accounts or orders.
Pay matters too. The same notice says these callers should be paid a salary or hourly wage, and any bonus must not be tied to transactions, commissions or referrals they generate. So a “commission-only appointment setter” role at a US securities firm should make you pause.
In Australia, Moneysmart’s guide to general and personal financial advice explains that factual financial information does not need a licence, while personal advice and most general advice need an AFS licence. Booking a meeting and passing on facts is different from telling a caller which policy suits them. Unsure which side your script lands on? Ask the licensee before you dial.
Want to learn setting and closing the right way? Book a free call with the She Sells team and talk through which roles fit your life.
Where unlicensed closers can legitimately sell
Without a licence, the cleaner path is closing offers that are not regulated financial products:
- Financial education and coaching programs that teach budgeting, money habits or business finance, without recommending specific investments.
- Fintech and finance software sold to businesses, such as accounting, invoicing or payment tools.
- Services for financial professionals, like marketing, lead generation or training sold to advisers and brokers.
Even here, the script matters. A course closer who says “you should buy this share” is drifting into advice.
Pay in these roles is often commission-heavy or commission-only, and results take time. When I moved into remote sales in 2020, I made $440 in my first month, which was a real start, not a windfall. If you are weighing up pay structures, our guide to commission-only sales jobs walks through the trade-offs.
Red flags in “financial sales” job ads
“Financial” sounds respectable, which makes it popular with dodgy recruiters. Watch for:
- “No licence needed” for selling insurance, loans or investments. Under the rules above, that is either untrue or the role is not what it says.
- Pay-to-join. Being asked to buy a starter pack, training bundle or licence package from the company before you earn anything.
- Recruit-to-earn. The FTC warns that if your income would be based mostly on how many people you recruit rather than what you sell, that is a pyramid scheme warning sign.
- “Financial education” businesses whose main product is recruiting you into a downline.
- Income promises. Extravagant earnings claims in the ad or the interview.
I started in network marketing back in 2014, so I know how convincing these pitches can feel. If you want the full comparison, read network marketing vs remote sales, and keep our list of remote closer job offer red flags open when you interview.
How to check a financial business before you work for it
Every licensed business leaves a public trail:
- US securities: search the firm and its advisers on FINRA BrokerCheck.
- US mortgages: search NMLS Consumer Access, which CSBS says shows the licences an originator holds and the states where they can do business.
- US insurance: check with the insurance department in the business’s state.
- Australia: search ASIC’s Professional Registers for the AFS licence or Australian Credit Licence, and the Financial Advisers Register for advisers.
No licence number for a business selling loans or insurance tells you most of what you need to know. For broader checks on whether a sales role is real, see is remote sales legit.
Conditions that change the answer
The answer shifts when:
- You sell across state lines. US insurance and mortgage licences are state by state.
- The product changes mid-call. A software demo that turns into “which loan should I take?” is no longer just software sales.
- You work for a licensee. In Australia, credit representatives and employees of a credit licensee can work under its licence.
Is remote financial sales right for you?
If you are happy to study for licences, regulated financial sales can be a solid career. If you want to start sooner, around school pick-ups, closing or setting for non-regulated offers is often the practical first step, and the skills transfer if you get licensed later.
At She Sells, we train women in Australia and the US in remote closing and appointment setting. She Launches covers the foundations with live coaching, role play and frameworks. She Soars is the career program through the She Sells “Cert III in Remote Sales” certificate, and once you’re certified, our recruitment team works with you to land a role within 90 days, or your money back. Neither is a financial services licence. You can compare them on our programs page.
Results vary. Nothing here is a promise of income. See our earnings disclaimer.
Want to see if remote sales could work for you? Book a free call with the She Sells team.
Frequently asked questions
What is remote financial sales?
It is selling insurance, loans, investments, financial coaching or fintech software over phone or video. Insurance, credit and investments are regulated in Australia and the US, so many of these roles need a licence.
Do I need a licence to sell insurance remotely in the US?
Generally yes. The NAIC says people who sell, solicit or negotiate insurance in the US must be licensed as a producer, and licences are issued by each state’s insurance regulator. If you sell into several states, you may need a licence in each one.
Can I be an appointment setter for a financial adviser without a licence?
Sometimes, but only within tight limits. For US securities firms, FINRA Notice 00-50 says unregistered callers may ask whether someone wants to speak with a registered person, but may not discuss products, pre-qualify people on their finances, or be paid on transactions or referrals. In Australia, ask the licensee to confirm in writing that your script stays on factual information and booking.
Is selling a financial education course the same as financial advice?
Not usually. Selling a budgeting course is generally not regulated advice, but recommending a specific investment, loan or policy is. Keep the conversation about the program, not what the buyer should do with their money.
How do I know if a remote financial sales job is a scam?
Be wary of roles that say you can sell insurance, loans or investments without a licence, ask you to pay to join, or pay you mainly for recruiting other people. Check the business on the relevant public register, such as BrokerCheck, NMLS Consumer Access or ASIC’s Professional Registers, before you start.
