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For the past 15 years, I’ve worked in a business that never fails to interest and challenge me, surrounded by talented and hard-working professionals.

There is never a dull moment.

Yet even though it has so much to offer, it’s still incredibly hard to convince millennials to join the insurance business. Years of stagnation and acceptance of the status quo have led most outsiders to view insurance as stale, stuffy, and staid. It’s our fault for allowing that to happen.

Those of us in the industry have an obligation to prove to millennials that this business is evolving. They can have a thriving career in a fast-paced, modern, and technology-driven profession. And that profession is insurance.

The sooner we do so the better. The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that over 700,000 professionals in the insurance workforce are age 55 and older. That’s more than 24% of the industry total. Before these people retire, it’s crucial to transfer their decades of knowledge to a new cohort. In turn, as insurance becomes more reliant on digital marketing, data analytics, and cybersecurity, young people with data-related skills can bring much to our industry.

Tuning into the Millennial Mindset

As a millennial myself I know well that people ages 28 to 43 hesitate to buy into “Corporate America” and climb the ladder. Generation Y has an entrepreneurial, freelance mindset rather than being set on keeping a job for life. The insurance industry can tap into that, but it needs to tell the right story.

Having a book of business is like being a business owner—almost a franchise model. You have autonomy over your own book of business; it’s like running a firm within a firm, which you can build on and is yours to keep. All this, but with the benefits of having a larger company and more resources supporting you.

While having autonomy in our work is hugely appealing to millennials, we also appreciate guidance, feedback, and mentoring. The insurance industry can offer all that with plenty of experienced professionals and contacts.

The insurance industry also offers a great deal of variety. I’m in my early 40s and I’ve had six different roles. We can let young people know they won’t be stuck in a rut in this industry—there are opportunities to be challenged with different positions and responsibilities throughout their career.

We can also send the message that the skills learned in our industry are transferrable to other sectors. The persuasion, presentation, and negotiating skills needed to excel on an insurance sales team could be applied to sales in any business or to becoming an entrepreneur answerable only to themselves.

Attracting Digital Natives

Digital technology such as AI has the potential to cut out much of the drudgery in insurance. The wealth of data out there allows us to hunt for prospects and serve customers in a smarter, better way. Younger professionals expect their workplace to have adopted the latest technology, so insurance businesses must embrace the digital revolution to attract this population.

Brokers have often relied on personal relationships, perhaps nurtured on a golf course or at the country club, to build their networks and win business. However, doing business today, just to start, requires thought leadership, social media networking, blogging, search engine optimization, and data analysis.

Investing in technology—and the employees who are willing and able to get the most out of it—is an essential part of a culture that fosters innovation and empowers people starting out in the industry. In my experience, the most effective way to retain employees is to give them access to the best and most efficient tools and resources, which builds confidence and encourages productivity, leading to a happier workplace.

Widening the Net

Not all the skills we require involve technological proficiency. We need people who can work in a consultative, thoughtful way with today’s more knowledgeable customers.

People working in other sectors may well have the soft skills needed in today’s market. We should do our best to find and recruit people from other walks of life, via social media, headhunting from other industries, targeting people with diverse backgrounds, and using referral reward systems.

At college career fairs and on social media and online platforms, we need to talk about the cutting-edge technology that allows us to transform and empower companies that have not modernized over the last 20 years. We should be communicating the massive impact they can have not only on individual customers, but on an entire industry. What a rare and incredible opportunity!

We must tell young people we can give them the latest digital tools and other resources that make them highly competitive and efficient, to help them understand they won’t be left to knock on doors or attend community events to get new customers. That they’ll be able to define their ideal customer profile, pinpoint those prospects, and communicate with them, all through a few clicks of their mouse— maybe even in the comfort of their home offices.

Most of all, we must let them know how interesting, varied, and rewarding it is to work in this great industry.

Today, the insurance industry is waking up to changes in working practices and new technology, and to what the younger generation wants from a career. Some forward-thinking organizations have already cracked the code, while others should look at what they are offering and evaluate why they are failing to attract new talent.