Agents Important: But Beware of these Insurance Salespitches
Being that I’m an insurance agent by trade, I get asked a lot of questions about “How to Buy Insurance.” People want to know, (and for good reason), who the best carrier is, which carrier is the easiest to deal with, who has the best claims service, etc. My answer to all these questions is exactly the same. You don’t buy the Insurance Carrier, you buy the Agent.
As a consumber, to be successful buying any type of insurance product you must be completely comfortable & confident in your Agent’s ability to guide your purchasing decisions.
There are four ways to buy insurance, Captive Agent (AllState, StateFarm), Independent Agent (Guilderland Agency, Inc), The Internet (NetQuote.com), 1-800-Numbers (Geico, Progressive).
Too many people purchase their personal insurance through the Internet and 1-800-Numbers. I must admit that being an independent agent I am biased. But far too often I meet individuals who have barbaric insurance coverage because they purchased through one of these two stream-lined medium. Do-it-yourselfers view insurance as a commodity and don’t see the need for guidance from a human being. Additionally, dealing with a Broker or Agent is perceived as “adding expense.” What is not understood is that a good agent over the 60 plus years that a person will need insurance will create Tens of Thousands of dollars in savings over an automated Internet or phone system.
However, despite most brokers & agents being insurance superheros, there are less than scrupilous high-volume/low-service individuals out there. Insure.com published this list of 5 sales-pitches to beware of:
No. 1: You should buy a long-term care policy because it’s a write-off!
No. 2: The state insurance department approved this policy!
No. 3: With the policy you have now, you’re going to be really sorry someday!
No. 4: If you buy now, you’ll lock in the price forever!
No. 5: Don’t worry about the financial rating of the company!
Basically when it comes to Salespeople, if they promise you the world, become very skeptical. Insurance is not magic, so if your salesperson acts as if your insurance policies are too complex to explain, become very skeptical.
Lastly, always get to know your broker or agent on a slightly more personal basis as this will create trust. If they don’t want to know you as a person, then they won’t treat you as a person when there’s a problem.
Good Luck!
Ryan H.
Related posts:
