No matter how hard television advertisements try to convince you that insurance is a product, it is a service. Some advertisers use animals, actors pretending to know insurance, or wild claim examples to convince you that all you need is a simple internet policy and your problems are solved. They claim that the lower the premium is, the better it is for you.
Low premiums do not equate to the right coverage for you. Do not be fooled by actors trying to convince you that insurance purchased online in ten minutes will respond to a serious accident or injury. These advertisements focus on cost rather than the value of the service purchased. What we should be focusing on is the value of a policy in relationship to a purpose.
The value of a policy in relationship to a purpose
· Get away from the idea that consumers should primarily focus on the price they are willing to pay for coverage, rather than making sure they have the coverage they need.
· You cannot cover your risk by arbitrarily choosing an amount you are willing to pay for a policy. You need to make sure that your risk is properly covered.
· Beware of insurance companies who have brands that claim, “We are the cheapest so we must be the best!”, or “We cover that crazy football party claim (less than .00001% of all claims) so we must cover everything else.”
· We want our clients to understand the purpose of insurance and the value of the many solutions available.
Insurance Is a Service
· Agents should help their clients determine why they are buying insurance.
· Insurance is designed to protect individuals and businesses from the unexpected. It is important to help clients understand possible implications of actions.
· Agents need to educate clients on the difference between low cost and value. Office Depot aired an advertisement a few years ago that explains this concept.
Source for some of the information in this article; Timothy P. O'Brien