Insurance Saves
Seems like a weird title, doesn’t it? But when you really explore what insurance is all about it makes sense. Insurance protection saves lives and businesses. Helps families and businesses continue to function after serious and sometimes tragic events. Brings people healing and hope when things look desperate. Allows every facet of life and business to operate with some measure of certainty. Without it the suffering and loss that would occur would be unimaginable and insurmountable.
I’m not talking about the fender bender that damages a vehicle. The door and patio furniture destroyed by the wind. The business that suffers a minor loss with very little impact to their day to day operations. I’m talking a serious auto accident with injuries; houses and businesses destroyed by fire, tornados and hurricanes and people who die or are seriously disabled and unable to do their job or support their family. These are the serious and tragic events that having insurance protection can in some ways help repair. Unfortunately insurance can’t repair the emotional damage these events cause but having protection can make things much more bearable.
What I don’t understand is since insurance protection is so important why do we trivialize it?
Just watch the ads on TV and you’ll see what I mean. Instead of talking about the importance of solid insurance protection most insurance advertising is meant to be funny or even worse is an insult to the intelligence of viewers. Is it any wonder why consumers don’t take insurance protection seriously? They see it is a necessary evil with little importance other than how much they pay.
Anyone who is willing to focus solely on the price of protection when talking to consumers is to blame for this as well. If you treat it as a commodity you just confirm what consumers believe. Why not instead draw their attention to the possibility of a serious loss and how proper protection can put them, their families and their businesses back together. You need to impress upon them the inability to predict who will have a serious loss. It can strike anyone or anything at any time.
All you need to do is watch the news and you can see so many unforeseen situations that result in serious injuries, loss of life and major property damage. Just look at all the weather related natural occurrences of late and the lives and property that have been damaged or lost. That doesn’t even take into consideration the possibility of lawsuits related to a person’s actions or negligence.
On top of all that we have to admit that we live in a violent and frightening time where no one knows on any day if they, their family member or their business might not be involved in some tragic event. Please believe me when I say I’m not talking impending doom just the honest realization of the possibilities that exist in the world today.
That’s why I think having proper insurance protection is a serious responsibility that should not be relegated to 15 minutes or less. Consumers are making decisions that will impact their health and well-being as well as that of their families. They are also considering protection that will secure the financial wellness of themselves, their family and their business. Not something that should be taken lightly.
As insurance professionals, it’s our job to convince consumers of the serious nature of selecting insurance protection. To acknowledge the importance of insurance cost in the buying process but not to let it override proper protection. They say consumers relate to stories so tell them a few based on your life and professional experience. Don’t fold at the first mention of cost or premium savings but instead focus on the purpose of coverage. To make the insured whole again. Too many consumers are being “penny wise and pound foolish” in making decisions on their insurance. It’s our professional responsibility to help them realize the risks they are faced with and provide them with the proper protection for themselves, their families and their business. As an industry and profession we do no one any favors by trivializing or ignoring that responsibility.
