Do you have a good insurance agent? Most people find out the hard way when they have a problem or a claim. This is the first in a series of blog posts giving you tips on how to find an excellent agent and avoid bad ones. The first thing you may think, is you can avoid having to worry about finding a good agent by not having an agent at all, and buying direct from the insurance company. Doesn’t it cost more to have an insurance agent? Isn’t it cheaper to buy direct, anyway?
No, this may not be the case for you. Agent commissions are only one of many marketing expenses for an insurance company. Not paying a commission does not mean an insurance company will have lower expenses, and therefore lower rates. For example, in 2011, Geico spent 22% more on advertising than the next biggest spender, State Farm, as you can see in this article.
Companies selling direct to the public, like Geico, Amica, Esurance, and Progressive, can’t offer personal service, so they do try to compete by trying to have low rates. However, the insurance company with the best rates & coverage for you may be one selling their insurance though agents.
The company with the lowest rates for me for several years was a company selling through independent agents, whom usually receive the highest commissions. I had great coverage and service, too, until the company stopped selling insurance in my state. When you shop for insurance, you are making a big mistake if you shop with only the companies selling direct to the public, thinking they must be the cheapest.
I think it’s better to have an agent than to not have an agent, because having an agent means someone is accountable for your insurance company’s customer service — but I wouldn’t pay a lot more to have any agent. Read this additional blog post to help you decide if you need an insurance agent.
You can call ten agents, ask each one why you should insure with them, and get a similar response: you will likely hear a friendly voice tell you they provide excellent personal service, they represent a great, financially stable company, and they will tell you about their many years of experience.
Who do you believe when ten insurance companies each tell you they are the company having the best service? Every company raves about their customer service, even companies providing poor customer service.
Although a lot of people hate insurance companies, most people like their agents. People may dislike insurance agents in general, comparing them to slick, dishonest car sales people, or think they are annoying like Ned Reyerson, the insurance salesman from the movie, Groundhog Day.
However, I think many people think of insurance agents like they do politicians: people hate congress in general, but they usually like their representative.
Contrary to the stereotype, many agents are sincerely friendly & personable men & women who want to earn your trust. Agents know pushy sales people are a turn off, and they know it’s better for their business to build a genuine relationship with you, rather than aggressively solicit you. Most insurance agents know you need to keep your customers happy and liking you, or customers may take their business elsewhere.
I had customers stay with me, although they sometimes found much lower rates, because they enjoyed doing business with me, and knew I wanted to provide them with the best customer service possible.
A lot of customers really like their agents and won’t leave them. This can be a mistake. You may think your agent is a great person, and you are happy with their customer service, but it does not mean the agent is doing their job to make sure you have the right coverage for you and all the discounts you deserve. You may change your mind about your agent after you have had an uncovered claim, or find out the policy they recommended you buy was too expensive, or a poor financial decision for you.
You might love your agent, and your agent may have the best intentions to help you with your insurance needs, but I know from experience working in insurance agencies, many agents fail to make sure their customers have the coverage they need when they need it.
Although you may be happy with your agent, read all my tips about how to choose an agent. You can use my tips to make sure your agent is giving you the service & coverage you need. My tips will tell you what you need to know to cut through the hype, and make sure your agent is working for you the way they should be.
There were also improvements in other buy viagra in india tests; but no such changes were seen in the control group. This wonderful formula is a combination of 8 potent herbal extracts such sildenafil cheapest price as Epimedium Leaf extract or Horny Goat weed, Cuscuta Seed extract, Saw palmetto berry, Muira pauma bark extract, Catawba bark extract, Hauthorn berry and others. A lot of young men lack proper knowledge about Erectile Dysfunction and it is very important to resolve the problem at the exact time of trading, you will never earn viagra discount prices profits for a long compass, so the viable utilization of penis pumps is a suitable and well known technique for penis expansion. If the condition reoccurs, then a doctor may recommend using levitra canada pharmacy certain medications to help resolve the problem, such as those with epinephrine-like qualities.