We all dread it. Those unsolicited phone calls from unrecognized numbers in the middle of your important meeting. Or while you are about to take a big bite out of that sandwich during your lunch break. You answered anyway thinking it could be important, only to discover at the other end, a pushy and persistent individual, trying to sell you some kind, any kind, of insurance policy.
So coincidentally, you have been thinking of getting an insurance policy. Now that you have a new job and a stable income, or that you have a baby on the way. Do you then agree to meet with this stranger on the phone? How will you know if he is the right agent for you? Below are some tips that may help you in your search for a good insurance agent.
An insurance agent should be someone you can trust and depend on as in the majority of cases, the relationship you and your agent share, is long-term. Hence you would want someone you can see as a friend and not a dreaded “peddler” who is there month after month to take your hard earned money away from you.
A sincere imsurance agent puts his clients first. He takes the time to listen and to understand their situations, including their expectations and limitations. They will recommend several policies that are best for you after considering all your requirements instead of trying to push the policies that are most profitable to them. He will also explain each policy to you clearly in order for you to make a sound decision.
You can probably tell if a person is organized or not by just observing her behaviour. Does she come with a pen and notepad ready? Or does she have to sheepishly ask if she could borrow one from you? Does she already have a set of structured questions to ask you? Or does she pay attention to details? Does she scramble through her binders looking for the right forms for you to sign?
An agent who is disorganized may overlook crucial information that could be critical to you in making your decision. They may even lose important documents or information which causes delays and inconvenience. Or in my personal experience, the agent forgets to remind me of a very critical date in which I needed to renew my aging mother’s policy. By the time I realized it, it was too late, my mother was no longer eligible for the policy which resulted in a lot of grief for me and my family.
One of the problems life insurance policy holders often face is that once they have purchased their policy, they have no one left around to assist them with any questions that they may have afterwards. The very friendly and helpful agent that was so enthusiastic in selling them their policy is no longer returning phone calls.
Unfortunately this is not a trait that you can tell until it is too late. Which is why it is important that you take your time in getting to know your agent before purchasing a policy. This goes back to No1. Make sure that your agent is someone you can depend on, who is committed to ensuring your needs are met.
iBanding has developed an insurance app that helps both, customers and agents, to easily stay in contact. All the customer has to do after installing the app is to find his agent in the agents directory integrated with the app, and upload his policies.
Agents that are registered in our directory, get the unique link to invite their customers to install the app and connect with them through the app.
More about iBantu app is explained here – iBantu For Customers and here – iBantu For Agents.
Before engaging an agent, try asking your friends if they know of any good and reliable agents that they would recommend to you. I would also strongly suggest that you carry out your own research in understanding the general types of policies offered out there in the market prior to speaking to an agent. Ask as many questions as you have during your meeting with the agent. Make sure that she is capable in addressing your questions and concerns.
Last but by no means least, you should find out if your agent is registered with The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM), as only authorized agents are allowed to promote, market and distribute life insurance products in the country. You can do the verification here:
http://www.liam.org.my/index.php/customer-zone/know-your-agent
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Thanks for the tips for finding a good insurance agent. I like how you pointed out that they should be easy accessible. If I were to hire one, I'd want to be able to contact them whenever I had questions.
Thank you Ridley, that's true. And you just reminded me to insert links in the article to our iBantu app that does just that, helps customers to keep in touch with their agents at any given time.
I am looking for a new insurance agent that will be able to help me figure out coverage for things like my house and my car. So I appreciate you telling me that you'll want to find someone organized since they will be able to keep track of all of your documents and pay attention to details pertaining to any decisions you may need to make. I'll make sure that I find an insurance agent that is clearly organized by the supplies they bring and the mannerisms they have.
I'm looking at getting personal insurance, so I really appreciated the tips you shared. My favorite tip was how you suggest asking friends or family for recommendations on who to work with. I'll start reaching out to people I know so I can get a start on finding a reputable insurance agent.
I appreciate that you've listed the most important traits that an agent should have to be a reliable one. My favorite part is when you said that the agent must be able to suggest several policies that would fit the needs of their client instead of making them buy the policy that would give them more profit. This information would really help my sister find an agent that is trustworthy since she needs to buy an insurance for her coffee shop that will open next month. Thanks for the tips!