Buying insurance on your own is often complicated and annoying. Insurance brokers are professionals who use their skills and expertise to find the right insurance coverage for your personal situation. This blog post looks at four different tips to help you find a quality insurance broker!
1. Never Make A Decision Before Doing Your Research
Picking the right insurance broker isn’t something done overnight. It’s important to take your time and filter out the best brokers from the rest. Your insurance broker is someone who you’ll be working with closely, so it’s important to choose someone who understands how to best perform their duties as a broker. Many bad experiences with insurance brokers are caused by a lack of due diligence on the client’s part. There are a lot of warning signs that subpar brokers can’t help but emit.
If you notice you’re always being offered “deals,” pushy sales tactics and other annoying behaviors, then you should stay away. Good insurance brokers take the time to understand your needs and find a solution that’s right for you instead of pushing a pre-made solution on to you.
2. Schedule At Least Three Meetings With Different Brokers
Even if a broker seems good on the surface, you still need to see how they compare with their contemporaries. Meeting with at least three brokers will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect during consultations and an idea of what to look for in a good agent. If a broker spends most of the consultation trying to sell you on something, they’re giving you a clear indication that your sale is more important to them than your satisfaction.
The first consultation should focus on identifying your needs and different ways the broker can help you. During the consultation, look for excellent communication skills (they shouldn’t overwhelm you with information), someone who genuinely seems interested (are they taking notes?) and the general vibe you get from the person.
3. Look For Brokers With Excellent Communication Skills
As we briefly touched on, communication skills are extremely important. Brokers need to be able to explain complex insurance packages in terms you understand. Most of us aren’t concerned with the inner workings of insurance and just want the bottom line as it relates to our situation. Good insurance brokers know the importance of simplification and make things easy on you by not overwhelming you with information.
If your head is spinning after talking to a broker, you should find someone else.
4. Test Your Broker During Consultations
Asking a question you already know the answer to is an excellent way to flesh out quality insurance brokers. Bad brokers will pretend to know the answer or make something up that seems to suit your needs. Quality brokers will respond if they know the answer or tell you they need to do some research and follow up.
Use a question about an experience or an issue you’ve experienced regarding insurance. Finding out how a broker will handle a situation/questions clues you into what kind of professional you’re dealing with.
5. Signs To Watch Out For:
- Overly pushy sales tactics
- A broker who try to make your life fit into a certain package instead of adjusting the package to your life
- Complex explanations
- Packages or “deals” that are “ending soon.”
- Long delays in getting back to you
A little bit of research is beneficial when searching for an insurance broker. Brokers can often get you rates that you won’t be able to find on your own. Quality insurance brokers can make a significant difference in how you invest in protecting your family, property and other assets. Use the tips in this blog post to help you out on your search!
