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I was talking to a friend earlier in the year about the new “real food” craze.  We were talking about many health benefits that go along with knowing where your food comes from, all the while lamenting that the so-called “healthy” convenience foods couldn’t be trusted with their MANY chemicals.  I had an “insurance epiphany.”  This move to eat healthier, real, organic, locally grown food can be a metaphor for how you purchase items and insurance is one of them.  I’ll admit that I subscribe to this “real food” diet and have switched my family over to a mostly organic, locally grown, free-range, real food, kissed by an angel, smooth as a baby’s butt (almost) diet.  The benefits to our health are wonderful; our skin glows, our digestion issues are nil, we have less sickness, etc. etc. I could go on and on and on.  But, my purpose here is not to inform you on a healthier way to eat, I’m here to talk about insurance and more importantly, the WHY of your insurance purchasing decision.

 

LOCALLY GROWN explained….

The thinking on the new “real food” movement is that we stop eating easy, convenience foods, ie: fast food from restaurants, instant-type prepared grocery foods, pre-packaged foods with a shelf life equal to my grandmother’s age.  You get it, anything that contains chemicals that we cannot pronounce or produce naturally.  We try to purchase foods that are real, raw, and mostly grown locally.  Therefore, we have the health benefits intended by nature’s food.  Now, let’s make the connection to insurance.

We have global direct marketers (ie: a tiny lizard or quirky brunette) vs. local insurance agents. These direct marketers are fast, easy, convenient, self-professed one-clicking insurance-writing machines. They provide you with a pre-packaged policy and put your name on it when you purchase it.  The “ingredients” of the policy are in the fine print and if you are not a licensed insurance agent with experience, you probably have no idea what coverage is in your policy. Much like I am not a laboratory scientist, so I have no idea what carrageenan and sodium sulfite are (only that they are chemicals you want to avoid in your food.)  This brings us to “The Why” of your purchasing decision:

Is it convenient, easy, and does it satisfy an immediate need to purchase your insurance online?   Answer: Probably.

Is the coverage (ie: nutrition) you are seeking the best you can purchase for your money?   Answer: Probably Not.

Do you see endless commercials about how easy and cheap it is to be insured with one of these companies?  Answer: Absolutely!

Do you know who sold you the policy or advised you regarding your coverage?   Answer: No.

 

Now, on to the local insurance agent.  These agents have brick and mortar offices in your community, much like your local farmer and farmer’s market.  These agents seek you out by attending local events and being good citizens in the community.  They ask for your business by showing you that they have taken care of your family, a neighbor, or a friend, just like you can watch the farmer tending his crop.  They don’t have fancy one-click, pre-packaged, high-paid advertising commercials.  They have too much invested in their reputation, their family and friends, and community to become pre-packaged.  What you see is what you get, locally grown.   Now “The Why” questions once again:

Is it convenient, easy, and does it satisfy and immediate need to purchase your insurance from an agent in your community?  Answer: Probably

Is the coverage (ie: nutrition) you are seeking the best you can purchase for your money? Answer: Absolutely!

Do you see endless commercials about how easy and cheap it is to be insured with one of these agencies?  Answer:  Probably Not.

Do you know who sold you the policy or advised you regarding your coverage? Answer: Absolutely!

 

THE WHY explained……

My point is this, when you take the time to step back and think about who and how you are purchasing without all the obnoxious noise of the “convenience food” or “convenience insurance” market, you start to understand the ‘why’ of your purchasing decisions.  Why do you purchase food?  You purchase food as a basic need to survive. The ‘why’ of your food purchasing decision is for nutrition, health, and energy.  Why do you purchase insurance? You purchase insurance for the times when life takes a turn beyond your control and you need help.  The ‘why’ of your insurance purchasing decision is so that in a trying, difficult time, you have someone that you can trust to be your safety net, to make you whole again….THAT is where the pre-packaged insurance-writing machines will always fall short.

 

Colleen Miles, CISR

Insurance Agent & Marketing Manager

Heister Insurance