22-Oct-2014

Independent Insurance Agent VS. YOU

My insurance journey began a mere year and a half ago. When I began working for the DeForest Group, I barely knew anything about insurance other than you had to have it and that I did.  Believe me, there is a learning curve when it comes to the insurance industry.  I just could not grasp the need for an independent agent when anyone can just go online and get quotes and shortly thereafter obtain the insurance they needed. Just admit it, you were thinking that too!

 Then, after going through a course to obtain my insurance license, I realized that my own auto policy barely covered me if I was in an automobile accident. 25/50/10 is what I was covered for, the minimum NY state offers. So if I am in an accident and hit a shiny new Mercedes CLS550 (MSRP $75k), my policy will pay 10k & who will pay the remaining $65k? Oh right, that would be me, not the insurer! I don’t know about you but garnishing wages does not sound like a good time to me as I prefer to spend my money at the Ice Cream Shop. This may seem obvious, but I just hadn’t realized how underinsured I was.  

I know, I know… you are skeptical because the insurance commercials you have seen have told you that all you have to do is go online and obtain your insurance in 15 minutes or less! Talk about convenience. But is something as important as insurance something you want to glaze over in 15 minutes? Being prepared for any scenario that could potentially occur is the very point of insurance. You wouldn’t let a salesperson rip you off, so you shouldn’t let these companies rip you off either.  Their omission is their gain, not yours.

 You may have all the tools, but what is the use without the knowledge?  Without the extensive knowledge and experience of an insurance agent, you are depriving yourself of an opportunity to make the right choices about your insurance policy.

With that said, here are some important things that I think are independent agents bring to the table:

1 – Quality

                Independent Insurance Agents have the knowledge, experience, and tools to get you exactly what you NEED, even if you aren’t sure what that is.  They aren’t telling you to add OBEL coverage for only $7 more a month because they are trying to get you to purchase more, they are telling you to add it on because it adds an extra $25k for your medical bills if you’re hurt in an accident. Why is that important? Well refer back to paragraph 2.

2 – Quantity

                Most agents can offer a variety of quotes from different companies giving you a wider range of choice. They can find discounts on when you obtain multiple policies through the same company.  Plus, they do ALL of the work in finding you great quotes! Instead of spending hours finding low cost and effective coverage, you can spend your time to work out or binge eat chocolate while catching up on your favorite shows…

3 – Protection

                Independent agents keep you from making poor choices when it comes to your insurance. They help you find the best deals while also looking out for your best interest based on your individual situation. 

Maybe you consider yourself an insurance savvy person and that’s great! But it couldn’t hurt to be sure that you know what you are getting yourself into, or more importantly, what you are getting yourself out of!

-Elizabeth Schoen, Marketing Coordinator