Insurance Experts

You’ve done some research, chosen a leads provider that delivers fresh, real-time leads and have set filters to receive only the leads you can write—and now they’re popping into your inbox. Now what?

Learning some best practices from expert agents is a great way to get off on the right foot. With a few tips, you’ll be able to sell leads like the experts—and surpass the competition.

Contacting the Lead

When it comes to capitalizing on your insurance leads, contacting your leads in a timely manner is essential. This is especially true if you’re buying real-time leads—by making immediate contact, you can quote a consumer while they’re in the shopping mood and interested in what you can do for them.

So after you receive the lead, should you call or email the prospect? The answer to that question is really a matter of personal preference. Many agents feel that it’s less intrusive to email a lead rather than phone them; other agents feel that immediate contact can best be made by phone. You’ll probably have the best luck using a combination of both phone and email to reach your lead.

If you can’t get a hold of a lead by phone, make sure to send them an email detailing who you are, your company and what you have to offer. Email is also a great follow-up tool to use after you’ve spoken to a lead—thanking them for your time and stating your eagerness to form a business relationship.

If you can’t get a hold of the prospect on the first or second try, don’t give up. Vary your call times and send an additional email to remind the consumer of what you can do for them. Just remember to pursue your leads tactfully—no one likes to feel chased.

Expert Tip: To speed the contact process, you might want to create a template to insert as the footer of your emails. You should include your name, a short professional profile and how you can best be reached.

Selling the Lead

Now that you’ve established contact with the lead and they’re interested in what you have to offer, it’s time to make that lead a new client. How can you secure the sale?

As you’ve probably learned, it’s important to put less emphasis on the sales pitch and more emphasis on engaging the prospect in conversation. By starting a conversation, you can learn about your prospect—what does she need out of her coverage? What does he want from his coverage? Establishing a rapport with the prospect will build trust—an essential component to closing sales.

You can also move the sales process along by eliminating pressure. You don’t like to feel pressured to make a purchasing decision and neither do your prospects. Instead of forcing them into a decision, you can encourage the prospect by reiterating what your product will do for them, your commitment to customer service and how much money you can save them.

You should also have something for the consumer to look at. A brochure or folder of materials outlining your products and information will further illustrate why and how your services will meet their needs, as well as give them something to refer to when they decide to buy.

Expert Tip: Whether you’re talking to the lead on the phone or they’re seated in front of you, start the conversation with some open-ended questions to get the prospect talking. Listen intently—and tailor the advantages of your services accordingly!

Taking Back Lost Sales

So you lost the prospect to a competitor. Don’t beat yourself up; it happens to the best agents. And, even though you’re down, you’re not out!

While many agents let lost prospects go and move on to the next lead, expert agents keep track of prospects, namely those that were lost by a narrow margin. Instead of shredding the contact information, file it away to be contacted again in six months. You never know, they may be ready to shop for insurance again and give you a second chance!

Expert Tip: Instead of filing prospect information in a paper file to be forgotten about, enter the information into an electronic file and have an alert sent to your email to contact the prospect in six months. When it pops up, you’ll have the prospect’s contact information and other helpful details right at your fingertips. Send them an email and see if they’re ready to shop!

Sell Your Leads like the Pros

You’ve talked the talk, now it’s time to walk the walk! Implement these best practices into your sales strategy and sell more auto, home, life and health insurance leads today!

Much controversy exists over health insurance. Debate as to how a health insurance company can maintain its solvency against the cost of maintaining its clients’ health has given rise to conflict. The right to stay fit and healthy is one basic human right that cannot be altered in any way. The argument as to how health insurance companies take care of their own interests continues to remain hanging.

Owning a small business will likely open doors for only a small group of employees. Keeping the best and trusted employees happy requires more than paying them enough money for food and shelter. As an employer, you need to endow your employees with the necessary benefits to compensate for all their efforts so that they can enjoy the rights they have as laborers.

If you are, however, the type of employer who has never considered offering insurance, then, the concept of small group health insurance may be far beyond your imagination. Starting off with a relatively small business limits your capacity to handle financial burdens. Moreover, sponsoring a small group health insurance plan can be very expensive, especially if there are only a few employees under your care.

A small staff covered by small business group health insurance plan is likely to be charged a higher cost by the health care provider. So what can you do as the employer to help ease this situation? For humanitarian considerations, it will be very generous of you to provide your employees with appropriate health benefits. Sponsoring a small business group health insurance can be done in an affordable manner if you know the ins and outs of doing do.

Providing a brilliant healthcare package is likely to add to the appeal of the company and help the company to gain more talented applicants while keeping the experienced ones happy. Take time to browse the net for reasonable premiums of small business group health insurance plans. Remember, you can always save money while compensating your staff. It is just a matter of crossing bridges and making things happen.

There are DOZENS of insurance claim possibilities which will increase the dollars awarded you in the settlement of your personal injury insurance claim. Some of them rarely see the light of day but some do. The six I’ve listed below are crucial for you to be aware of as you prepare to go to war with Adjuster Henry Hard-Nose regarding the value of your loss. They are:

(1) EMOTIONAL REACTIONS TO YOUR INJURY: When it comes to placing a dollar value on the “Emotional Reaction” of an injury one enters into an area where most individuals, even experienced claims adjuster’s and Legal Beagles, are at a loss.

Four often ignored “Characteristic Symptoms” can be: Confusion, Anxiety, Depression and Denial. (“Denial”, that is, regarding the seriousness of your injury and the constant pain you feel. This usually comes to pass when one refuses to complain anything is seriously wrong, convincing themselves it will work itself out).

If any of the above “Emotional Reactions” (which are a direct result of “Characteristic Symptoms“) becomes a reality it would be wise for you to see a shrink. Maybe you won’t immediately identify this as something you need to have checked out but the person you climb into bed with probably will. When she tells you you‘re not functioning (between your ears) all that well, listen up! If that’s what you’re told you should swallow hard and obtain an expert’s opinion. You may consider yourself a muscular “Power To Be Reckoned With” but you’re not Superman so, talk to a specialist, explain what’s happening, and let it all hang out.

Once you’ve been discharged, get that specialist’s written Medical Report and hand it to Hard-Nose, along with the medical bills for your treatment. Is that legit? The answer is absolutely, yes! Can he refuse to accept them and suggest they add no value to your claim? The answer is absolutely, no!

(2) EMOTIONAL DISTRESS: Emotional distress is legitimate “Pain and Suffering” and you should be compensated for it. For example, problems that may develop over the effects of an accident within the area of your work or business, or perhaps interfere with your sex life! Whatever it is that’s causing you problems you should see a specialist. Keep going back to see him for as long as it takes to return to normal. At the end of his treatment, when he’s finally discharged you, ask for and obtain his written report. Present that to Adjuster Henry Hard-Nose along with the specialist’s bill for their services.

This is a legitimate expense and it positively gives your personal injury more value !

(3) SECURING COMPENSATION FOR LIFE DISRUPTIONS: If your injuries caused you to miss some special training you had arranged to take advantage of, you’ll probably, at some point, want to make that time up. The difficulty you may experience in making up that missed time (or perhaps never again being able to obtain it) has the potential to increase the value of your settlement. To achieve this you must obtain written proof and present it to Adjuster Hard-Nose.

Also to be taken into consideration is a vacation you may have been unable to take, or some recreational event’s in which you could not participate in and/or a missed special event, like a wedding or a reunion, etc. All of these, properly documented, add value to your claim because they are specific examples of the inconvenience and discomfort you’ve endured as a direct result of your injury.

(4) YOUR AGE: In the evaluation of an individuals “Pain and Suffering”, age is always a factor because the older you are the longer the periods of Total or Partial Disability will be. This will affect the course of treatment plus the length of time of the “pain killers” you’ve been ordered to take. For example: Over age 50 disability is about 10% to 15% longer, over age 60 disability is about 20% to 30% longer, over 70 disability can be 35% to 45% longer and over 75 disability can often be 50% and longer.

(5) PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL PROBLEMS: Also pre-existing conditions are factor’s that must be considered: For example: Arthritis, Sugar Diabetes, Pervious Injuries and/or Previous Operations that have left you with on-going problems, etc.

Whatever that pre-existing situation may be you should look to your attending physician for advice. Don’t avoid discussing this with him. If any doubt exists you should insist your doctor refer you to a specialist for consultation. If your physician is legit he’ll agree. If he doesn’t than kiss that goodie-two-shoes “goodbye” and go dig up a specialist on your own. It’s your body and there’s only one to a customer!

(6) ONE THING YOU SHOULD NEVER FORGET IS THAT THE VISIBLE DAMAGES TO YOUR MOTOR VEHICLE CAN VERY OFTEN PROFOUNDLY AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU’RE EVENTUALLY PAID.

If your vehicle was badly smashed, that goes a long way proving that your injuries were sever and therefore painful. You must snap photographs of your motor vehicle. Shoot a couple rolls of colored and also black and white (black and white because in some instances colored photographs cannot be entered as evidence in a court of law).Take them from different angles and various distances. Like for example, 30 feet away, then 15, then right up close.

Make two sets. One for you and one for Hard-Nose. Blow them up into 8X10 glossies and present them to him. Both the size of your repair bill and those photographs will go a long way towards proving two important points: First, that you know what you’re doing and second, that the injuries you received from that god-awful impact (and the long period of pain, suffering and discomfort you‘ve had to deal with) - - if and when viewed by a judge or jury - - are proof positive of what your injury caused your body to endure.

DISCLAIMER: The only purpose of this article SIX CRUCIAL INSURANCE CLAIM POSSIBILITIES, is to help people understand the motor vehicle accident claim process. Neither Dan Baldyga nor ARTICLE CITY make any guarantee of any kind whatsoever; NOR do they purport to engage in rendering any professional or legal service; NOR to substitute for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, or claims consultant, or the like. Where such professional help is desired it is the INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSIBILITY to obtain said services.

Dan Baldyga’s third and latest book AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss) can be found on the internet at http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com . This book reveals “How To” successfully handle your motor vehicle accident claim, so you won’t be taken advantage of. It also goes into detail regarding the revolutionary BASE (The Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula). BASE explains how to determine the value of the “Pain and Suffering” you endured - - because of your personal injury.

Copyright (c) 2003 Daniel G. Baldyga. All Rights Reserved

Dan Baldyga - Author

19 Winona Drive, West Springfield, MA 01089

Phone: (413) 733-0127 FAX: (413) 731-8358

Mail to: dbpaw@comcast.net

AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM

(How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss)

Found On Internet At: http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com

Or: http://www.caraccidentclaims.com

For some people, lower back pain is something that sneaks up on them and then never wants to leave. There are many causes for back pain, but the most common is injury. If any part of your spine becomes damaged, you are going to know it by the amount

of pain you feel each day. Others find their discs have just worn out, and the pain is caused by the bones in their spine rubbing together. When you feel pain all the time, you need to look into lower back pain treatment so you can reclaim your life.

Lower back pain treatment might just mean trips to see the chiropractor. Sometimes, the pain is just caused by your spine being out of alignment. You probably won’t feel total relief right away, because the back is sensitive, and you may need to see your doctor for months before the problem can be totally corrected. There are so many different muscles involved with aligning your spine properly that this type of lower back pain treatment will only work if you visit your doctor as directed.

You can also take pain medication for lower back pain treatment, but remember that medications only mask your problems. If there is something wrong, no pill is going to fix it. You will eventually have to have surgery if you have missing or deteriorating discs in your back, though taking pain medication will

make your pain tolerable until you can get in to have the surgery done. Even with medications there are risks, however, as

many can be addictive. This will leave you with a whole new set of problems.

Once you have gone through your lower back pain treatment, remember to treat your back right. Once the problem is fixed, do

exactly what your doctor tells you to do. If he or she tells you to give yourself six weeks to recover, you had better do it, or you will find yourself back in the office for lower back pain treatment all over again. Remember to watch how you lift and move, and remember to avoid the activities that damaged your back in the first place. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles around your spine if it keeps going out of place. Your doctor can tell you what exercises to do, and if you follow their advice, you may not find the need to seek lower back pain treatment again in the future.

Here are seven tips for consumers who are in the market for life insurance:

1. Know what you need:

The classic and best reason for an individual to buy life insurance is for protection against dying too soon. The person buying life insurance should be primarily concerned with seeing that his or her survivors do not face a financial handicap. There may be other reasons that apply: Life insurance is also purchased to pay estate taxes. Business relationships often require life insurance or can benefit from it, for example. Annuities offer a secure way for consumers to make sure they don’t outlive their money. Beware of anyone who tries to sell you life insurance as an “investment.” Life insurance should be purchased for the protection it will give you.

Term life insurance:

Most consumer advocates feel that term insurance is the best life insurance buy. Term is different from “whole life” or “ordinary life” in that you build up no equity, or cash value. In term, you pay each year for the cost of insurance, which typically increases annually as your chances of being alive the next year decline. Most term policies are renewable on an annual basis, and some have level premiums or a decreasing death benefit for a stated period — one, five or ten years, or even to a specified age.

Whole life insurance:

Whole, or “ordinary,” life insurance is usually sold with a level premium. In the early years of the policy, the annual premium will be higher than comparable term insurance. (But because its premiums are level, whole life’s annual premiums may eventually be less than term.) Whole life policies build up a cash value that consumers can withdraw or borrow against. There are many variations of whole life. Premiums may be payable for a specified number of years on a limited-payment basis. Consumers also may have the option of a single premium paying all of the premiums at once with a single lump sum.

2. Know the company you are buying from:

You can check the financial stability of any life insurance company through several reputable national rating companies. Some ratings are available at public libraries.

3. Shop around for rates:

Life insurance is a competitive marketplace, and much of the competition focuses on price. Don’t hesitate to seek premium quotes from several different companies.

4. Shop for your own needs:

If term insurance fits, that’s what you should shop for. If you want to lower your premium at all costs, you may want to consider using a direct writer a company that cuts costs by operating without agents. Consider your own convenience, however: Do you want personal contact with an agent? Or if you buy an annuity, how fast can you get to your money in case of an emergency? If you are buying whole life, how fast does your money accumulate? What will the cash value be in one year? Three years? Ten years?

5. Update your coverage as your circumstances change:

Don’t be misled by someone who tells you you should buy additional policies for children as they are born. Children rarely have an income and seldom require life insurance. But your situation may change dramatically from year to year. Review your net worth every few years and reconsider the prospects your survivors may face if you die.

6. Don’t let yourself get fast-talked into changes:

Some life insurance policyholders in recent years have fallen victim to a practice called “twisting” or “churning.” Churning occurs when your coverage is changed only to benefit the seller even though you may suffer a loss in the process. Churning often happens when people with cash-value policies are persuaded to convert their coverage to another policy, often one with a promise of better benefits. The problem is that the cash value of the original policy is raided in order to pay for the new policy. Luckless consumers may not realize until years later that the “higher” benefit policy is actually worth only a fraction of the value of the original policy.

7. Never buy a policy you don’t understand:

If you are given illustrations or booklets, save that material with your policy. If your agent or company cannot explain the policy terms to your satisfaction, shop elsewhere. Make sure you understand the guarantees in your policy (not just the agent’s promises of returns) and the surrender penalties if you choose to drop the policy at any time. These costs are often hidden in a life insurance or annuity policy.

Most students may not realize how it is important to have a medical insurance in their young minds. Especially in their college life because all they think of is their studies and great experiences that they encounter. Not foreseeing illness and mishaps or emergencies that can happen.

But having a medical insurance during school years can be very helpful and important. Even the minor treatments and procedures like check-ups, prescriptions and x-rays. It can cost much if you don’t have a student medical insurance. Especially during teenage years, they are more susceptible to different diseases because of their busy lifestyle. Irregular diets, late parties and fast foods are the major problems that youngsters they encounter everyday. Also students coming from different countries and comes in different climatic conditions are very vulnerable to diseases while residing a new country or place. So it is very important to have a student medical insurance.

There are family plans that provides student medical insurance as long that they are currently and a full time students in an accredited school. Though there are some that only offers to students who are 19 and below. But there are schools that offer good coverage and sometimes students are required to buy their policy to provide a proof of their other coverage. This is a designed coverage for students and it is also available to students with spouse and children, as long that the student is married. It also a renewable individual medical insurance that is usually covers students who are graduate student or undergraduate students. Most plans offers year round of coverage, which can cover outsides outside the school terms.

Having your own medical insurance for students entitles you to be adequately covered throughout your college years and premiums are very affordable for students and parents if they want to buy a medical insurance for their children. Many college health plans are renewable for the coverage to continue beyond graduation. Other schools require their students to have some forms of medical insurance.

Students are also entitled to services like maternity benefits as extra healthcare provisions, or benefits for substance abuse, psychiatric, mental illnesses, alcohol or drug rehabilitation can be also available. But there are also some insurance that only provide emergency only from out of area and requires a referral from resident physician. So you must take responsibility in knowing your student medical insurance and remember to seek advice from your resident physician if needed.

It is a difficult decision to choose from many plans or medical insurance available today. Whether it for your individual needs or to your whole family. You should take considerations to the benefits of the plan and also its restrictions to fully understand if it will provide adequate coverage for your medical needs. You should be familiar from the student medical insurance that you choose and noting of there are restrictions like limits of number of visits, out of the area coverage, if there are referrals needed and co-payments. It is better to go for student medical insurance that is expensive because not like those insurance plans that have lower cost have fewer coverage.

You see people these days talking on their top-of-the-range mobile phones or listening to their costly MP3 players everywhere. So it can come as no surprise that latest police statistics reveal that the number of street muggings and robberies increased by 8% last year.

Statistics from the British Crime Survey of 45,000 people shows that the number of gunpoint robberies jumped by 10% for 2005. Perhaps the most startling result from the research is that robberies alone have rocketed by 22% to 311,000. This is the highest level in four years.

You have a situation where property is being stolen more in public places, but less from homes, according to the numbers, which says the rate of household burglaries dropped by 7%.

So is the number of people carrying mobile phones really to blame for the rise in robberies and muggings? Home Secretary John Reid thinks so. He has been reported in the media as saying that the rise in this sort of crime has been driven by the number of young people carrying expensive goods like mobile phones and MP3 players with them.

Most mobile phone companies are quite insistent with customers of the benefits of taking out insurance should their phone get stolen. But what many people do not realise is that these policies only usually cover phone theft, rather than the loss of your property. And you often do not actually need this insurance anyway because your property might already be covered for these sort of street thefts through your home contents insurance.

Association of British Insurers spokesperson Kelly Ostler says many home contents policies offer an All Risks Extension. An All Risks Extension is the technical term for cover of property taken outside the house.

“You have to check your household contents insurance has got it,” she says.

Ostler reminds people, however, that insurance or no insurance, people also need to take simple precautions with their property when they take it outside the home. “We tell people to take care and use your common sense when you are going out – not to leave your mobile phone or your mp3 player on the table or a bar.”

You have to pay extra for ‘All-risks’ cover, but it means your property will not only be covered for theft, but accidental damage and loss. And you need to check and compare the price to make sure it is worth your while.

Insurance company Endsleigh offers home contents insurance with an All Risks Extension for an annual home and contents policy for almost £280. This covers up to £1000 worth of property taken outside your home. Norwich Union UK offers an annual cover for a minimum of £15,000 worth of property with an All Risks Extension for £260.99. This covers everything inside your home including £6000 for valuables like mobile phones. It also covers £2000 worth of your property away from home. For this you pay a £100 excess.

So before you sign up for insurance with your mobile phone company, check you do not already have cover with your home contents provider. You might be pleasantly surprised that you have insurance for your property outside the home already.

Source: ABI, Insurance Companies and BBC website article ‘Phones and MP3s fuel robbery rise’ 20 July.