Donna Kozik
www.DonnaKozik.com
Donna@DonnaKozik.com
619-297-1749

Article Writing Sample

Five Ways It Pays To Have an Agent

“Am I covered?” It was the first thought that crossed Eileen Corrice’s mind when she came home from an end-of-summer picnic to find her home robbed—and her jewelry gone.

After making a list of the stolen items, she placed a call to her insurance agent, Dave Sillanpaa. “Boy, was I a happy camper when Dave called back and told me, ‘You’re covered!’” she said.

The situation would have been different if Corrice didn’t have such an attentive insurance agent. A few months prior, when her policy was up for renewal, she mentioned her uninsured valuables, and Dave promptly recommended adding the coverage.

It’s just one of the ways it pays to have an insurance agent.

Help with Complex Matters

Mary Ann Boose, an insurance expert and financial services professor at Indiana State University, says there’s significant value in working with an expert when selecting insurance companies and coverages. “Every insurance contract is a complex legal contract,” she said. “No matter how sophisticated buyers are, they won’t be as current in their insurance knowledge as an agent.” 

There’s also something to be said in having a relationship with a trusted advisor found in your own community. “It’s a lot easier to ask a friend for a recommendation,” said Booze. “An agent knows who I am and how to help me—and that’s a valuable service.”

Other ways agents benefit policyholders include:

Make sure you’re fully covered. An agent looks to make sure belongings are adequately protected and can also advise when additional coverage is a good idea. “The main thing is to cover policyholders as best as possible,” said Dave, Corrice’s agent. “And ERIE’s enhancement endorsement for jewelry theft or loss is tremendous coverage.”

The policyholder is certainly grateful. “It helped temper the blow of someone coming into my home and stealing my jewelry,” she said. “Dave rescued me. He’s the best insurance agent with whom I’ve ever done business.” 

Serve as a trusted advisor. After seeing advertisements from other insurance companies that touted the importance of knowing your insurance agent’s name, ERIE policyholder Tom Glazier said, “Not only do I know my agent’s name, but he knows mine. He also knows my wife’s name, my three kids’ names, where we live, what car we drive and where we work. Glazier, a co-owner of a pharmacy in Vincent, Ohio, has had his auto, home and business insurance with ERIE Agent Larry Newton for years.

“No, we don’t talk to him on the phone, but rather he visits from time to time. That service makes all the difference in the world,” he said.

Boose agrees personally knowing your insurance agent brings value to the policyholder. “There’s something nice about talking to someone you know and who knows you—insurance agents who are on the Main Streets of our hometowns,” she said. “When I’m looking for accurate information, I look to a friend and an advisor—not from 1-800 or www.”

Help you make the most of your insurance dollars. Not only do Agents take the time to make sure policyholders are fully covered, they also offer suggestions about saving money.

“Larry calls with suggestions about ways to bring payments down, such as increasing my deductible,” said Glazier. “He’s looking out for my interests.”  But paying a little more for insurance and receiving the proper coverage coupled with personal service means a good deal to the policyholder, too.

“If you shop around for the cheapest price, you’re not always getting the most value,” he said. “I’d never go shopping for insurance, I’d just call Larry.”

Identify and minimize potential risks. Through routine inspections, policy reviews and ongoing education efforts, agents help policyholders make smarter decisions regarding safety and security.

“No one wants to sit around thinking about everything that can go wrong, but that’s where insurance agents have an opportunity to help clients,” said Farron Bolton of Knoxville, Tenn., whose agency does informal lifestyle risk audits for its customers to see where there’s potential for trouble.  

“I still remember the surprise of one of my best customers when he learned that the ATV he enjoys taking on hunting trips and sometimes loans to others also represented a big liability risk,” said Farron. “He hadn’t thought about the fact that it’s not like other vehicles, and he needed to take special steps to insure himself for its use.”

Agents can also offer support when it comes time for a family’s teen to start driving lessons. “I advise clients on what kind of vehicle will give them the best rates and safety features,” said agent Randy Myers of Van Wert, Ohio. Many agents sit down with teens to talk about the additional safety responsibility that comes along with driving privileges.

Be there in times of trouble. Randy Myers had his policyholders’ livelihoods in mind when an F4 tornado touched down near Van Wert in November 2002. As soon as the warnings were over, he drove to an industrial park where he insured several businesses. One of them, National Door and Trim, was completely destroyed. He met with the owners two hours later to discuss solutions, and the company was up and running again in a matter of days.

Thankfully, emergencies such as tornadoes don’t happen to every policyholder. Yet there are other times an agent can be a shoulder to lean on, such as when a policyholder needs to file an auto claim.

“If you have someone who can handle the claim quickly and take the stress off of you, it’s better and easier for everybody,” said policyholder Tom Glazier. “Part of the value of an insurance agent comes from that—it’s not just about price, it’s about servicing the customer.”

“That’s what people really want,” agreed Randy. “Someone they can call if they have a question, but, more importantly, in time of loss, someone who will be on their side.

“We sell for the company, but we represent the insured,” he said. “We’re there for the insured.”