7 better questions for consumers

One of the best ways to improve your skill as a consumer is to improve your line of questioning.  Insurance companies are great at data collection and they know more about how you’ll make your next buying decision than you do.  That’s why they invest hundreds of millions of dollars advertising in the way they think you’re most likely to be manipulated.

So instead of you giving them what they want (consumers who are lead to believe that unimportant things are important, usually), demand that they give you what you want by teaching them the questions you expect them to answer.  Some suggestions to ask of your agent (if you don’t have an agent, interview some and get one):

1. How will you decide which insurance company you’ll recommend to me?
2. What’s the most compelling reason why I should do business with you?
3. How would you rank the insurance priorities in my portfolio?
4. In describing “good service”, what does that mean to you?
5. With the insurance company you’re recommending, do you anticipate a gap between how I’ll expect my claim to be handled and the way it will actually be handled?
6. Which insurance company is most likely to act consumer-focused?
7. Which insurance company employs the smartest employees?