Isn’t an insurance agent just a salesperson?
Yes and no.
Anyone who is licensed to “sell” insurance is, by the simplest definition of the word, a salesperson.
Like many other professions, insurance agents must have a license, as well as a minimum amount of education focusing on their particular field.
There are many professions that require some kind of license as well as education requirements. There are those who are good at their profession and there are those who are “not so good.”
- There are some incompetent healthcare workers, but that doesn’t mean that all healthcare workers are incompetent.
- There are some accountants who take “short cuts”, but that doesn’t mean that all accountants take “short cuts”.
- There are some attorneys who are unethical, but that doesn’t mean that all attorneys are unethical.
- There are some ineffective educators, but that doesn’t mean that all educators are ineffective.
The same is true with insurance agents. There are some insurance agents who lack knowledge, some lack experience, and some even lack ethics (I’m sorry to say). But, that does not mean that all insurance agents are that way.
Is there such a thing as an “unbiased recommendation”?
Practically, no. Ideally, yes. And I strive for that ideal. I try my best to get to know each of my clients through my “policy design questionnaire“. Through the questionnaire I try to find out what you want your long-term care policy to do for you. I then ask myself, “If I were my client, knowing what I know about long-term care insurance, which policy would I buy?” It’s my small attempt at applying the Golden Rule to my profession.
