Foreword

FOREWORD

KEEPING PROMISES

In one way, insurance is nothing more than promises made between two parties.

In another way, it is much, much more than that. It’s legally binding contract.

The insurance company writes a policy that makes commitments to you…promises.

The insurance company expects you to pay a fee, called a premium. In the policy, there are things that both of you must do, which is your way of keeping your promises.

The agent who sells you a policy makes promises about how the policy will protect you. We all hope that those promises made by the agent are actually found in the policy!

But, when it is all said and done, the process of filing a claim, and getting that claim paid, is the way that the promise is kept. It is the essence of the insurance contract.

CLAIMS ARE ALL ABOUT KEEPING PROMISES.That’s one of the things I like best about being a claims adjuster.

The reputation of an insurance company is usually not spoiled by charging high premiums, because few people complain if they’re convinced that there’s more value in the policy than the amount of money they pay.

The reputation of an insurance company is usually not spoiled by paying huge commissions to their agents, because most people couldn’t care less how much money their agent makes.

The reputation of an insurance company is usually not spoiled by investing money poorly.

Reputations of insurance companies are usually ruined due to poor claims handling.

Insurance companies spend millions of dollars in advertising to convince you that you’re better off or smarter to do business with them. They tell you how many people switched to their company last year. (They never say how many people left or got cancelled though) They want you to buy their policies and remain their customers for a long time. In the insurance business, that’s called “persistency.” Persistency means policies that stay on the books for a long time. Agents get bonus money when they have good persistency.

I always consider it part of my job as an adjuster to make the insurance company and the agent look good. If I treat the policyholder with compassion and respect, and do everything I can to get their claim paid as soon as possible, I know that the policyholder will think positively about the insurance company and the agent that sold them the policy. I even tell the policyholders what a great agent and great insurance company they have…just so they don’t miss my point.

I do this quite selfishly…I freely admit it. If the agents are happy with the way I take care of their clients, they will ask for me to be the adjuster whenever their policyholders have a claim. I also know that the claims examiners at the insurance companies are human beings just like you and me. They love people who make their work easier, and don’t love people who make their work harder. If I send them good reports that contain all the information they need to pay a claim, they can pay the claim and close the file.

For a claims examiner, cleanliness is not what’s next to godliness...a closed file is next to godliness!!

For me, that kind of service to others is the best and most satisfying part of the work.

But now that this book is published, my level of satisfaction is going to grow exponentially!

This entire book is about helping YOU, THE POLICYHOLDER OR CLAIMANT, maximize the amount of money you are entitled to receive from the insurance company when you have a loss.

I can’t possibly help more than a few hundred people in a year. I’m only one guy in one place. However, with this book, millions around the globe will be helped getting their claims paid.

Deepak Chopra says that one of the most important things we can do for ourselves is to turn our inner dialogue from the question “What’s in it for me?” to “How can I help?”

This is my greatest motivation for writing this book. I can truly envision millions of people the world over reading this book and doing the simple things it shows. I envision those millions of people collecting untold millions of dollars that they would not have collected if it were not for the strategies in this book. I am eager to receive letters and emails from people all over the world, telling me how this book made a difference in their lives.

Perhaps one of those people who write to me will be you. I’m waiting to hear YOUR story.

This book is dedicated to my Redhead, Julie. I made her a promise that I’d love her forever, and I’m keeping that promise. In all of my life, I’ve never known a more fascinating woman. I’m still amazed and thankful every day that she loves me. Thank you, Julie, for your loving patience with a guy writing his first book. Took me two years, but I did it!!

I’d also like to thank Corey Rudl of the Internet Marketing Center. Corey tragically died in an auto racing accident on June 2, 2005. But it was Corey who gave me the idea in July of 2004 to write a book about what I know best.

Finally, big thanks go out to Liz Symes and Leanne Shumard of Trafford Publishing Company. They and their associates at Trafford helped make my dreams come true.

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