Persevering with skeptical referrals

A client was referred to me for help with getting her cancer claim fulfilled. Her agent was no longer servicing her, and the claim was stuck for more than six months.

I vividly remember the first time I met her and her husband. He spoke very critically about insurance products and kept saying insurance is a scam. They had been paying insurance premiums for many years, and now that they had a claim, there were so many hiccups. Even their daughter scolded me because her mother’s claim was taking too long to get approved.

I did my part to transfer the policy under my care and traced back all pending documents needed from their end. I focused on getting the claim approved as soon as I could. I liaised with the hospitals and doctors to get the exact reports documenting the surgery and chemotherapy that occurred in Singapore. This was happening during the pandemic lockdown when all I could do was reach the Singapore contacts from Malaysia through email and phone calls. 

I got all the claims approved within three months. The couple was so grateful and asked me to drop by their house as they wanted to give me a token of appreciation. I told them the best way to thank me was to get their children protected. They agreed without hesitation and paid a lump sum for insurance coverage. That was one of my biggest premiums ever. 

I had another referral who was not friendly when I first contacted her. Even though she told me she already had a lot of insurance, she reached out to me a few days later and asked me to drop by her office to see what I had to propose. She didn’t even look me in the eyes during my presentation. As I finished reviewing her policies, I told her I would compile her information and come back the next day. I returned with her summary and recommended that she upgrade her existing plan and increase her protection. She asked me to leave her a full quotation.

In my heart, I thought this case would never close since the prospect was not friendly and very fierce. But she contacted me the following day and asked me to come to her office again. The quotation paperwork that I had left sat in front of her, and a few of the pages were marked with yellow highlighter. I clarified her many questions one by one, and then she said, “Alright, that’s all for now. You may leave.” I left her office still trying to figure out if there was anything more that I could do. 

To my surprise, she texted me the next morning and said she would proceed with everything I proposed. I couldn’t believe it. I asked her later why she agreed to my proposal. She said that I managed to solve her concerns and was patient enough to put up with all her questions. Today, she is one of my most supportive clients, and I’m her go-to advisor whenever she needs someone to talk to. I’m glad I didn’t give up on her.