If you are afraid that your prospects find the statement such as, "If you die yesterday" is offensive, how do you describe death in other manners?
Total Comments: 27
Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 04:10 pm Post Subject: insurance
I rather like "God forbid." Not to sound morbid, but it seems to 'fit better' than the other phases. What I AM 'at ease' with is........I have Life Insurance through the military. GOD FORBID something happens to me, my son is covered. Military has a great Life Policy.....$400,000.00. I pay $20.00 per month for it. I'm very concerned about our economy, however...................................the government is even deciding to 'cut' benefits for different type of insurance. That's very scary to me.
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 05:25 am Post Subject:
I always use "if you were no longer here with us." If someone mis-understands, I say,"and I don't mean gone to the grocery store, out to eat, down the street, out of town, to the movies, on vacation, etc" :lol:
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:16 am Post Subject: insurance
I've heard people tell OTHER people " the person is no longer with us." And the OTHER person din't know what that meant. 'You' would think that 'explanation' would be pretty clear.
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 02:33 pm Post Subject:
I actually had someone ask that. They called my office looking for the old agent (had left years ago). I said that person was no longer here.
Their reply was, "Oh I'm sorry, when did they pass away?"
"Umm...no...he left the agency. He doesn't work here any more."
Embarrassed, party of one.
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 06:43 pm Post Subject: insurance
Sounds like that was the 'opposite'....."no longer here." LOL That was TOO funny ( from where I sit, anyway.)
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:22 pm Post Subject:
Pretty humorous on my end too. I guess I would have seen it the other way as to :he doesn't work here but I can see how someone could get the other impression. In the insurance world it probaly isn't easy putting something like this into words.
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 05:47 am Post Subject:
Why not just say something like this:
We all hope you never need this but if you do, isn't it something that you want to have just in case?
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 04:45 am Post Subject:
When I saw this thread, I found it funny - in a, sort of, ironic way. Here is the first part to one of the chapters in my new book. This is for you, Lori.
If you've ever asked yourself: "Do I really need life insurance?” or “How much life insurance do I need?" I congratulate you. You are one step closer to crossing that thin grey line that represents something called “life insurance phobia.”
pho•bi•a (f½“b¶-…) n. 1. A persistent, abnormal, or irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid the feared stimulus. 2. A strong fear, dislike, or aversion.
Yes, I am talking about the human tendency to avoid discussing things like life insurance and/or anything else having to do with our own mortality. When I have brought this very topic up at seminars and/or presentations in the past, it almost always draws dirty looks, negative body language, and other signs that show how people are literally repulsed by this subject.
First of all, why is it called it “Life” insurance? Isn't this sort of an antithesis of what it actually is? Wouldn't “Death Insurance” be a more fitting name for a plan that pays off when we die? Actually, if the terminology wasn't already used in the annuity/retirement savings industry, I think “Longevity Insurance” would be a more fitting name. And, literally speaking, how [exactly] does life insurance differ from Wrongful Death insurance or Accidental Death insurance? Why there isn't something called “Right-ful” Death insurance is beyond me. Is it really a matter of right versus wrong? How would “non-accidental” death insurance compare to regular or traditional life insurance?
The very next time you are involved in, or overhear a conversation regarding the big “D” word, listen for the ways people (including you) avoid discussing the issue. How many times have you heard something like: “I wonder what Mary and the kids would do if something happened to me?” “If something were to happen to me, the people at work would be lost.” “Honey, if something ever happened to me, would you remarry?” “If something happened to me, who would pay off the house and send the kids to school?”
If I was walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night and kicked the corner of the bed with my bare foot, wouldn't that qualify as something that happened to me? If I were weed-eating the grass in the back yard in short pants and clipped my bare ankle with the high-speed fishing line; that would definitely qualify as something that happened to me. Ladies, how about accidentally tearing off an acrylic fingernail? Wouldn't that be considered one of those things that happened to you? The truth is that very few people are comfortable discussing death. For most, it is an extremely sensitive subject that each one of us must eventually face at some point in our lives.
Life insurance agents generally don't have any problem whatsoever describing all the horrible things that could happen when your heart stops beating. By getting you to discuss the possibility that you may die sooner than later and how this may cause severe hardship for those you care about most is how they make a living.
A few years ago, I attended the funeral of a long-time friend of the family. He was a veteran, a leader in our local community, and someone I'll always think very highly of. Even though the final viewing was limited to friends and family, there must have been at least eighty or ninety people in attendance.
I had waited in line nearly 20 minutes before I got close enough to see him and pay my final respects. His coffin was beautiful, and as I got closer I could see he was dressed in his old U.S. Army Air Corps uniform. He looked so distinguished, so honorable, he was a man who had truly made a difference to the world during his life time I was absolutely bursting with pride as I stepped up to say goodbye for the last time.
As I stood over my friend, I noticed he was holding a bit of paper in his left hand; as a matter of fact, it was a business card. I couldn't read the card from the side I was on and was somewhat embarrassed to reach across to see who had left their card in the hand of a fallen hero. Unfortunately, my curiosity would never have allowed me to walk off and not know, so I reluctantly reached for the card.
Even today, it is difficult to describe the feeling that came over me when I saw that it was the card of a life insurance agent. And not just any life insurance agent; this guy wrote enough business to put him in the top 3% of all life insurance agents, nationwide! The most despicable part of the whole ordeal was that this guy wasn't even my friend's agent; he had accompanied someone else who had come by to pay their final respects. “Oh hell no,” I snapped as a grabbed the card and stuffed it into my pocket. “I'll deal with this later.”
After the funeral, I was over at my late friend's house visiting with his family when his wife and daughter walked up and asked me what had happened during the viewing. It seems they had heard about it from someone else and wanted to know what happened. As I handed them the card, they looked at each other and then to me. “Who is this guy?” the daughter asked. I chuckled when neither of them even knew who this unscrupulous agent was. They said that he had come by with someone else and thanked me for removing the card.
Several years later, I was directly involved in the investigation that led to the permanent revocation of this particular agent's license to sell insurance. That was one of the high points of my career.
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:02 am Post Subject:
OH MY GOSH! first of all giving a corpse your card is like closing the barn door AFTER the horse got out....and secondly I thought I'd heard it all...well now I guess I have! Did you (prior to the investigation) confront this pig? Did anyone confront him about this? No way I could've stopped myself from it...man, I'll be thinking about this a** all :o :shock: :roll: :x day now...I just cannot believe this! What about the guy that brought him ? Did he not know this moron did this? surely he was standing next to him at the coffin? oh man, i just can't get over this!
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 04:34 pm Post Subject:
Once I saw the card, the whole experience moved in slow motion. I had no idea what it was all about but had thie "inner feeling" that something just wasn't right. Yes, I confronted the guy soon afterwards and he laughed about it. I guess that's what really ticked me off the most. The guy who brought him did not know he'd left the card in the coffin and felt really bad about it. He was actually a friend of mine from a local Farmer's agency and was a great agent.
The bad guy's name is Rebel Freitas (I couldn't put the name in my book). He became a duck hunting expert after his license to sell insurance was revoked. You might find him on the web.
Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 04:10 pm Post Subject: insurance
I rather like "God forbid." Not to sound morbid, but it seems to 'fit better' than the other phases. What I AM 'at ease' with is........I have Life Insurance through the military. GOD FORBID something happens to me, my son is covered. Military has a great Life Policy.....$400,000.00. I pay $20.00 per month for it. I'm very concerned about our economy, however...................................the government is even deciding to 'cut' benefits for different type of insurance. That's very scary to me.
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 05:25 am Post Subject:
I always use "if you were no longer here with us." If someone mis-understands, I say,"and I don't mean gone to the grocery store, out to eat, down the street, out of town, to the movies, on vacation, etc" :lol:
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:16 am Post Subject: insurance
I've heard people tell OTHER people " the person is no longer with us." And the OTHER person din't know what that meant. 'You' would think that 'explanation' would be pretty clear.
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 02:33 pm Post Subject:
I actually had someone ask that. They called my office looking for the old agent (had left years ago). I said that person was no longer here.
Their reply was, "Oh I'm sorry, when did they pass away?"
"Umm...no...he left the agency. He doesn't work here any more."
Embarrassed, party of one.
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 06:43 pm Post Subject: insurance
Sounds like that was the 'opposite'....."no longer here." LOL That was TOO funny ( from where I sit, anyway.)
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:22 pm Post Subject:
Pretty humorous on my end too. I guess I would have seen it the other way as to :he doesn't work here but I can see how someone could get the other impression. In the insurance world it probaly isn't easy putting something like this into words.
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 05:47 am Post Subject:
Why not just say something like this:
We all hope you never need this but if you do, isn't it something that you want to have just in case?
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 04:45 am Post Subject:
When I saw this thread, I found it funny - in a, sort of, ironic way. Here is the first part to one of the chapters in my new book. This is for you, Lori.
If you've ever asked yourself: "Do I really need life insurance?” or “How much life insurance do I need?" I congratulate you. You are one step closer to crossing that thin grey line that represents something called “life insurance phobia.”
pho•bi•a (f½“b¶-…) n. 1. A persistent, abnormal, or irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid the feared stimulus. 2. A strong fear, dislike, or aversion.
Yes, I am talking about the human tendency to avoid discussing things like life insurance and/or anything else having to do with our own mortality. When I have brought this very topic up at seminars and/or presentations in the past, it almost always draws dirty looks, negative body language, and other signs that show how people are literally repulsed by this subject.
First of all, why is it called it “Life” insurance? Isn't this sort of an antithesis of what it actually is? Wouldn't “Death Insurance” be a more fitting name for a plan that pays off when we die? Actually, if the terminology wasn't already used in the annuity/retirement savings industry, I think “Longevity Insurance” would be a more fitting name. And, literally speaking, how [exactly] does life insurance differ from Wrongful Death insurance or Accidental Death insurance? Why there isn't something called “Right-ful” Death insurance is beyond me. Is it really a matter of right versus wrong? How would “non-accidental” death insurance compare to regular or traditional life insurance?
The very next time you are involved in, or overhear a conversation regarding the big “D” word, listen for the ways people (including you) avoid discussing the issue. How many times have you heard something like: “I wonder what Mary and the kids would do if something happened to me?” “If something were to happen to me, the people at work would be lost.” “Honey, if something ever happened to me, would you remarry?” “If something happened to me, who would pay off the house and send the kids to school?”
If I was walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night and kicked the corner of the bed with my bare foot, wouldn't that qualify as something that happened to me? If I were weed-eating the grass in the back yard in short pants and clipped my bare ankle with the high-speed fishing line; that would definitely qualify as something that happened to me. Ladies, how about accidentally tearing off an acrylic fingernail? Wouldn't that be considered one of those things that happened to you? The truth is that very few people are comfortable discussing death. For most, it is an extremely sensitive subject that each one of us must eventually face at some point in our lives.
Life insurance agents generally don't have any problem whatsoever describing all the horrible things that could happen when your heart stops beating. By getting you to discuss the possibility that you may die sooner than later and how this may cause severe hardship for those you care about most is how they make a living.
A few years ago, I attended the funeral of a long-time friend of the family. He was a veteran, a leader in our local community, and someone I'll always think very highly of. Even though the final viewing was limited to friends and family, there must have been at least eighty or ninety people in attendance.
I had waited in line nearly 20 minutes before I got close enough to see him and pay my final respects. His coffin was beautiful, and as I got closer I could see he was dressed in his old U.S. Army Air Corps uniform. He looked so distinguished, so honorable, he was a man who had truly made a difference to the world during his life time I was absolutely bursting with pride as I stepped up to say goodbye for the last time.
As I stood over my friend, I noticed he was holding a bit of paper in his left hand; as a matter of fact, it was a business card. I couldn't read the card from the side I was on and was somewhat embarrassed to reach across to see who had left their card in the hand of a fallen hero. Unfortunately, my curiosity would never have allowed me to walk off and not know, so I reluctantly reached for the card.
Even today, it is difficult to describe the feeling that came over me when I saw that it was the card of a life insurance agent. And not just any life insurance agent; this guy wrote enough business to put him in the top 3% of all life insurance agents, nationwide! The most despicable part of the whole ordeal was that this guy wasn't even my friend's agent; he had accompanied someone else who had come by to pay their final respects. “Oh hell no,” I snapped as a grabbed the card and stuffed it into my pocket. “I'll deal with this later.”
After the funeral, I was over at my late friend's house visiting with his family when his wife and daughter walked up and asked me what had happened during the viewing. It seems they had heard about it from someone else and wanted to know what happened. As I handed them the card, they looked at each other and then to me. “Who is this guy?” the daughter asked. I chuckled when neither of them even knew who this unscrupulous agent was. They said that he had come by with someone else and thanked me for removing the card.
Several years later, I was directly involved in the investigation that led to the permanent revocation of this particular agent's license to sell insurance. That was one of the high points of my career.
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 10:02 am Post Subject:
OH MY GOSH! first of all giving a corpse your card is like closing the barn door AFTER the horse got out....and secondly I thought I'd heard it all...well now I guess I have! Did you (prior to the investigation) confront this pig? Did anyone confront him about this? No way I could've stopped myself from it...man, I'll be thinking about this a** all :o :shock: :roll: :x day now...I just cannot believe this! What about the guy that brought him ? Did he not know this moron did this? surely he was standing next to him at the coffin? oh man, i just can't get over this!
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 04:34 pm Post Subject:
Once I saw the card, the whole experience moved in slow motion. I had no idea what it was all about but had thie "inner feeling" that something just wasn't right. Yes, I confronted the guy soon afterwards and he laughed about it. I guess that's what really ticked me off the most. The guy who brought him did not know he'd left the card in the coffin and felt really bad about it. He was actually a friend of mine from a local Farmer's agency and was a great agent.
The bad guy's name is Rebel Freitas (I couldn't put the name in my book). He became a duck hunting expert after his license to sell insurance was revoked. You might find him on the web.
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