Turn Calls/Inquiries into Signed Retainer
Agreements and Cash in the Bank… Remotely
Interviewer: It brings to mind another question. How should you perceive the insurance adjuster? Are they on your side? Are they against you? How should you deal with them, potentially?
JW: Well, you know what, the insurance adjuster is someone who is working for a big company. They’re working for a big insurance company. They have a job to do. The job is to be loyal to their employer, not loyal to you. So, you have to understand the relationship, right from the get-go. The insurance adjuster isn’t looking to help you put your claim together. They’re not looking to help you get compensated. That’s just the way it goes. So, you need to understand the basics, right from the start.
Interviewer: So, what things do potential clients unintentionally do that hurt their ability to make a successful case?
JW: They will say things at the scene of an accident that they really don’t mean, just to be polite. It’s, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you,” or things that maybe, have nothing to do with the way the accident happened but come back to be used against them later on. So, that’s a big one, is just to sit back and don’t say all that much at the scene of an accident.
The other one is, they phone the insurance company to report their claim and they forget to tell the person that they’re hurt on the phone and so, later on they get their feet put to the fire because the insurance company says, “Well, if you were hurt, you would’ve said something right away.” Then, when the people go in to give a statement to an insurance adjuster, they don’t really get their story in as tight or as accurate a manner as they should. They leave out key details because, you know what, this is their first time down this road, and they don’t know what’s important, what’s not important and all this stuff gets put under a microscope later on and if it’s not tight, it can come back to haunt them.
Interviewer: Yes. I can see, if I was in an accident and someone said, “Are you OK?” I would say, “I’m OK. I’m OK,” but maybe I’m hurting. Just at that moment, like you said, maybe I’m being polite and I’m trying to say I’m fine, but I shouldn’t say even that. I should say nothing or I’m hurt.
JW: You know what, keep it to a minimum. Most people, right off the bat, they try and shake it off. It’s like playing football, right?
Interviewer: Right. Exactly.
JW: “Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine.” “Well, your arm’s hanging by a thread.” So, it’s the same type of mindset, and the best thing is just to keep the chit chat to a minimum because, like I say, this stuff all gets put under the microscope later on.