Don't ask, don't sell

By Brian Anderson

Commentary September 29, 2010 at 08:00 PM

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"Denial" is more than just a river in Egypt. It also appears to be a state in America.

Yes, millions of Americans are living in a state of denial, as they acknowledge that life insurance is an important topic yet continually refrain from ever broaching the topic with loved ones.

So says a recent poll from State Farm Life, where 74% of the 1,001 American adults surveyed said they "rarely or never" discuss life insurance with their spouse. Primary reasons provided for sticking their heads in the sand included economic pressure and a reluctance to bring up the topic of an untimely death.

This despite the fact that 62% of respondents said life insurance is more important to them now than it was prior to the economic downturn.

I'm impressed that more than half of American adults theoretically have a heightened awareness of the need for life insurance in the past two years, but appalled that three-quarters of us refuse to discuss it – effectively preventing any corrective action from being taken. That just reinforces the figures behind LIMRA's recent study claiming that life insurance coverage among Americans is at a 50-year low.

Of course it's going to fall to a historic low if only a quarter of Americans adults will even talk about it.

Do you have any "best practices" tips or methods you use to encourage and instruct prospects about how to start the conversation with their spouses? I (and I'm sure our readers) would love to learn about them via the comment box below.

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