What Do You Want?

In the business of insurance, things can get pretty personal. A person reaches out to me to acquire some insurance they feel very strongly that they need to have to protect themselves and/or those they love. I listen and evaluate the best way I know how to and attempt to steer my client in the direction that I feel will best suit their needs and concerns.  The real question throughout the process is sometimes not, "What kind of policy do they want"? Rather the question is plainly, "What do they REALLY want"?
In the daily relationships we all have with people, I have found that many people land into just a few categories and as long as we are aware of where they are coming from we can not only be of the best help but can truly fill a void in people's lives.
1 - People want help. Seems like a no-brainer, but it's the basic human need to reach out to others in our times of need and ask for help.  Some people are too proud to come right out and ask for it, but if you pay attention it will quickly and easily be revealed that the person speaking to you needs help.
2 - People want explanations they can understand. In a business like insurance, things can get complicated and words and phrases I understand as an insurance professional may sound perfectly normal are just nonsense to the average person. When someone asks about a policy wording or how some type of insurance works, they don't need to be bogged down with the impressive speech I have...they want an answer they can understand.  I strive to do that with every person I speak with. If you are an attorney, or a doctor, or whatever your profession...steer clear of your verbiage and change it up for the person you are speaking with so they are informed without being further confused.
3 - People want someone to care. There is the phrase out there that says, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."  It's so very true and something we all need to keep in mind as we try to understand what people want. Showing someone that you care can be as simple as acknowledging your feelings for their current situations to doing some physical gesture and/or assistance that directly could help help/enhance their moment. Most of these things boil down to the final thing...and probably most important thing that people want:

4 - People want someone to listen. All the things we have mentioned above can be combined into this final piece.  Listening is crucial to everyone. If we listen (not just hear) to someone, we make HUGE leaps and bounds into providing others what they truly want. True listening involves tuning out distractions, focusing on the person speaking, absorbing what they say. I never mentioned anything in this list about "solving" anything or just blurting out your feelings and opinions. Sometimes people just want to truly be listened to and that's it.
As we interact every single day, let's try to keep in mind that everyone has needs and wants and if we can step up to fulfill that moment then we have gone a long way toward being someone special to someone else at that moment.
My clients know I do my best to be there for them.  If you want someone to help you with what you need and want, and I can help in some way...I'm always an email (gene@generamsay.com) or a phone call (205-370-8453) away.