From social media disaster to finding more clients 

By Nguyễn Thị Minh Nguyệt 

What started out as a marketing disaster for five-year MDRT member Nguyen Thi Thu Dung, of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, became an opportunity to educate the public about insurance and find new clients.

It began when Nguyen posted a video supporting life insurance on her TikTok account. It received almost 800,000 views as well as a lot of negative comments about insurance. Many of the comments repeated outdated and incorrect perceptions about the industry. 

Will I get my premiums back? 

Undaunted, Nguyen selected the most frequent comments to answer. For the question, “Is it possible to get back the contribution and be compensated for the purchased insurance contract?” Her response was, “To know the truth, please visit our company to see people who receive compensation with your own eyes. Then, you will have the best answer for yourself.” 

Why doesn’t insurance cover COVID deaths? 

For the comment, “Why does insurance not cover death from COVID? Has anyone received the insured amount?” her answer included her analysis. “Most clients who receive money from insurance do not brag about it on social media because it’s money from the death of their beloved,” she replied. “And no insurance company allows public marketing about clients’ pain. That is why you don’t see people talking about it on social media, and why people think families aren’t often compensated.”

Insurance is cheating 

For the incorrect comment that “Insurance is cheating. It’s easy to buy but difficult to claim,” Nguyen strongly responded, writing, “The money you put in your insurance is not lost. Should everything go well, you will get it back in full plus interest. Should you get hit by a risk event, you will be compensated with an amount valued at multiple times what you paid. What matters is you contribute for a long time and that you don’t withdraw the money early.” 

Helping to educate 

Nguyen isn’t upset when she’s challenged with incorrect and unfriendly comments because she knows the posters have misunderstood the purpose of insurance. To her, this is an opportunity to educate by providing clear information about what a standard insurance contract looks like, how important honest declarations are, how to select a reliable advisor and how to validate information about an insurance company. Based on her straightforward and honest answers, several people’s opinions about insurance improved and they requested more information from Nguyen.

Furthermore, Nguyen plans to keep using social media to calm insurance aversion by slowly spreading information about the meaning and importance of insurance.

“After two decades of development, the perception of Vietnamese people about insurance greatly improved, but their prejudice and aversion are still there. However, the insurance market in Vietnam has seen positive changes from both the seller and buyer sides. When clients have sufficient understanding of their benefits and acquire the policies that fit their needs, then misunderstandings will be cleared away,” she explained. 

Nguyễn Thị Minh Nguyệt writes for Team Lewis, a communications agency assisting MDRT with content development for Asia-Pacific markets. Contact mdrteditorial@teamlewis.com.

A metaphor for clients who think they don’t need insurance

By Yung Sze Hon Solomon 

If a client or prospect doesn’t understand why they need additional medical insurance policies, I use the following metaphor. I have a bad habit of not bringing an umbrella when I go out, and sometimes it rains. When it rains, I pick up a newspaper to protect myself, but if the rain is heavy, my newspaper gets soaked, turns into pieces and I get wet. As it turns out, a newspaper can’t shield me from the rain as well as an umbrella can.

Many people like me believe a newspaper could shield them from the rain, just as if their savings could protect them when they’re ill and hospitalized. But in the end, they may have used up all their savings before they are cured, just as my newspaper was not enough to shield me from the heavy rain.

Don’t get soaked in the rain

Some people believe they can afford extensive medical bills. But if there’s an option, why not shift the massive medical bills to an insurance company? Today, I’m introducing an umbrella that can protect you from heavy rains, eliminating your worries about getting wet. Whenever something unfortunate happens, it is crucial to have options. With the umbrella, you get to choose the best doctors, medicine and medical care you can get. All medical expenses, such as surgery fees and more, are covered by this umbrella. This umbrella can cover even the medical expenses of fatal diseases, such as cancer and the fees for some severe chronic diseases, such as dialysis treatment for renal disease.

Let insurance protect your finances

What’s important is that I’m more than happy to hold the umbrella for you when it rains, provide the best service and the most suitable umbrella, or protection, for you. It will shield you from the rain and safeguard your savings from unexpected medical expenses. As the saying goes, “Everything can change in the blink of an eye.” I believe that everyone should own this umbrella and protect themselves.

Yung Sze Hon Solomon is an 11-year MDRT member from Hong Kong, China. This article was excerpted from his 2023 MDRT Global Conference presentation “An umbrella story.”

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