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Home » Consumer Information » Personal Injury » Injury Insurance Claims

Insurance Negotiating Techniques

Once the insurance company has had time to review your demand letter, you must be prepared to negotiate. If your letter does not have any shortcomings, is easy to understand, and contains all the appropriate supporting paperwork, negotiations should consist of a few simple phone calls with an insurance representative.

Negotiation process

During the initial call with a claims adjuster, they will identify the confusing or vague aspects of your claim. Hopefully, there will not be too many points that need to be cleared up. Once you have clarified these, the adjuster will attempt to lure you with a settlement that is probably much lower than your request. Always counter this figure with a higher one until the insurance company is willing to compromise somewhere in between their low end and your high end of the spectrum.

Settlement amount

You probably are shooting for as high a figure as possible, so prior to discussing your demand with the insurance adjuster, choose a more realistic amount that you would still be happy to receive. This number is not set in stone; if the adjuster mentions parts of your claim that do not elaborate enough, you may have to lower your expectations. However, if the adjuster begins with an amount in the ballpark of your minimum, that gives you a chance to raise that number to something greater than you anticipated.

First offer

When the insurance representative reveals that first settlement proposal, it may be so low that it is essentially a test to see how experienced a negotiator you are. If the offer is more rational, try upping the ante by going with a figure that is slightly lower than your demand letter request. By not shooting too high, the claims adjuster will notice that you are willing to find a middle ground. It should not be too long where you arrive at an agreeable compensation amount.

Low offers

If the adjuster proposes a sum that is ridiculously low, ask them to provide explicit details as to why they arrived at such a small number, and jot down the focal points of their explanation. Then, compose a follow-up letter addressing each of the elements the adjuster mentioned. You may have to lower your demand, but wait until after they've received your response because they may be more understanding. As a result, you may not have to reduce it too much.

Emotional emphasis

It doesn't make sense to review every single detail in these secondary and tertiary stages of negotiations. Instead, concentrate on your strong points (e.g., defendant is fully at fault, injury causes excruciating pain, medical expenses are very costly, long-term/permanent disability, etc.). Furthermore, if you have attached any photos to previous documents illustrating the pile of rubble that is left of your car or the gruesome reality of your injuries, do not hesitate to refer to these. If you have been unable to support your family due to a debilitating injury, feel free to mention this as well. You cannot place a dollar amount on any of these emotional elements, but anyone with a conscience should be sympathetic to this kind of suffering.

Written settlements

Once you and the insurance company have reached a final value for your compensation, write a letter of confirmation to the adjuster who handled your claim. The letter should contain the amount of the settlement, what the money covers, and the date when you plan on all settlement documents arriving in the mail.

If you feel nervous or are unsure whether you have the right idea in terms of approaching a claims adjuster, get in touch with an accident attorney today. He or she will teach you how to negotiate in a manner to get the highest possible settlement package.