A study by LIMRA International, released in November of 2011, shows that two factors are powerful in influencing consumers' decisions to buy life insurance.

1. Delivering a needs analysis to document an appropriate amount of coverage.
2. A professional's recommendation of a specific amount of coverage to buy.

LIMRA says these factors are much more influential in motivating sales than focusing on different types of life insurance or carriers. For example, only 41 percent of consumers said they received a current needs analysis while shopping for insurance. But 73 percent of them bought coverage and their average face amount was $423,000. Among consumer who did not receive a needs analysis, only 49 percent bought and the average face was $215,000.

For only about half of life insurance shoppers do professionals recommend a specific amount of coverage. According to LIMRA 70 percent of those shoppers buy, with an average face of $427,000. This compares to a 57 percent buy rate and $260,000 average face when no specific coverage recommendation is made. You can read LIMRA's summary of study results here: www.limra.com/newscenter/NewsArchive/ArchiveDetails.aspx?prid=213