Five questions I ask every client before recommending anything

Over time I have found that almost every good recommendation rests on the same five answers. If I skip one, the advice gets worse. If I have all five, the right option usually becomes obvious, often to the client before I even say it.

1. "How do you use healthcare today?"

A visit to the GP once a year looks very different from regular specialist appointments or ongoing medication. Past usage is the best predictor of next year's costs, and it shapes the choice of deductible and model more than anything else.

2. "What could you comfortably pay if something happened tomorrow?"

This is the question behind the deductible. A higher deductible is only a saving if you could actually cover it, plus your share of costs, without stress. If the honest answer is "not much", a lower deductible is often the calmer choice.

3. "What would you want if you ended up in hospital?"

Some people are happy with the general ward. Others place real value on choosing their doctor or having more privacy. There is no right answer, but there should be a conscious one.

4. "What is changing in the next year or two?"

• Planning a family?
• Changing jobs or becoming self-employed?
• Moving canton, or moving abroad for a while?
• Children reaching the age where their premiums change?

Insurance should fit the life you are about to live, not just the one you lived last year.

5. "What has frustrated you about insurance before?"

This one tells me what to avoid. Slow reimbursements, confusing letters, a claim that wasn't covered: past frustrations are a direct guide to what a client values most.

The goal isn't to sell more cover. It is to sell the right cover, and to make sure the client understands why it is right.

If you'd like to go through these five questions for your own situation, my contact details are below. It's a short conversation, and there is no obligation.