Get back to basics: at a time when sales of life insurance products should be soaring, the industry needs to take a good look at what consumers really want.

With the nation's 70 million baby boomers poised to enter their retirement years, it's logical to assume that sales of life insurance products should be soaring. With trillions of dollars packed away in 401(k) plans and other vehicles, the boomers' need for income and estate planning is enormous, and life products offer some of the best solutions available today.

If this is accurate, why are life insurance sales continuing on the same flat course they've been on for too many years? In spite of population growth and a heightened public awareness of the need to take responsibility for our financial well being, why is the record so disappointing?

Is the poor performance because others in the financial services industry are better salespeople than we are? Our standards of professionalism have never been higher and our training has never been more thorough.

Are our products the problem? Twenty-five years ago, our product line was woefully limited. That's changed. Our shelves overflow with creative, attractive and, most importantly, highly focused products that are designed to meet specific customer needs.

If all this is accurate, why aren't we attracting more customers? Here are a few thoughts to consider. They may seem rather basic, but nevertheless, we need to take them seriously.

* Denigrating the life insurance brand. Coming at the consumer from every angle is the message that life insurance is "cheap" and if it isn't, don't buy it. From radio commercials to direct mail to print and Internet ads, it's all about rock-bottom prices.

But some consumers discover they don't qualify for the low price, while others who buy low-priced term policies discover at the end of the term that their options for taking the next step are either extremely limited or costly. Is it any wonder that such tactics leave a bad taste in the customer's mouth?

Studies show that U.S. automakers that offered "employee discount pricing" racked up noteworthy sales--but at a high price. Are we making the same mistake when we insist on giving the customer the lowest possible price? We talk endlessly about "solutions" but when it comes right down to it, we far too often focus on the price.

* Setting ourselves up for failure. How long will it take us to learn that disappointing a customer is not the way to make a sale? Even though it seems obvious, we do it every day.

To get consumers to sign insurance applications, too many advisers quote unrealistically low rates based on the medical information provided by the clients. Perhaps up to 40% of those who apply for coverage may not qualify for a company's best rate. When an application is processed and all the relevant medical information has been reviewed, it comes back at a higher cost than the original quote. Now, the agent must go back to the customer with the bad news. How does the customer feel? Betrayed, disappointed, unhappy and angry, of course.

That's not smart selling and it's not professional. It's wrong because it doesn't serve the best interests of the customer, the adviser or the industry. The customer doesn't get the protection, the adviser loses a sale as well as the customer's trust, and the industry gets a bad reputation.

* Focusing on situational selling. Whenever a life insurance agent complains about never having enough leads, his or her practice is seriously flawed.

What percentage of advisers stay in close touch with their policyholders over the years? Or, to put it another way, how many customers hear from their agent after buying a policy? We can argue over the percentages, but I'm sure we'll agree that it's not in the double digits.

This brings up the most basic of all questions: What's the adviser's most important job? It's not selling insurance. The No. 1 task is building a customer base of those who know, trust and rely on the adviser throughout their lives.

Every consumer wants security and every adviser wants life-long clients. The genius of life insurance is that it transfers risk perfectly so clients have security. If the adviser sees the task as making the current sale, the customer is left with partial or limited security at best.

The current drive for "policy reviews" wouldn't be necessary if life agents saw their primary job as building a practice--taking care of the financial needs of clients throughout their lives.

All this adds up to one significant point: It's adhering to the basics that will increase life insurance sales.

Ronald D. Verzone, a Best's Review columnist, is president of United Underwriters Inc. of Exeter, N.H. He may be reached at [e-mail].