This may be a request for higher limits of liability to be made available to the owner by the contractor. Tickle pressure may also take the form of a promise of greater profits in the marketplace. A product indirectly guaranteed by product liability insurance, for example, may have greater market appeal and generate higher sales than one that does not carry this insurance. Triggering involves motivating an insurance purchase as one means of covering a potential risk. A bank, for example, may permit its customers either to insure a risk or to place a deposit with the bank to cover the potential, unknown exposure.
Insurance is often the preferred option.
Hammering is requiring insurance as a virtual license to operate, often with strict penalties for noncompliance. This is the most effective means of marketing insurance. In asbestos abatement projects, contractors are typically required to carry asbestos liability insurance to protect project owners from liabilities that could stem from the contractors' work. Since contractors without insurance are unlikely to secure work, they have a strong incentive to purchase insurance. If government takes hammering too far, however, it places the insurer in the role of government enforcer.