Is a passion for protection fundamental to success?
If there’s one trait that successful protection advisers have in common, it’s enthusiasm. Having a genuine passion for protection helps the best in the business stay motivated and stand out from the field, according to our 2023 research.
“To be a good protection adviser you have to believe in it,” explains one of the advisers in our survey. “People buy what you’re saying. So if you don’t believe in it, you shouldn’t be selling it.”
So what is it that protection advisers are so passionate about?
A problem of perception
First, it’s worth understanding the status quo.
Protection is perceived by some to lack the status of other financial products; the stature of investment business or the buzz of mortgage selling, for example. Our research shows that advisers want to offer their clients something exciting and they tend to shy away from products that are hard to explain.
It’s also true that protection is a supporting product rather than a ‘focus’ product, so it has a reputation as an add-on. Because of this, inexperienced advisers may feel they’re performing the role of a salesperson rather than the expert they strive to be, which can affect confidence.
Above all, advisers want to offer products that help their clients reach a tangible goal. Protection lacks the instant gratification and ‘facilitation appeal’ of products like mortgages and investments, and instead forces conversations about death and illness. Clients – and even advisers – don’t always feel comfortable talking about the uncomfortable, which breeds wariness on both sides.
For many advisers, it’s easier not to try to sell protection at all.
Switching perspectives
Successful advisers, by contrast, have a fiercely positive attitude towards protection that reassures their clients they’re not simply promoting a ‘nice to have.’ These advisers:
- Understand that protection is a vital part of sensible financial planning, and that a client’s goals are less secure without it.
- Know the products and can explain how proceeding without them could pose an existential risk to businesses and ambitions.
- Believe in a holistic approach to financial planning that looks beyond the present need, conveying a concern for their clients in the long-term.
Hearts as well as heads
Rational arguments like this give successful protection advisers the confidence to tackle any negatives head on. Yet above all, they have a passion for protection that comes from the heart.
Top advisers have an enthusiasm for protection that’s informed by a lifetime of experience, both privately and as brokers. They may have seen for themselves how life can change without warning and the difference protection can make to how events play out. They’re genuine advocates and protection makes their job worthwhile.
More secrets of success
Enthusiasm is contagious. And passionate advisers who can draw on their experience have the power to motivate others. They genuinely believe in the value of protection and the potential benefits for customers, and their clients are reassured enough to buy into the need.
It’s a passion that’s fundamental to their success. They never want to receive a call that says a client has lost their home or business because they didn’t take the opportunity to talk about it when they had the chance. They go out of their way to make sure that scenario never plays out.
At Legal & General, we’re passionate about protection, too. If you’re less confident about protection, we have tools, sales aids and insights to support you over on our Research homepage.