Marketing lessons from the Protection Review Conference 2018 – MAF179

Over 250 people from over 100 firms attended last week’s Protection Review Conference in London.

Although the conference is for the financial services industry and focuses on protection insurance, there were clear marketing lessons which I think are applicable for all industries.

And in this week’s show I’m going to share them with you.

Welcome to episode 179 of the Marketing and Finance Podcast

Marketing lessons from the Protection Review Conference 2018 – MAF179

What you’ll hear about in this episode

  • How putting together consistent content can set you up as an expert in your field
  • Aiming to educating, entertaining and inspire your customers with your marketing
  • Using video to show your human side, display empathy and create trust
  • Keeping language simple and avoiding jargon, waffle and gobbledegook

Links

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Mollie Burdge on young people in financial services and her goal to be an adviser – MAF174

My guest on the show this week is Mollie Burdge. People say financial services isn’t a career young people aspire to. Mollie doesn’t agree.

We talk about how she became an apprentice at financial adviser firm Future Proof and about her experiences along the way to achieving her goal of becoming a financial adviser.

Welcome to episode 174 of the Marketing and Finance Podcast.

Mollie Burdge on young people in financial services and her goal to be an adviser - MAF174

What you’ll hear about in this episode

  • Why Mollie joined a financial services company
  • How the apprenticeship programme works
  • Why Mollie decided to become a financial adviser
  • The qualifications Mollie studied for
  • The customer case she’s most proud of working on
  • Mollie’s advice for young people considering financial services jobs

Who is Mollie Burdge?

After completing her A-levels at Reigate College, Mollie didn’t think university was for her. Instead, she went straight into Future Proof as an apprentice in customer services.

Future Proof provide advice about protection products to customers across the UK. They also operate a referral service for advisers who don’t specialise in protection. Although small, the company is growing steadily, and have won many of industry awards.

They distinguish themselves by giving customers clear advice, rather than selling them the wrong product. They want customers to be confident that they’ve chosen the best policy for them.

Summary of our chat

Mollie chose to complete an apprenticeship in customer services and was able to secure an apprenticeship at Future Proof. 18 months in the role taught her how to build customer rapport and the importance of teamwork and professionalism. While learning about the industry, she’s also grown her skills, confidence and experience.

Mollie explains that an apprenticeship is the same as a normal job, where you learn as you go. Her first task was supporting customers with policy and payment queries whilst studying as well. She had to complete 12 months of coursework, providing examples from her daily work, to gain a Level Three qualification.

Working in customer services gave Mollie a good understanding of the company’s products, although not how they applied to customers. She felt that becoming a financial adviser would offer more challenges, variety and the opportunity to progress. She particularly enjoys carrying out research to support customers with challenging medical histories to find them the best policy.

Mollie has studied for an NVQ Level 3 in customer services. For her financial adviser role, she completed the RO1 (Regulations and Ethics within the UK and European financial services market). She followed this with RO5, which focuses exclusively on protection. She will complete further training on an ongoing basis to develop her knowledge.

Mollie’s most memorable case was a lady who was struggling to find cover after cancer treatment. She found a company willing to insure the customer, but they changed their minds at the last minute. Mollie’s employer, Future Proof, helped her to challenge the unfair decision and have it overturned.

Mollie’s advice for young people considering financial services: Do your research and find a reputable firm. There’s no point in learning from a company that doesn’t do things properly and picking up bad habits. Be tenacious and open to any job which offers progression. Learn as much as you can and gain experience.

Mollie is a passionate advocate for young people in financial services.

Where Mollie will be in 5 years

She wants to gain more experience and grow in confidence. Future Proof is growing, so she hopes to be offered more opportunities. She’d also like to be recognised by her peers and clients as a trusted expert in her field. One of the most important things for the industry is to get the word out about protection insurance, so she wants to promote that.

The big take away from our chat

Never say no to the opportunity to learn and gain more experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s just attending a conference or completing extra training – it will be helpful in the long term.

A marketing campaign or product that grabbed Mollie’s attention

The company UnderwriteMe offers a brilliant platform, and they’re also working to bring companies together, which is great. It makes Mollie’s work quicker, and helps her to set clients’ expectations. It reduces the need to pre-sell underwriting as more insurance come on board.

Links and contact details

If you enjoyed – Mollie Burdge on young people in financial services and her goal to be an adviser – please leave a comment or a review on iTunes.

And if you know anyone who would enjoy the show – please share it with them. You can use the buttons below to share on social media.

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Andrew Wibberley on going back to big corporate and lessons from self-employment – MAF171

My guest on the show this week is Andrew Wibberley, back on the Marketing and Finance Podcast for the second time.

Like me, Andrew decided to leave big corporate and set up his own business. After several successful years he’s decided to accept a role which takes him back into a corporate environment. We reflect upon the lessons Andrew learned from launching his own business, and how he can take those lessons into his new job.

Welcome to episode 171 of the Marketing and Finance Podcast.

Andrew Wibberley on going back to big corporate and lessons from self-employment - MAF171

What you’ll hear about in this episode

  • Why Andrew set up his own business
  • The ups and downs of self-employment
  • The importance of learning from mistakes
  • The marketing challenges Andrew faced
  • How being self-employed allows you to stretch yourself
  • Taking self-employment lessons back into big corporate

Who is Andrew Wibberley?

Andrew’s background is in life assurance underwriting, starting when he was 21. He’s worked for several reinsurers. He set up his own company three years ago. He’s is about to go back into “big corporate’”

Andrew says we found self-employment challenging because of the blurring between his personal and his professional lives. He enjoyed being able to spend more time with his children. He’s keen to make protection insurance easy and simple, and to make underwriting fairer and more accessible for people who have interesting lives.

Summary of our chat

Andrew was Head of Underwriting at his former job, with a big team to manage. But he found it hard to get things done quickly in a large company. He also wasn’t keen to change roles, which employees in his company had to do every few years. So took a leap into the unknown to try something new and started his own business.

When he became self-employed, Andrew found he enjoyed some aspects and others he didn’t. He found some were unexpected. He enjoyed the sense of freedom and liberation. But it was three months before he got his first client. Then the work started to snowball.

Andrew says he followed advice from colleagues who’d also made the leap. They recommended always teeing up a new piece of work  before finishing the current one. The reality of self-employment is that, while people offer suggestions, you have to make the mistakes yourself. The key is not to make them more than once. And you need to move on quickly.

It was a struggle for Andrew to see the difference between marketing and sales, and to realise it’s not straightforward to identify what brings in clients. Blogging, marketing and social media takes time. When life gets busy, it’s easy for these to fall by the wayside.

Being self-employed, Andrew found he could speak frankly to his clients about projects. He realised that people came to him not only for his expertise, but for his flexibility and the different skills he had to solve their problems. He says it’s been a lot of fun.

A new employer has offered Andrew a role which was an opportunity too good to turn down. He realised he wanted to make many changes that were too hard to bring about from the outside. But as an employee he could find ways of improving the insurance industry.

A marketing campaign or product that grabbed Andrew’s attention

Andrew is a fan of the videos produced by Cura Financial Services (The Special Risks Bureau). They feature Marketing Director, Kathryn, on her sofa with a coffee. She talks about how her business helps people who struggle to find insurance. Andrew feels that the more the industry does to share real-life stories, the better.

Andrew’s book recommendation

Andrew said he’s thinking about how he can use his train time, so he’s reading mindfulness books to help make his commute as calming as possible. He’s been reading Ruby Wax’s ‘A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled’, which he’s really enjoyed.

Links and contact details

If you enjoyed – Andrew Wibberley on going back to big corporate and lessons from self-employment – please leave a comment or a review on iTunes.

And if you know anyone who would enjoy the show – please share it with them. You can use the buttons below to share on social media.

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