National brokerage Just Mortgages has announced it will be running a series of protection roadshows to support its self-employed advisers in the new year.
Taking place across the country, the in-person events are designed to give brokers the necessary tools, training and product knowledge to best support their clients. The events will connect brokers directly with some of the biggest protection providers in the market, with Aviva, L&G, Vitality, The Exeter and Guardian all confirming their involvement in the project.
The aim is to give the providers a platform to share the areas of the market their policies cover, while advisers can explore criteria, ask questions and understand how each provider is suitable to individual clients.
Alongside the providers, the learning and development team at Just Mortgages will also lead training sessions to help advisers build their skills. In particular, the team will focus on the importance of ‘soft skills’, enabling advisers to relate protection recommendations to the goals and desires of their clients.
The first event takes place in January in Dartford, with a further five events scheduled across the south east, south west, the midlands and the north later in the year. Each event will host as many as 40 self-employed advisers and will provide an opportunity to network with fellow advisers and providers, as well as discuss cases or challenges.
Rodney Sloan, head of learning and development at Just Mortgages, said: “Rather than sales documents and leaflets, the roadshows present a fantastic opportunity to get advisers away from the coalface and exploring protection. Having that face-to-face time with the providers is incredibly valuable as advisers look to meet client needs and give the correct advice based on product not price.
“This has become very important with the arrival of Consumer Duty, reminding advisers of their moral obligation to protect their clients, avoid foreseeable harm and deliver good outcomes. If we can achieve this, there is no reason why advisers won’t have clients for life. We thank the providers for joining us for these upcoming roadshows and we look forward to welcoming our advisers across the country.
John Phillips (pictured), CEO of Spicerhaart and Just Mortgages, added: “Protection should never be seen as a poor relation to mortgage advice, yet it can often be the case in a busy brokerage. Outreach events such as these form part of our wider strategy to ensure advisers have all the necessary skills, knowledge and training to make protection a priority.
“The work by our learning and development team is already paying dividends as we see case sizes increase across the entire business – especially in our self-employed division. This is a tangible example of advisers putting the training into action and doing a even better job for their clients. As we embark on these roadshows and advisers increase their skills and utilise this fantastic access to the major players in the market, we only expect this to grow further.”