Opinion: Quick need not be dirty

There is a lot of focus on what represents good process going on out there now. Education is going to be much under the spotlight, as everyone worries about how they can demonstrate "reasonable skill, care, and diligence".

Wednesday, September 30th 2009, 5:13AM 1 Comment

by Russell Hutchinson

We can expect the sales process to get longer, or at least with more written evidence to support the process that exists.

In the midst of this I hope that length does not become a sort of de facto standard in itself. Perhaps you'll forgive me, but in the sales process, surely it's not how long it is, it's what you do with it that counts.

We can all think of situations when sales have been quick. It's a switch - and the consumer has already been through a lengthy and robust decision-making process, perhaps with yourself, and is finally fed up with one insurer and wishes to move to another.

Immigrants sometimes sit down with a plan and say "give me one of these" and the job is to review what's there and set it up.

Perhaps we have a smart client that has been clicking away their evenings doing the research online and is almost after an ‘execution-only' type of service.

Equally, we have seen clients that reject process: "I want $200,000 life cover and I will go somewhere else if you make me do any of that paperwork".

Standards are good, but sometimes the client wants McDonalds rather than a five-course meal and they should be allowed to choose it. I hope that they still can by the end of next year.

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Comments from our readers

On 30 September 2009 at 8:22 am Bazza said:

If a client wants $250K life cover with no advice then I think the messaure under the FAA should go something like this. Reasonable Skill, Care, and Dillegence would be, did the Broker offer the client the chance to review their needs to ensure $250K life is enough? Did the broker then gather enough facts to recommend the right Life product? Did the broker ensure suitable product, price, value that is fit for purpose? And did they advise the client on their duties of disclosure through underwriting? and is this evidenced in a record of limited advice? Is this an advice process or financial planning service? No, just best broker practice that happens right now. Will this take more than an hour to do? No. Lets hope the code committee see it like this.

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