“She wanted the cheapest policy… until we talked about her dreams.”
Once upon a Tuesday (because all good stories happen on Tuesdays), I met a client who thought financial advice meant picking the cheapest life insurance policy online.
She had a thriving career, two energetic young children and a mortgage the size of a small castle – but no real plan if life threw her family off balance.
At first, she asked me simply to “find the cheapest option”. But when I asked why she wanted cover, she hesitated.
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Then came the real answer: She wanted her family to remain in their home, her children’s opportunities protected and something left behind that reflected her values – not just her name on a policy document.
Instead of running a quick comparison search, we had a bigger conversation. Together, we built a protection plan, not just a policy.
Life cover was written into Trust to ensure her family had swift, tax-efficient access to funds. Income protection provided stability if illness or injury stopped her working.
Critical-illness cover created an extra safety net, so her household wouldn’t face financial chaos during recovery.
Clients aren’t buying policies, they’re buying peace of mind
She walked away not with paperwork, but with confidence – her life goals protected, her family secure and her story preserved.
Clients aren’t buying policies, they’re buying peace of mind.
If we, as advisers, want to thrive in an age where comparison sites scream about price, we must double down on what they cannot do: build trust, listen deeply and design protection around real lives.
Too often, advisers are pressured into “selling products.” But the future of our profession is not in transactional cover, it’s in transformational planning. That’s how we move from policy sellers to legacy builders.
Here are three practical shifts every adviser can make:
Lead with curiosity, not commission
Instead of focusing on the cheapest option, begin with powerful questions: “What would you want life to look like for your family if you weren’t here tomorrow?” These open doors to deeper needs.
Turn jargon into clarity
Let’s be honest — no client gets excited about “sum assured” or “critical-illness rider.” Swap technical jargon for relatable explanations and everyday scenarios. Show how cover links directly to their lifestyle, mortgage and long-term security.
Make it a family affair
The best planning doesn’t just cover an individual — it involves spouses, partners and sometimes even adult children. After all, protection is most effective when it secures values as well as wealth across generations.
When we ask better questions and help clients think beyond policies, we become something comparison sites will never replace
This is the legacy mindset. This isn’t just good practice, it’s our professional responsibility.
Every adviser has the power to transform a family’s story. When we ask better questions and help clients think beyond policies, we become something comparison sites will never replace
Legacy isn’t only about passing on money. It’s about ensuring a home is kept safe, a household runs smoothly during illness and that grief isn’t compounded by financial stress.
Every adviser has the power to transform a family’s story. When we ask better questions, frame solutions around real lives and help clients think beyond policies, we become something comparison sites will never replace: trusted partners in protecting futures.
We don’t just sell cover, we safeguard futures. So, your quote is just the start. Your legacy is the destination
The advisers who will thrive in the next decade are not those who can “sell more policies”, but those who can help families safeguard their tomorrow and shape their legacy.
We don’t just sell cover, we safeguard futures. So, your quote is just the start. Your legacy is the destination.
Our clients don’t come to us for products. They come to us for certainty.
They want confidence that their tomorrow is secure, their families are supported and their story lives on.
It’s time to change the conversation from “here’s your quote” to “here’s your future, protected”.
That’s when we stop being policy sellers and start being legacy builders.
Dr Sheun Oke is the chief executive of Emergenzz Financial Services
