Many families feel they won’t ever need or want cover

It’s time to start the conversationA quick guide to writing effective letters and emails to your clients about critical illness, income protection and life insurance.

Source: Aviva Protecting Our Families report, March 2017. (Based on families with dependent children).

For financial adviser use only. Not approved for use with customers.

Retirement Investments Insurance Health

We all know the way we live today is different to how our parents lived. Statistics show that more people are renting and fewer are getting married.

But what you might not realise is that because many families are missing these key milestones, they’re not being prompted to consider their protection needs – meaning they could be lacking essential cover.

Whether you’re talking to your existing clients or approaching new ones, we’ve put together this quick guide to help you write effective letters and emails about the importance of protection.

Sources: Increased renting: House of Commons report on Home Ownership and Renting, 2017Fewer marriages: ONS report on Marriages in England & Wales: 2014, 2017

Did you know?This many parents don’t think they’ll ever need or want cover:

Income protection Critical illness Life insurance

40% 30%36%

The way we live has changed

Let’s change the way we approach protection

Source: Aviva Protecting Our Families report, March 2017. (Based on families with dependent children.)

How can you identify young families? • It’s best not to assume that your unmarried clients are single. They might be among the growing number of cohabiting

couples who have children or are considering starting a family soon – meaning they’re at the right life stage to consider products like life insurance.

• Our research shows home-owning couples are significantly more likely to take out or update a life insurance policy after they get married (57% of mortgaged homeowners vs 25% in private rental). So why not contact your renting clients with a specially tailored message? They may not have considered their long-term financial situation and be less aware of the risks they face.

• Remember to make a note of the things your clients tell you when you’re chatting and follow up on them. For example, if they mention that they have a young child, they may be planning a second within the next few years – making their need for critical illness, life or income protection insurance all the more urgent.

Source: Aviva Family Finance Report, Winter 2016/17

The personal touchAddressing your clients and prospects by name makes your letters and emails much more effective. Otherwise, they might assume it’s spam and stop reading.

Who needs your support the most?It’s important to tailor your communications to the right people – so they can relate to what you’re saying and see how protection is relevant to them.

If you’ve got a database of clients and prospects, why not try dividing them up by age, marital status or home ownership? It could help you spot the families who might be missing cover.

Discussing the topics nobody likes to talk aboutOur research shows many families aren’t protected. But often they don’t seek out cover because they don’t want to think about the bad things that could happen.

Think about how you can highlight the importance of insurance without scaring your clients. Here are a few ideas that could help you discuss protection products in your communications.

Ask the questionRather than telling your clients about the risks of not being covered, why not ask them some questions? Here are some handy starter questions to get them thinking about their own circumstances:

• What would be the first thing your family had to cut back on if your main income stopped?

• How would you pay your rent or mortgage if the main earner in your family was too ill to work?

• How often do you find yourself worrying about what would happen to your family if something happened to you or your partner?

Overcoming objectionsYour clients may have already decided cover isn’t for them. But they might not have thought through the reality of an unexpected illness or injury. You could try tackling some of these common objections in your letter or email:

• “Policies never pay out” – why not tell your clients how many successful payouts you’ve handled recently, or ask a happy client to write a testimonial you can use?

• “My family could support us” – although this may be true for a short-term loss of income, in the event of a death or critical illness, it’s unlikely a family with their own money worries could support another family over the long term.

• “We’d survive on one salary” – even if one wage is enough to cover the bills, what about all the unpaid things the other parent does? If they can’t drive or look after the kids, the cost of childcare and taxis could soon add up.

Read it aloudWhen you’re writing about delicate subjects, try reading your letter or email back to yourself before you send it. It’s a great way to check you’re striking the right tone.

Say it with statisticsUsing relevant facts and figures could show your clients that the risks of illness, death and injury are actually quite common. It might help them see that these scenarios occur more often than they think, but also reassure them they’re not alone if something does happen.

It’s best to only use statistics which are up to date and from a reputable source. And mention where the statistic came from.

Here are some relevant examples you could use from our March 2017 ‘Protecting our Families’ report:

• 1 in 5 parents who’ve lost their main income for health reasons have been forced to downsize, move in with family or rent – some even became homeless.

• 27% of families have experienced a loss of income due to ill health, serious illness or the death of a long-term partner.

• Even if they only spent the bare minimum needed to get by, 1 in 3 families couldn’t survive a month unsupported without their main income.

Source: Aviva Protecting Our Families report, March 2017. (Based on families with dependent children.)

Effective letters and emails are short and concise, using simple language and avoiding financial jargon.

It might be a good idea to break yours up into three clear sections, divided by subheadings for easy reading:

1) An introduction explaining why you’re contacting the client

2) An explanation of your main message3) The next steps – what you’d like your client to do and

why, including how they can contact you.

Here’s an example of a letter to a client with a family, using some of the techniques mentioned in this guide.

Structuring what you want to say

Handy tools to show your clientsAt www.aviva-for-advisers.co.uk you’ll find a range of tools to use with your clients, including infographics and a quick online video. You could attach them to your emails or use them to start the conversation in client meetings.

Addressing your clients by name

Dear Mr Smith,

At ABC Advisers we’ve seen an increase in the number of families who don’t have a plan for if they couldn’t work, or if they or their partner died.

Nobody likes to think about the worst happening, but we want to make sure you’d get the support you need if it did.

How would your family cope if you lost your main income?

1 in 5 parents who’ve found themselves in this situation have been forced to downsize, move in with family or rent – some even became homeless.

That’s why it’s important to think about what you’d do if something happened to you or your partner. For example, your wider family may be able to support you for a few weeks, but what would happen if you developed a long-term condition?

We’re here to chat through your options

Simply give us a call on 123 456 789 to make an appointment to find out more. We’ll ask a few questions about your circumstances and it may be that a simple, affordable product like life, critical illness or income protection insurance is enough to give your family peace of mind.

Introducing yourself and the reason you’re getting in touch

Posing questions

Using statistics to make your point (don’t forget to say where the statistic came from at the bottom of the letter)

Overcoming objections

Using subheads to break up the text

Clear next steps for your client

Retirement Investments Insurance Health

Aviva Life Services UK Limited. Registered in England No 2403746. Aviva, Wellington Row, York Y090 1WR.Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm Reference number 145452.

AL99121 10/2017

For more information on protection for families, visit www.aviva-for-advisers.co.uk or speak to your usual Aviva contact.