100: TIBP 100th Episode - The Human Element of Insurance with Steve White, Peter Blanc and Sam White

People in Insurance: Changing the Conversation

Is an over reliance on analytical and logical thinking stifling innovation in insurance? How can we help clients become more emotionally invested in the insurance they purchase, and why should we?

Welcome to the 100th episode of the Insurance Broker Podcast, and the first to be recorded live! This week, we are celebrating this milestone by tackling some big questions with three titans of the industry – Sam White, Peter Blanc, and Steve White! In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, they discuss the dichotomy of ‘left brain’ (analytical, logical) and ‘right brain’ (creative, emotional) thinking. Bemoaning the industry’s general reliance on the former, they highlight the need for emotionally driven engagement with customer needs for insurers and brokers alike to truly innovate. Touching on all the major problems facing the industry today, including new regulatory pressures, the cost-of-living crisis, and recruitment difficulties, each of the guests emphasise how tapping into emotionally driven thinking can provide an alternative perspective from which to understand and tackle these issues.

Quote of the Episode

“Fundamentally, people don't care about insurance. And that's our fault. If we can't get people emotionally invested in what we're doing, then they do just think, [‘I’ll buy] whatever is cheaper’… Somebody will buy a life insurance policy online, just as a kind of, ‘I’d better grab that’. We need to learn how to evolve the product so that we can really get people to understand what they're buying in a digital world, as well as face to face.”

For many people not well-versed in industry jargon and technicalities, an insurance policy is often considered an grudge purchase. Despite the fact that policies are taken to protect their lives and livelihoods if disaster were to strike, there is often an emotional disconnect between the purchasing of a life insurance policy, for example, and an in-depth consideration of the reasons why one needs it. This is becoming increasingly challenging due to the digitisation of the insurance market, by which face-to-face discussions between clients and insurers are becoming eclipsed by the ease of doing it all online. Sam White argues that the insurance industry as a whole needs to improve its external communication in this regard, in order to crystallise in a prospective client’s mind, the potential consequences of taking out a lacking insurance policy, be it for their business, their car, or their life.

Key Takeaways

Increasing the educative role of insurers and brokers could be instrumental to curbing the public’s general disinterest in their insurance policies, and indeed, to reorienting the industry’s reputation in their minds. Communicating with customers on an emotional, rather than purely statistical level could be hugely beneficial to broadening the general understanding of what insurance is and why people need it, which people are often falsely assumed to automatically understand upon becoming adults despite being minimally, if at all, addressed during school education.

Additionally, a greater emphasis on the emotional, human element of insurance could help with the industry’s floundering recruitment efforts. Sam White suggests that emphasising the practicalities of insurance will quickly lose the interest of potential candidates. Alternatively, highlighting the ideology of insurance may be a great way to capture and retain their interest.

Peter Blanc asserts that there should be a moral overlay upon everything we do in insurance, which should assist in the navigation of when to deploy ‘left brain’ or ‘right brain’ thinking. As a result of the cost-of-living crisis, many people are looking to cut expenses wherever they can. In attending to this crisis, there needs to be a balance in both logical and emotional thought. There needs to be a balance in attending to this crisis. A customer’s primary concern may be cost, and using right brain/emotional thinking we may be driven to provide them with a cheaper policy. However, we must also use logical thinking – what will ultimately save the client money long term? If they need to make a claim, will this cheaper policy actually provide the help they need? Peter suggests that ‘we should fundamentally be providing products that enable people to go about their lives without undue risks’.

Best Moments/Key Quotes

“People work for organisations that they want to work for, and that they enjoy being part of. Our job as leaders, I think, has changed enormously over the last few years. It's all about creating an environment where people want to work for us. Employers had the power 10 years ago. I'd say employees have the power now. And that's a much nicer place to be.”

“It's a problem that we haven't quite managed to deal with yet, actually how to communicate to customers in a way that they want to be communicated with. We still just inundate customers with utter nonsense: the renewal invites, the PDF documents with 80 pages that no one is ever going to read. And that's our standard mode of communication with customers, which I think is appalling and needs to change.”

“The big change will be that I think the regulator will expect us to deliver products that are going to work… We have to be talking to our customers truly understand what they need, and then make sure we're doing our job, so that when something does go wrong, they are looked after.”

Resources

The BIBA Pod: https://thebibaconference.org.uk/feed/podcast/

BIBA - BIBA Homepage - British Insurance Brokers' Association

Howden Group - Howden Broking Group - Global Website (howdengroup.com)

Stella Insurance AU - Stella Insurance - Insurance Provider for women in Australia

Stella Insurance UK - Home - Stella Insurance (withstella.co.uk)

Human Business with Sam White: https://www.spreaker.com/show/human-business

About the Guest

Sam White is the Founder and CEO of Stella Insurance, which launched in Australia in 2020 and launched in the UK in November 2022. A pioneer in the insurance industry, Sam is also host of the Human Business Podcast.

Sam’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-white-093b9b22/

Steve White is the CEO of the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA), with an extensive career in the insurance industry. He previously worked for Norwich Union, followed by a 21-year stint at Orion Insurance Company, a few years with the General Insurance Standards Council, and subsequently, the Financial Services Authority.

Steve’s LinkedIn Profile: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/steve-white-437107a

Peter Blanc is the Exec Chair for Howden UK and Ireland, and the CEO of Aston Lark. He founded Aston Lark by merging Aston Scott Group with Lark Group in 2017. The business has completed 56 acquisitions since then, and Peter subsequently sold the business to Howden. Aston Lark now leads the M&A drive for Howden.

Peter’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-blanc-0402961a/

About the Host

Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on communication in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance professionals to build effective communication both internally and externally through podcasting, event reporting, videography, and internal communications facilitation.

Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/

Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/podcastevaluation