Why the adviser is now the product

Although it does not seem that long ago, back in the day, advisers were practically thrown onto regular soft skills training courses, mainly provided by the life company they worked for, in a bid for increased productivity. Whether it was sales skills, tips on how to get more referrals, or presentations, the supply of soft skills training came close to exceeding the demand and numerous companies offered it in abundance. However, the advent of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) may have shifted that focus almost entirely to the ‘hard skills’ (for want of a better term) needed to pass...