Earlier this month our Vitality Ambassador, Jessica Ennis-Hill, announced the happy news that her son, Reggie, had been born. For any parent, seeing someone’s joy at having their first child brings back many memories.
The picture Jess posted on Twitter of the little one sleeping peacefully reminded me of when, just hours after the birth of my eldest, my brother in law visited us at the maternity home where my wife and newborn were convalescing.
Having done his duty as doting Uncle he exited the premises, pushing firmly on what, in the gloom of a January evening, he presumed to be the door release button. In fact he had successfully broken the seal of the fire alarm and the ensuing cacophony echoed through the halls, answered in kind by dozens of tiny, terrified, hours old babies.
Starting a family forces us to reconsider our priorities (for example: sleep, it turns out, is a luxury to be cherished and fought for) and this is never truer than when it comes to our need for Protection.
Too often, in my opinion, we debate product specifics and talk blandly about debt protection and matching sums assured, when we should be focusing on what really matters; what really needs to be protected – not the debt, not the things, but the people. The families.
Too often, in my opinion, we debate product specifics and talk blandly about debt protection and matching sums assured”It might sound trite but that is what we all really seek when we take out insurance – protection for our loved ones, not protection for our bank or mortgage lenders (important, thought that is).
We should not be shy about talking in these terms to our customers. I’ve spoken to many advisers (often those who don’t have kids themselves) who are anxious about talking to parents about features such as children’s cover on Critical Illness contracts. In reality, it is vital that those families know about this important (and much claimed upon) element of their plan.
PruProtect with Vitality go one step further than traditional Critical Illness plans, by allowing parents to add up to an extra £100,000 of cover for their children, above the standard £25,000 our Serious Illness Cover provides automatically.
Imagine the difference £125,000 could make to a family facing the uncertain future of medical bills, time off work, travel expenses and so on that a childhood disease dictates.
No doubt right now, like thousands of other new parents, Jess and her husband are thinking about their future, changing their plans and adjusting their priorities. Perhaps we, in the Protection market, could do the same when it comes to the way we talk to our customers.
Justin Taurog is marketing and distribution director at PruProtect
