60 seconds with...Dan Langford (Albany Park)

Dan Langford, financial protection adviser at Albany Park

Katie Crook-Davies
25 July 2019

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Albany Park financial protection adviser talks technology, terrible music and looking after families

Location: Farnborough.

Products you advise on: Life insurance, income protection, critical illness cover, private medical insurance and business protection.

Typical client profile: I often work with self-employed clients who don't have any sick pay or benefits as they work for themselves. They simply want to make sure their family/livelihood is protected in case of them being unable to work.

How do you incorporate protection into your client conversations?
I find the easiest way is to have a conversation with the clients about their circumstances and liabilities. I find out what their concerns for the future are based on.

What three tips would you give to other advisers looking to write more protection business?

Let the client do most of the talking, make sure they know they are being heard and understood.
Help them solve their issue, regardless of whether you think you will win their business or not.
Take your time! If you rush, it makes them feel like they are just another number to you.

How has technology changed your business, if at all?
I heard from a few older advisers that they used to do insurance applications with a pen and paper and send it to the insurer in the post. Madness!

Technology has enabled us to streamline the process, freeing us up to focus on our clients' needs and doing what we do best - providing good quality advice.

Our new partnership with Anorak is an example of where technology has supported our business. The partnership means that clients are introduced to us further into the protection journey than they would be via a more traditional channel, so we can focus more on the advice itself and finding the most suitable solution to accommodate their needs.

What is the biggest challenge facing you/your business?
A saturated insurance market. It can be quite tricky when your client has spoken to three or four different brokers and been offered different advice at each stage.

What one thing would make your life easier as an adviser?Clients who are open to the advice that we give. Some clients have certain expectations but their budgets are unfortunately unrealistic. It can sometimes be difficult for them to appreciate that what they need can't be achieved for what they want (or don't want!) to spend.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
My wife and I have a baby on the way, so making sure that I can provide for them motivates me to get out of bed each morning.

What advice would you give your 18-year-old-self?
I would tell myself not to waste so much time on my PlayStation. I did actually tell myself this - it didn't work.

What three songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?

'Footloose' - Kenny Loggins
'Written In The Stars' - Tinie Tempah
'The Flood' - Take That
(Apparently my taste in music is terrible)

What would you name the autobiography of your life?
Me, myself and my nose. (I have a big nose)

What is your dream job (other than insurance obviously!)?
Going back 20 years it would have been a professional footballer. Now, realistically, I would love to be a stockbroker, as it seems so exciting (it probably isn't).