LIFE SOLUTIONS
Not just an adviser but their adviser: The key to client loyalty
By Wimpie Mouton, CEO: PPS Life Solutions
After 30 years at PPS, I have learned a lot – about insurance, systems, regulation and change. But most of all, I have learned about people.
Let me ask you what I often ask myself: How many of your clients can say you really know them? I do not mean remembering their name or when their policy renews. I mean knowing what drives them. What keeps them up at night. What their dreams are for their family. Or that they walk their dog every Sunday, come rain or shine.
In a world full of digital noise and mass messaging, it is easy to forget that behind every profile is a person. A human being craving not a“ like” or a thumbs-up emoji but real understanding.
And that, I believe, is where your true value as a PPS adviser lies.
THE CONSTANT NEED FOR CONNECTION
Sure, technology has changed – and so has the way we work, travel and transact. But one thing has not changed in all these years: the human need to be heard. Deeply. Authentically. Personally.
That is what clients want. Not just to be told what products are available but to feel that someone sees them. Not as a sales target or another“ client on the book” but as a person with goals, fears and unique circumstances.
And that kind of connection? You cannot automate it.
UNDERSTANDING IS THE GAME CHANGER
When someone asks,“ Do you know me?” what they are really asking is,“ Do you understand me?” And that is the golden thread running through every great advisory relationship. When your client knows that you understand
them – truly understand where they are and where they are going – you are not just giving advice. You are walking the journey with them.
At PPS, we have seen how the difference between a satisfied member and a loyal advocate often comes down to how well they feel understood. It is not about polished presentations. It is about meaningful moments of clarity – the kind that comes from sitting down, asking the right questions and taking the time to explain, without rushing or patronising.
As Leonardo da Vinci said,“ The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding”. It is also one of the most powerful tools you have.
BRING COMPASSION TO THE CONVERSATION
Understanding is not just a head exercise – it is a heart one too.
Compassion in advice means being patient. It means putting people first, even when it is inconvenient. It means that when things go wrong – and they sometimes do – you show up with solutions, not excuses.
That is how trust is built. Not from avoiding mistakes but from owning them, fixing them and proving that you care more about the client than the transaction.
LOOK BEYOND THE TITLE
One of my biggest lessons has been to look past the professional label. Doctor, lawyer, engineer – those are job titles, not identities. Your clients are people first. With dreams, doubts, triumphs and trauma.
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