Latest Poll – Soft Skills Training?

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Are you satisfied advisers have sufficient access to traditional soft skills training to complement other mandated adviser training skills/courses?
  • No (69%)
  • Yes (21%)
  • Not sure (10%)

At a time where industry focus is being directed to new minimum adviser education standards and the FASEA exam, we’re asking whether the importance of soft skills training is being given its due respect and recognition.

There’s a certain irony associated with the timing of the latest update from FASEA on its approved Grad Dip and bridging courses (see: FASEA Releases Approved Grad Dip, Bridging Courses) coinciding with the release on the same day last week from Knowledgemaster, in which it promotes its communications, interactions, sales and soft skills training services.

In addition to articulating what it offers, the Knowledgemaster promotion for its training content also makes clear what it does not. It promises:

  • No exams
  • No compliance
  • No product flogs
  • No technical stuff

Instead, the Knowledgemaster package offers ‘how to’ help material on soft skills and other non-mandated training it says every business person needs.

Additional soft skills training resources remain available to advisers via life companies and other industry consulting services, but we’re asking whether this is enough.

Should there more more soft skills training for advisers?

We’re not arguing the point about the merits of FASEA’s minimum adviser education standards or its compulsory exam. Rather, we’re simply asking you the question about whether you think the industry has got it right when it comes to providing sufficient soft skills training for both new and existing advisers.

Tell us what you think and we’ll report back next week…



2 COMMENTS

  1. Soft skills are the most important aspect of building trust and taking the potential or existing client to the point where a sale or service can proceed.

    Clients expect the adviser to know their stuff, what they want is someone who has ACTUALLY done what they espouse and experience, honesty, plus the ability to explain in plain English, the reasons why they should take a course of action, is a vital element to a successful and long term relationship.

    The Education guru’s, put knowledge as the number one reason why clients should do business with advisers.

    They are wrong.

    • I agree with Jeremy. You could be the highest qualified Adviser in the industry and starve to death at the same time because of your inability to articulate your knowledge in such a way that people will both understand and act upon. As the late great USA adviser John Savage told his Australian audiences on the occasions he visited our shores—“selling is 95% people knowledge and 5% product and technical knowledge—but you had better know 100% of the 5%! That was my experience over 40 years as an Adviser specialising in Risk Insurance.

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