Cliff Dray

Protection Consultant
Background – Cliff Dray joined Best Protect Online when the company was set-up in 2004. He has
a varied background in customer facing service roles and previous experience advising on financial
products and services. As one of our senior protection consultants he is a valuable member of our
team and is involved in training and the continual development of our service. More recently, he has
authored most of the blog content found on our website.

We caught up with Cliff to get some insight into the life of a protection consultant.

You’ve been doing this in various formats for some time, what are the challenges you’re presented
with on a regular basis?

“Probably one of the most difficult parts of the job is getting across just how useful our service can
be, before we’ve carried out our research. I’m sure this stems from the fact that, unless you’ve had
experience of it already, variations in policy options, product features and underwriting positions
are not common knowledge to people. Not just that though, these factors aren’t very simple to
understand without help. We are in the unique position to be able to do that.”

Why is it important to you to offer a high the level of service?

“Throughout my entire career, I have worked in customer facing roles. For me, one of the most
important things to be effective is to have confidence in the product. If you find yourself in a
situation where you have doubts about a product or service you’re presenting, in my opinion you
simply can’t do that with your integrity intact.”

How do you go about achieving that?

“What I like about our approach is that it’s genuinely uncompromising. We never turn away anyone
without attempting to get cover by applying our comprehensive, tried and tested methods. It’s very
rare that we can’t find a client cover somewhere, in fact I can only recall one example in several
years. I have dealt with cases where only one insurance company has been in a position to offer
terms though.”

“I do understand the other approach. When I did my protection insurance training with a previous
company I worked with, we didn’t always check all the options every time or typically bother with
underwriting research. Quite simply because it is very time consuming, there’s no way around that.
Advisers, brokers, consultants that don’t check out all the angles are really taking a ‘stab in the
dark approach’, as are individuals who opt for the DIY approach or who use advisers that don’t do
thorough research for them . The problem with that is where non-standard terms are offered, it’s
unexpected. Doing the research up-front is a way to manage expectations and demonstrates that
another insurer is unlikely to offer better terms.”

What do you think is the key to Best Protect Online’s success?

“What attracts me to the way we work at Best Protect Online is the knowledge that we do what
we do, very well. Our goal is an ambitious one because we aim to provide the very best solution for every client’s individual needs and requirements. The result in working this way means that I have the confidence my clients wouldn’t have been better off going elsewhere to arrange their policy. We’re encouraged to research every case as if it was our own, doing that ensures we don’t cut corners.”

“I’ve only got to mention the fact I work in insurance and you can see people’s glazing over and
suppressing their yawns! What keeps it interesting for me is the fact that no two cases are the same,
because obviously, everyone’s circumstances, concerns and needs are different. The fact that my
clients are trusting me to help them find protection in the event of worst case scenarios like their
death or suffering a life changing illness or injury is really quite sobering and not something to be
taken lightly. I tell all my clients – and I cringe every time I say it – that we genuinely pride ourselves
on our service.”

“When we get it right, and I’d like to think we always do – I’m sure that it comes across to our clients
and they can have confidence in the peace of mind they’re looking for.”

To speak to Cliff or one of our other protection consultants, about your options, just give us a call