The stigma around “selling” life insurance is driving up lapse rates, according to Synchron director Don Trapnell.

“One of the major reasons for lapse rates appears to be that clients fail to fully appreciate the emotional reasoning behind keeping a policy intact,” he said.

“And the reason they do not appreciate it is that advisers are now reluctant to explain these reasons, because they do not want to be seen to be selling.”

He says emotional reasoning has a huge impact on consumers.

“Life insurance cannot be bought – it must be sold. It is an emotional rather than a logical purchase.

“When looked at logically, clients pay premiums for something they can never enjoy. What they are paying for is protection for their family – and that’s an emotional purchase.”

Mr Trapnell fears political correctness has bred a generation of life advisers who rely on facts and figures alone to sell.

“Although it is vital for younger advisers to have technical knowledge, they also need to be mentored by more experienced advisers who have been through a period where ‘sales’ was not a dirty word,” he said.

“The pendulum of political correctness has swung too far and the reasoning behind the whole purpose of life insurance has swung with it.”