Advisors unscripted: sharing experiences on the Discovery Series

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The Discovery Series with Desjardins is a unique online venue that brings life and health insurance advisors together to share their experiences and knowledge. A blend of authentic narratives and practical advice, the series draws on the wisdom of the finance community to educate and inspire advisors who want to improve their relationships with clients.

Created by Desjardins to connect advisors during the recent lockdowns, the series of webinars avoids the formal tone and industry-speak that dominates so many other forums – choosing instead to use the power of compelling conversations and shared experiences.

It’s a format that’s proven to be increasingly popular, with a growing audience tuning in from all over North America. Hosts Rehan Bhanji and David Lee say although The Discovery Series began as a way to bring people together during the lockdowns, its expanding popularity reveals a desire for genuine conversations and connections in the advisor community.

 ”When Covid hit there were no more office meetups and lunchroom get-togethers for people to connect and learn from each other,” Bhanji says. “So we decided to harness those lunchroom conversations in a webinar called the Discovery Series.”

Now all of those conversations that advisors used to have by the watercooler or over coffee can still take place – but in a much larger group with a significantly greater range of stories and experiences.

Bhanji is the National Best Practice Leader at Desjardins Insurance, while co-host David Lee serves as a Business Development Support Manager, also at Desjardins Insurance. Together they have decades of experience working, building and mentoring in the Canadian insurance industry. Speaking with Wealth Professional in a recent interview, they discussed the origin and goals for The Discovery Series with Desjardins.

Connecting people and sharing experiences

Bhanji and Lee wanted the series to be different from the usual mediums that brought  advisors together. During the pandemic, there were numerous Zoom calls with industry leaders telling advisors what they should and shouldn’t do.

But many of these leaders weren’t in the field. They weren’t on the ground in a way that could help advisors reflexively understand what was being said.

“They don't know the day to day of an advisor's life,” Lee says. You're getting pitches about product, but you’re missing the nuanced details and flavour of what the advisor deals with every day.”

This growing disconnect among advisors is also being driven by the increased use of technology in the industry – with the shift from traditional in-person interactions to in-app digital interactions leaving some advisors feeling isolated from their peers.

Advisors were searching for answers to important questions. The solution, Lee says, was to create a platform where advisors could speak directly to each other – a place to share experiences and pass on knowledge in a less formal yet highly relatable dialogue.

“The key was storytelling,” Bhanji adds. “Storytelling creates those light bulb moments where advisors learn from each other in ways that they understand immediately.”

This makes a lot of sense when you consider that advisors today are increasingly called upon to communicate empathy and generate trust. These aren’t skills one can learn from a book or lecture. But they can be learned from the experiences and stories of other advisors.

Diverse voices

To capture the wide range of experiences and needs of advisors in the finance industry, The Discovery Series features speakers from very different backgrounds and specializations.

Asked how they choose a speaker or theme, Bhanji and Lee say they’ve learned to think very carefully about the topics of interest and gaps in the market.

“When we started season one during Covid, I was just turning to my Rolodex and wondering who was generating business and who had a good story,” Bhanji says. “But then we started to strategize about the themes of each season, and ask ourselves where are the underserved markets in Canada today.”

As a result, the first four months of 2023 focused on women's financial literacy, featuring seven female advisors with a diverse range of backgrounds, including a divorce specialist and even a volunteer firefighter.

“I would say 60% of our audience are women financial advisors, so I feel that we hit a really strong chord dealing with financial literacy in the female empowerment space,” Bhanji adds.

For September, October and November the series will focus various topics that include the indigenous community, where there’s a growing demand for financial literacy.

Looking ahead

The success of the webinars has seen Lee and Bhanji branch out to a newsletter, a growing presence on LinkedIn, and Discovery Series Unplugged podcasts that are available on Apple and Spotify. They also started taking the series on the road through partnerships with Advocis,  and distribution partners. Discovery Series also seeks to bring innovative content in partnering with charitable organizations like the YMCA GTA and various other exciting partnerships with university incubation hubs.

The webinar series is free to viewers and provides an opportunity for advisors to earn CE credits.

Ultimately, Bhanji and Lee say the goal of the series is to educate advisors who offer life and health insurance, and help them expand their expertise to better meet their clients’ needs.

‘Being an advisor can feel like one of the loneliest jobs on the planet,” Bhanji says. “So it’s important to have a community that can share experiences and connect people in a meaningful way.”

In part two of this discussion about The Discovery Series, hosts Bhanji and Lee will share solutions and strategies for improving client relationships and discovering new business opportunities.

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