Zurich is launching a campaign to help advisers perform financial fitness tests on customers.
The ‘new year health checks' campaign starts this month, and includes the launch of a protection microsite for advisers who want more information on industry issues.
Training videos, case studies, sales kits and meeting tools for advisers to use with their customers will also form part of the support programme.
In addition, Zurich will hold a series of nationwide seminars in February for advisers looking to refresh their protection knowledge
Peter Hamilton, protection management director, Zurich Life, says: "A number of advisers are coming to protection relatively new as they look more broadly across the market after the drop off in mortgages.
"These are experienced advisers but who have not been directly involved in protection before."
The insurer hopes the scheme will benefit advisers while at the same time helping the industry bridge the £2.3trn UK protection gap.
Hamilton says Zurich has no plans to launch any new protection products in Q1 2010, with the focus instead on building existing offerings and looking at other ways to address the hole in people's cover.
"Closing the protection gap is more a function of getting the message across to customers, rather than due to product problems," he says.
"The start of a new year is an obvious time for advisers to focus on protection - inevitably people are more likely to review their finances and we would encourage them to seek the help of a financial adviser."
Hamilton believes there is a direct correlation between the widening of the protection gap and falling numbers of advisers.
However, he is optimistic the protection industry will benefit from the RDR overall, as more advisers switch to the area as well as mortgages.
