The hidden capital of your word
Capital is usually measured in rands and cents, property portfolios or equity holdings. But brokers know another form of capital that cannot be listed on a balance sheet, yet it underpins every client relationship. That is your word.
A broker’s word carries weight. It is the quiet currency behind every signed contract and every client who renews year after year. When clients hand over their trust, they are not just buying cover; they are investing in a promise. That promise, honoured or broken, is what builds or destroys reputations.
Reputation in this sense is more than marketing spin. It is a form of survival capital in a world where challenges are real and resilience often depends on the strength of relationships. Clients may shop around for the cheapest premium, but when a claim is tested, they remember the broker who stood firm and followed through.
Trust as everyday capital
Resilience is lived out in relationships. It is carried by people and professionals whose word still counts.
Trust works like a quiet form of capital. It keeps clients loyal, businesses moving forward and communities able to withstand shocks. When formal processes take time, it is often reputation and networks that give people confidence to keep going.
This hidden economy is visible everywhere. Small businesses grow on referrals long before they can afford advertising. Communities turn to professionals they know will deliver: a mechanic, a doctor or a local builder they can trust. Businesses and investors, meanwhile, lean on brokers whose judgement has been proven over time.
Trust, in short, is a substitute currency. It decides whether deals go ahead, whether clients stay loyal and whether communities feel resilient. For brokers, it is not a backdrop but the foundation of their work. Their profession shows a broader truth: resilience is not only institutional, it is relational.
A global echo of trust
This shift towards personal trust is happening across the world. People are placing greater value on reliable relationships with professionals they know. Increasingly, they turn to advisers, brokers and other trusted experts whose word carries more weight than marketing campaigns or corporate promises.
Brokers are part of this global shift towards human-scale trust. The lesson is clear: in any environment, reputation has become a decisive form of capital.
Brokers as custodians of trust
Brokers sit in a unique position: between technical products on one side and human need on the other. Their job is not only to negotiate premiums or tick compliance boxes, but to interpret complexity, advocate at claims stage and stand with clients when they are most vulnerable.
A broker’s influence is relational, not transactional. They trade not only in cover options, but in the confidence that comes from knowing someone is watching your back. That is why brokers are not just intermediaries. They are custodians of trust.
This capital, built in credibility, loyalty and networks, compounds over time. Once broken, it can take years to restore. In an age of digital platforms and endless choice, the real differentiator is not the cheapest policy or the slickest app. It is the human professional whose word has been tested and proven.
Professional ethics and the public good
A broker’s word is more than a private asset. It contributes to a public good: the collective reputation of the profession. Just as doctors rely on medical ethics and lawyers on legal standards, brokers depend on being seen as professionals whose integrity can be trusted.
When one broker breaks that trust, the damage ripples beyond a single client relationship. It erodes confidence in the industry as a whole. When brokers honour their word, they strengthen both their own business and the credibility of the sector. Reputation, seen this way, is not just personal survival capital. It is a form of professional legitimacy that sustains the industry’s role in society.
The last line of defence
At Old Mutual Insure, we know that reputation cannot be outsourced or manufactured. It is earned, client by client, through service and delivery. Our role is not to replace the broker’s word, but to support it. We provide the cover and the backing that help brokers deliver on their promises. And when claims are tested, we stand with them so that the trust they have built remains intact.
While our brand strength matters, the most important brand to any client is the broker who represents them. Your word is what builds your business. It is the last line of defence. DM