The insurance giant caused a stir last year after sending out new terms of business to advisers outlining situations where it deems it acceptable to market directly to their clients.

It said it would only do so if customers first requested advice from Aviva and, second, if they had not been serviced by their adviser for a “significant” period.

Aviva intermediary director Simon Badley says a number of advisers now ask him if the provider will push its direct sales channel.

But Badley says today: “We are not ashamed we are a multi-distribution business, but IFAs are still more than 70% of what we do and that will remain the case. They are the lifeblood of Aviva.

“This industry needs a healthy IFA sector, just as it needs bancassurance and direct sales channels, but direct sales will always be less than 10% of what we do.

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“If a client gets in touch with us direct, we always say their first port of call should be their adviser. Otherwise, we direct them to (adviser search portal) IFA Promotions.”

Meanwhile, Aviva research suggests most advisers forecast client referrals to be the best source of new business in the future.

The insurer’s quarterly Hot Issues Tracker, which polled 228 advisers in June, saw 85% of respondents cite referrals from customers, while 47% predict an increase in revenues from existing clients.

“This is significant,” Badley says. “Previously the more buoyant market meant advisers were able to rely on new customers just walking in through the door.”

Elsewhere, a quarter of respondents said they were changing their client profile ahead of the RDR, while 25% said they were doing nothing to prepare for the Review’s proposals.

The research also suggests intermediaries, when asked what they want from providers, prefer good customer service (77%) over competitive products (68%).