PICTURE THIS...
You are a broker working late again, on a week end, logging another 60 hour week – trying to catch up on all that “stuff” that doesn’t really make you any money (like paying bills, advertising, computers, E & O insurance, staffing, & payroll) when you learn that more of your companies have just merged and you need markets, and then your spouse calls again, suggesting that if you don’t spend some time with your family, the “papers” will be served…and you don’t know what to do!
Hopefully, it hasn’t gotten that far along for you, but if it has, please call us because we can help. We know that as a small broker, life can be difficult, which is why we came up with a plan to allow you to do what you do best, sell insurance and service your clients.
If you think about it, all the work that brokers all do is about the same everywhere….looking after their clients, computers, E & O insurance, accounting, payroll and benefits, paying bills, handling internet and website stuff, etc. Most of the time, the only difference between brokers is how much they can afford to spend on all this stuff. Big brokers can afford to spend more and as a result, probably get more bang for their buck. Small brokers don’t have the money to do all this stuff and so, struggle to get by and grow. Big brokers have more markets and coverage options, so they get more business. Small brokers have to fight just to get any contract they can.
The old maxim might be true, the rich get richer and well, you know the rest...
As part of the Broker Support Centre, you receive all the benefits of being part of a big broker, without all the added cost and bureaucracy. You continue to own your own company and your book of business and control your own destiny. We simply provide an infrastructure that smaller and medium sized brokerages may not be able to afford on their own through our Support Centre (SC), which is a stand alone operation, that specializes in handling all that work that you “had” to do previously, but really doesn’t make you any money.
The BOTTOM LINE: We believe that small brokers are the lifeblood of the insurance industry and because of many recent market adjustments, they are all suffering significantly. Our focus is to not buy branches, but to support them, invest in them, and help them grow. We know that you will work harder for yourself than you will for some executive in an ivory tower in a big city miles and hours away from you. We also know that you have a better grasp on the economic conditions in your immediate trading area. So if we help you do better, you grow, you work less and everyone is happy.
BENEFITS
Many brokers ask us how we might invest in a brokerage without buying them and of course, why. Let us take just a moment and list some of the things we do, then we will tell you why...
- Acquisition financing
- Computer hardware
- Provide markets
- Underwriting services
- Management training
- Operating software
- Commercial lines programs
- Marketing Staff
- Personal lines programs
- FULL (NO SPLIT) CPC bonuses without volume requirements
- Web-site hosting and referrals
- Complete accounting services
- Month – end reporting
- Commission reconciliation
- Year end financials & tax filing
- Telephone and in-office support staff (when you are away having a well-needed holiday!)
- Group education options
- Staff benefits packages
- Travel agency services
- Legal assistance at reduced rates
- Group E & O insurance premiums
- Life insurance programs for clients and staff
- Mortgage broker services
- In – house financing
- Succession planning
- Profit sharing for our branches, based on the results of our Support Centre
It all depends on what you need and want. We tailor our program to you, so that you are content and happy with you decision, but know that eventually, you will realize that when we handle all the back room support, you will work less and be happier, and make more money.
Don’t forget – unlike our competitors that buy you out and eventually send you packing, as part of our organization, you retain ownership of your brokerage, your staff, your book of business, your retirement plan, your future...
We are here to support you – not eliminate you. And if someday you do want to sell and retire – we will find a buyer for you, arrange the financing for them and help you fulfill your golden years with happiness and relaxation – all at no penalty or costs to you!
WHY DO WE DO THIS?
Honestly, we save money by having you as a part of our team. Everything is all relative, so if you are paying for part of our costs, we are saving by having our costs subsidized. Instead of us paying for 100% of our I.T. costs, we pay a portion, just like our branches. Instead of us having to pay all our E & O insurance, we now pay our percentage. With your added volume, we have more clout with insurers and can negotiate better terms for all our branches. It is simply the law of large numbers. The bigger we all get, the smaller the portion is for every branch.
We originally started as a small brokerage too. In 2001, we were a small brokerage with two staff, two markets and a typewriter, with about 1 million in premium. Today, because of the Support Centre, we write close to 40 million in premium and have over 25 branches and almost 100 staff. Hence our motto – “Working Better Together!”
We realized long ago that we could borrow the money to buy out our competitors and become a monopoly in our own right, but we weren’t really interested in doing this. Why? Because we don’t believe that it is good for the insurance marketplace, nor is it good for the general public, nor the reputation of our industry. Whenever a monopoly is created, someone at the top benefits and everyone along the way suffers.
So we came up with a plan to obtain all the benefits of being a big broker while supporting the consumer, the broker and the economy. Our success substantiates that it was the right answer!
WHAT DOES IT COST TO JOIN US?
Last week a broker called and asked us that specific question. We told him that he would have to give us one of his children, a pint of blood and his soul. Amazingly enough, he agreed to those terms and a deal was struck!
Seriously, he did sign up with us, but not quite for those specifics. You see with us, you may pay as little as $250.00 per month, depending on what services you are looking for.
Firstly remember that this because we are providing you more markets, as well as more TIME to write business, with more programs, you will be writing new business. Remember, if you aren’t working on the “stuff” that doesn’t make you any money, you can now be working on insurance matters, so that you can actually sell more insurance, service more clients and make more commissions.
What are the results with our branches? Majority of them double their commissions their first year after coming on board with us? Your expenses with us on average would be a fraction of what it would cost to do everything on your own. Because you have more time for dedicated insurance work, you sell and service more, which leads to more referrals, which means steady and improved growth.
Or on the other hand, you might appreciate some time away from the office on the golf course, or a holiday, or just a week-end! We’ll leave that up to you to decide.
We think that you will agree that our strategy is sound and that the overall benefit to the small and mid sized broker.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Well, that is a double-edged question. What happens next for us? We continue to grow. We are presently chatting with brokers in various communities around Alberta, in BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We expect that within the next five years, we may have over 100 branches throughout Western Canada, all having the same markets, systems, procedures and benefits that large brokers do. But because each branch continues to own their portfolio and business, each one works to grow and become more successful, and our entire family of branches benefits.
We hope that you are interested and would encourage you to either call 1 866 278 – 1044, or email support@brokersupportcentre.com for more details.
