End of another productive week for the Severn Bay team.

I try to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and how I might approach certain situations in the future, always hoping that it helps us to grow the business. To that end we need to use our time productively and effectively.

I’m all for being able to respond to requests quickly and efficiently, wherever I am, but I do have one small bugbear and I’m wondering whether I’m on my own on this one?

It’s customers who, without any real emergency, communicate routine requests late into the evening, by any one of several different means and these days there are enough, including:

·        Email
·        Phone
·        Text
·        Messenger
·        Facebook
·        LinkedIn Messages
·        Wattsapp

And many more……………………

Emails not too bad it can sit there until the morning when I will deal with it in my normal workflow and I’m pretty sure that is what the client expects.

If someone uses the phone, its normally because the proverbial has hit the fan, and we will react immediately, but all the others almost demand an immediate response, its hard to ignore them when they are just sitting there staring at you.

I’ve already turned most of the notifications off and am actively considering disconnecting from some of them. If a client wants a routine action, then email is fine, if its urgent phone!

I intend to have a restful weekend, might go for a little trail run tomorrow morning, do some reading and unless an emergency arises, I shall not be working.

Have a great weekend, slow down, rest and recuperate, life is fast enough already.

Smart Phone

Multiple Messaging Apps

 

Chat=reted Insurance Institute

Looking for a salesman?

Honestly it never feels like that to me.

In society we generally consider the professional classes to include the following trades:

  • Solicitors & Barristers
  • Accountants
  • Architects
  • Surveyors

For some reason, maybe it’s the commission element, professionals in financial services, that is General Insurance, IFA’s & Mortgage Brokers, are seen as salesmen, hell bent on making the most money by inflating prices.

In 99% of cases nothing could be further from the truth. If you want to GAIN or RETAIN a client, inflating prices doesn’t work. They will go elsewhere.

That is despite holding formal and very rigorous qualifications from one of the oldest Chartered Institutes in the country, which is recognised around the world as the gold standard. Starting in 1873, a formal royal charter was granted in 1912. https://www.cii.co.uk/

The CII’s purpose, as set out in its 1912 royal charter, is to ‘Secure and justify the confidence of the public’ in its members and the insurance sector as a whole. It aims to do this through setting standards of integrity, technical competence and business capability.

To make the distinction more obvious in our case, we work on fixed fees, not commission and they are disclosed up-front before our clients make a decision, so they can see they are reasonable in the context of the work completed.

I would rather walk away from paid work if I do not believe the client understands what I’m trying to achieve for them and just wants a cheap job, solely on their terms. I simply won’t do it.

We make professional recommendations and if customers don’t want to accept that professional advice, they are free to go elsewhere. To act in any other way would show a lack of integrity and could be considered professionally negligent. That is #openhonesttransparent

Looking for a salesman?

You won’t find any of them here, but you will find professional advice you can trust, that will protect you and your business and you will develop a relationship with named individuals who will deliver real value for you over many years.

Be awesome, have a great day

Severn Bay Logo

Business Insurance Specialists

 

Just another thing for founders to think about

I get it, I really do!

You have a business and along with lots of other things you know you need in place, you go out and buy the insurance you think you need.

You get cover for the physical things you can see and touch, such as buildings, stock, business equipment, computers and machinery, and because you can see what’s on offer, often on the internet, you realise you had better have cover for business interruption and liabilities in case someone makes a claim against you.

Oh! and maybe some legal expenses for other actions you might need to take or defend, and that is about it.

Without independent advice you probably wont think much further, or even consider such things as:

  • Financial Guarantees
  • Marine Cargo and Goods in Transit
  • Cyber Liability
  • Directors & Officers cover
  • Corporate Liability
  • Contract Dispute and Debt Recovery
  • Employment Practice Risks
  • Pension Trustee Liability

And that is only the start!

Depending on your industry you might need contractors all risks cover, engineering inspection and damage and have you ever heard of JCT 21.2.1 or Sudden and Unforeseen Damage and Fragmentation cover?

This is why its essential to get professional advice and guidance. If that is dovetailed with Business Continuity Planning, we can also look at all the events which could interrupt the income stream of your business, that you can’t insure, to provide an holistic, all-encompassing, risk management structure to #preserveprofitability

When you plan for all the events that could derail your business, you have plans to activate and seamless cover that leaves no gaps. That’s a nice place to be, peace of mind guaranteed, that will make sure you can #justkeepgoing

For further information and guidance just visit our website https://www.severnbay.com  just ask for help and have a free no obligation chat.

Why wouldn’t you?

Severn Bay Logo

Business Insurance Specialists

Mature Tree

When shall we plant the tree?

What does resilience mean in your organisation?

The dictionary definition is:

“The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” Or if you prefer, “The ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.”

Both definitions above speak about the ability to recover after an event that has had a profound effect on an individual, an organisation, or a thing. In any case it’s clear that how you act after a major incident will determine your ability to continue your previous activity and #preserveprofitability for all stakeholders.

In an organisation that ability does not just happen at the point of impact!

In fact if you did leave the effort until after a major incident has occurred, the chances of recovery being quick or effective are greatly diminished and the result is often the failure of the organisation, if not immediately, by a thousand cuts over several months or years!

The ability to recover quickly is the result of detailed planning, familiarisation, and training, at all levels within the organisation, so that business continuity is understood and recognised by every individual, from the top management, right down to the hands-on operatives to be, business as usual.

Depending on the size of the organisation, achieving a full business continuity solution can take anything from 6 months to 3 years, covering everything in the business continuity cycle:

  1. Policy & Programme Management
  2. Embedding
  3. Impact Analysis
  4. Design of solutions
  5. Implementation
  6. Validation

Get this right and you end up with detailed operational plans, response structures and teams, properly resourced and funded, ready to spring into action the moment an incident occurs.

The incident might only last minutes or hours, but the tail could potentially last for days, weeks or months. Whatever the interruption a response is needed immediately, time is off the essence and delay can mean the difference between success or failure.

There is an old saying that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today.

So, if you’d like to know more about operational resilience, why not give us a call so we can discuss the kind of solutions we can put in place, in your organisation.

Because the tree wont plant itself.

Mature Tree

tree in green field

Severn Bay Logo

Our Unique Service Proposition.

At Severn Bay Corporate Solutions, we arrange Continuity, Insurance and Risk Management solutions, for business and property owners, #becauseaccidenthappen to nice people all the time.

We communicate and operate in an #openhonesttransparent manner, so everything is explained clearly. We even tell you what we earn, so you can see that it is reasonable.

Because we don’t take commission from insurers, there is no conflict of interest in our relationship with our customers, we are not placing their business for our advantage, because there isn’t one.

WE GET YOU THE CORRECT TECHNICAL SOLUTION, AT THE LOWEST PRICE IN THE MARKET!

Our relationship with you is one of trust, where you tell us everything we need to know, so that we can achieve the result you want, whether that is a price saving or an enhancement in cover. In some cases, we achieve both and that’s good for you the client and for us as it’s the best way to gain or retain a client.

As wholly independent brokers, we can search a wide range of providers to tailor a solution to your needs. This means that you are at the heart of everything we do. Your interests are paramount, not ours, and as we are not beholden to product providers for our earnings, this actually saves you money, because there is no tax on professional fees, whilst there is on commissions paid by insurers.

If you’d like a grown up conversation about your requirements, one built on trust and a long term mutual benefit, just get in touch and speak to one of our professional advisers about what we can do for you.

Don’t be sold what a salesman wants to sell you, there is another, more intelligent way to operate.

www.severnbay.com

Reflective moment

Restup and come back fighting!

As founders we spend our time thinking about our businesses and how we can make them better, serve more customers and develop our offering over time. Its always on our minds and it can be hard to switch off. Weekends are meant to provide that rest, but it’s just not long enough and there is always stuff to do.

If you’re in this for the long run you must take valuable time off to re-charge your batteries, but more importantly to refresh your outlook on life. New experiences, new places and new vistas open up your mind to lots of possibilities and that is good for the creative process in your business. A week or 10 days will do perfectly well.

Shortly Karen and I will take some time out of the business, assured that our team have our back and they know what to do to look after our lovely clients. All the stuff that we had to do, right up until the Monday after we return will be done, so we don’t leave our team with extra work to do.

North Africa is our destination, a beach in the sun at a lovely, peaceful, restful resort and not somewhere we have ever been before together.

We will recharge and come back with lots of great ideas and the energy to put plans into action.

Take the time you need, you’re no good to anyone burnt out, working ridiculous hours.

Have a great weekend 😊

Reflective moment

And relax……

The Milky Way

The meaning of life, the universe and everything?

And the answer isn’t 42, unless your a great fan of Douglas Adams. None of us are ever likely to find out what it is, although personal happiness, companionship and contentment come pretty close in my book.

So its no wonder to me that people don’t often put a very high regard on their business insurances, after all they come a pretty remote second to all of the above, on a day to day basis.

Think about them once a year and forget them until you need them, or not at all.

It has been my life’s work, so its important to me, but the most important factor is protecting people, their businesses and therefore all the things i mentioned in the first paragraph.

Happiness and contentment go out the window when serious interruptions occur to business and the lifestyle that it pays for is threatened.

This week I am actively looking at the renewal of two solutions for clients of mine. All the way through I will concentrate on:

  1. The correct technical solution
  2. At the lowest price
  3. Disclose our fee up front so my clients can see it is reasonable

Want to know how I do that?

No, you don’t and quite right too, that’s what I get paid for, #becauseaccidentshappen to nice people all the time, whilst you get on with your business and concentrate on having a nice happy life.

If you want to know more just one of our lovely people on 029 20 470 370 or email info@severnbay.com

Have a great weekend everyone 😊

The Milky Way

Awesome night sky

Searching for a solution

Never assume!

WWW the widest choice in the world, or is it?

When people start a business, they simply don’t know what is required and if it’s a very simple start-up, they often just go straight to the internet and start filling in online requests!

WHY?

Because they believe its where they will get the widest choice and the most competitive premium.

The problem with this is they assume that what they ask for is what they are going to get and that is not always the case!

Going online for complex financial services is simply like walking into a supermarket.

What you see on the shelves is what is available. There might be much better options on quality and price, but you will never see them.

In some cases, there is only one product and because it’s the only one they have, that is what will be put in front of you. Suitable or not!

  • No advice
  • No guidance
  • No knowledge to make an informed decision
  • No professional selection

A professional broker will give you all of these and make sure the solution is tailored to your needs, #becauseaccidentshappen to nice people all the time.

What’s more because of the wide selection of insurer’s we can approach, our price is very often better than the internet.

Professional advice and guidance at no extra cost, why would you do anything else?

Just get in touch and let us guide you through the minefield 029 20 470 375

Have a great day 😊

Searching for a solution

Laptop on desk

Working From Home

Can I gain an advantage?

Today and for the next few months, I’m going to be working from home on a Wednesday, mainly to concentrate on the sales and marketing plan, to ensure a steady flow of warm opportunities for the business and my sales team.

When I work from home I still get up, wash, shave and dress for work. It’s not a grunge day, it’s a workday and I need to feel like it is. Part of that is going into my home office where work can be completed efficiently and I still, feel like I’m at work, working. Having the right space is absolutely essential.

Could I do this in the office?

Well yes, I could, but the opportunity cost is too high, let me explain.

I will inevitably lose time to work which other people would quite happily have done had I not been there and then there are the immediate tasks that arrive in my inbox, another rabbit hole to disappear down. Urgent tasks will of course get forwarded for immediate action and I can happily forget them.

Then there are the phone calls which represent lost time, when another member of the team would have dealt with the call and any resulting work to be done in a perfectly excellent way.

Before you know its midday and he rest of the day just disappears in the fall out from all those calls and emails and then it’s time to go home and I haven’t done any of the strategic planning I had hoped to achieve that day.

So today is a work day, a strategic day, a day to make our business, stronger and more successful and that fills me with the true spirit of adventure and the endless possibilities I might discover, if I just give myself a little time and space to find them.

Have a great day everyone.

Working From Home

A good set up to work from

A legal team to defend you when you need it

What do I get for my money?

I think liability insurance is expensive!

So what am I paying for and what do I get for my money?

When you take out liability insurance, the backstop is that your insurers will, after defending you, pay out damages up to the indemnity limit, which is typically two, five or ten million pounds.

That’s never going to happen to me?

Famous last words!

When everything is going well in business, clients and staff are happy, nothing happens, but the minute someone feels aggrieved or disagrees with you, that is the exact moment they will launch a legal action, #becauseaccidentshappen to nice people all the time.

With no win, no fee, ambulance chasing lawyers ready to step up in with absolutely no cost to the claimant, it’s easy to start an action these days.

Even if the claim is completely without merit, and it’s all lies, that’s not what they will have told their lawyer to get the letters issued. Your only redress is to start spending lots of money on lawyers to rebut the claims and that is far more expensive than the insurance premium you could have paid – typically £150 an hour before you even utter a word and a barrister in court can cost anything from £1,500- £10,000 per day.

What do you get for your money?

The answer is a very good set of lawyers who will defend you at ZERO cost to yourself and pay out eventually, if necessary.

That’s what you get for your money.

Have a nice day.

Legal Team