Up the ladder

Neill Robson set up Complete Insurance Solutions in Dalbeattie, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, on 1 April 2006 as an appointed representative of Ten Insurance Services. The majority of clients are within a 30-mile radius, but some are as far as Edinburgh and Glasgow. The business started trading from a spare bedroom and has moved this year into a recently converted garage to accommodate its first employee and an another in the future.

How did you make it to where you are today?

I left school in 1986 and started work with a local Dumfries broker handling car, house and travel insurance, dealing mainly with local people. During this time I gradually became more involved with commercial clients. I then moved to another local broker, Ewen C Mair, to deal primarily with commercial business. The firm joined the Broker Network as a member in 2002, and was sold to the network in 2004 at which time I became branch manager. That role was not suited to me. After reading articles about Ten Insurance Services and its appointed representative network for start-ups, I made inquiries and eventually went to Aylesbury in December 2005 to meet the directors and exchange contracts. I tendered my resignation in January 2006 and enjoyed three months gardening leave. On 1 April 2006 Complete Insurance Solutions started trading.

What are the key challenges ahead?

We need to keep growing the business, but in a manner that allows us to be able to continue to provide the same personal and professional service to which our clients have become accustomed. Regular contact with clients is key to ensuring that we are meeting their exact insurance requirements.

What has changed the most since you started in insurance?

Regulation has brought about changes, but brokers that had always provided a professional service were already compliant to a certain extent. In my opinion the biggest change has to be consolidation. The reduction in the number of independent brokers has been phenomenal, and with insurers purchasing larger brokers and networks, this trend could continue for some time.

What advice would you offer someone just starting out?

They need to be confident enough to believe that they can provide and indeed deliver the service levels that customers are looking for. They will need to know their target audience and the suppliers and products available to them. They will need to work closely with their clients and build a relationship trusting enough to allow them to sell the policy best suited to their clients’ needs. And most importantly, be honest, professional and always work with the best interests of your clients in mind.

What is the biggest mistake you have ever made?

I regret not going alone sooner. I should have done it at least five or six years before I did – the new millennium would have been ideal. Before consolidation and networks you were always afraid that insurers might not provide support.

What was your biggest success?

Gaining the trust and loyalty of clients. When you decide to go it alone with a mortgage to pay and children to feed and there’s no salary at the end of the month, you are relying on the loyalty of the people that you have dealt with in the past. If they come on board and support you, it makes all the difference.

Talk about some of your contemporaries and friends

I still see some former colleagues from time to time and it is good to catch up on their experiences and life in general. Looking at the bigger picture, I admire what Ten has done. It has given the opportunity to people like me who want to progress on their own. I also admire the people behind the large brokers and networks that keep growing.

What is your unique selling point?

Hard work and trustworthiness, and getting people to see that I am trustworthy. It doesn’t matter if it is a client who has bought his £100 house contents policy from me for years, or a business that is paying thousands of pounds a year for its insurances. They are supporting me because of my commitment to them and the fact that they trust me.

When you are not working, what do you do to relax?

I spend four hours cutting grass every weekend. I spend time with my family. As an avid Queen of the South supporter I used to go to all their home games. I recently attended their first Scottish Cup Final. I’m a keen Formula One fan and have enjoyed attending Grand Prix at Silverstone, Belgium, France and Spain. Being from Dumfries and Galloway I naturally support David Coulthard.

What is your favourite book/film/football team?

Book: I rarely read, but when I do I prefer autobiographies and I have recently read those of David Coulthard and Top Gear’s Richard Hammond. Film: I’m not into films, but I do enjoy TV programmes such as The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den. Football team: Queen of the South.