April 2019 was a biggie for news. A Black Hole was photographed for the first time; NASA announced that they would be returning to the moon in 2024 but overshadowing both of these galactic events was the news that C&C Insurance Brokers opened the doors to its Chester branch.
Paul Trafford took on the role of Branch Director and brought a wealth of experience to the new venture. With 20 years in the commercial insurance sector, all of which were based in North Wales, Liverpool and the Manchester region, Paul was the right man in the right place to launch C&C Insurance Brokers in Chester. He knew the sector, knew the region and having seen C&C as a competitor for all those years, in his own words, he already knew, “Nobody did it better than C&C”.
Within six months, C&C Chester had taken on its first member of staff in Richard Hamilton and is eyeing further support before the end of the year. When catching up with Paul in July, the Chester office was flying and looking at a GWP of £3.5M, with over £1.2M of that being accounted for since last September! Referrals are the main source of new business and they have excellent retention rates.
There are plenty of insurance brokers in Chester, so what is it that’s underpinning this success? C&C Chester is clearly building a fortress befitting of the city in which it’s based – but how?
As you might expect, there are a number of factors to consider. Although a significant amount of business is haulage based, the Chester branch can’t be pigeonholed as exclusively operating in the THL sector. They also have clients in the manufacturing, food, leisure and financial services sectors. They even have an ex England & British Lions player as a client! Likewise, they work with clients of all sizes, with a significant number being SMEs with premiums in the £1-20K range. That said, they also have a client with a £450K premium. Having eggs in multiple baskets has meant referrals have expanded into a wider range of sectors, which has contributed significantly to branch growth.
Then there is the support from C&C HQ, especially in the form of the in-house Claims Department. This comes up time and time again when talking with other branches and divisions within C&C Insurance Brokers. Paul feels that the calibre of the people in the Claims Department is exceptional and that when a need for a claim arises, clients see the efficient handling of it by C&C, as saving them money, in terms of minimising the amount of effort they themselves, have to put in.
Perhaps the real driver in winning and creating sticky relationships with clients is the trust created by the consultative approach the Chester branch adopts when assessing clients’ needs.
“With us, clients don’t just chase a price. They trust us to look out for their best interests. We look for the risks and help clients to manage them” says Paul. “We assess trends, types of accidents, driver histories, do they have cameras in vehicles…clients value us the most when we’re needed for a claim and ultimately, we’re a 24/7 business. We respond rapidly and take personal responsibility for our clients’ insurance welfare.”
With a history as long and rich as Chester’s, who would have thought there would be room for another fortress?
Carpe Diem Team Chester!
