07 Thought Leadership
We look at the market & opportunity through a fresh perspective & understanding of what "great looks like"
Our passion is helping businesses achieve their “full potential & wildest ambitions”. Here's a few of our thoughts on what we see from our experiences of working with some exceptional fast Growth businesses.
Read, listen or watch our Value Creation insights
Business or Digital Transformation & innovation seems to be the words on “everyone's lips” right now. Here's a few of our own thoughts.
Read, listen or watch our Transformation insights
Were strong advocates of the view that building Customer & People advocacy are the “cornerstones of success” Here's a few insights on what we see & experience that can set you apart from the rest.
Read, listen or watch our Customer & People insights
Looking at things Creatively: A fresh view of turning Challenges into Opportunity …
The word on everyone’s lips at the moment in the broker market seems to be “Acquisitions” but why is it some get these “so right” & others get it “so wrong”?
Well first of all, getting it right is not necessarily easy, particularly in a vibrant market. For some it’s new territory, for others it’s the latest of many.content here…
Well first of all, getting it right is not necessarily easy, particularly in a vibrant market. For some it’s new territory, for others it’s the latest of many. If it’s your “first”, it can feel like there’s a myriad of things to think about. If it’s your “latest”, you may be wondering why was this one a success and that one a disaster.
So let’s strip it back & simplify it. From working with a range of acquisitive businesses across, brokers, insurers, software houses, & data providers, those that do it well & in a sustainable way that works importantly for both the businesses involved & the people in them, tend to have a few things in common
They have a tried & tested acquisition strategy & due diligence process
They invest the time to make sure the fit’s spot on … with a particular focus on:
Getting the Cultural fit & alignment right
Listen to a few thoughts on “the most common thing I hear” is “I’m tired with my existing technology solutions, they no longer deliver the tools I need to grow my business.
For us it’s one of the cornerstones of any successful business & a real differentiator between the best businesses & the rest. Being privileged to work with a range of “fast growth” businesses both within & outside the Insurance market we see some common themes in those that are outperforming the rest:
A real “Clarity of Strategy & Business Planning” to bring it alive is a “cornerstone”.
A focus on developing & investing in talent underpins creating a great customer experience.
A continuous focus on innovation & driving & embedding change keeps you ahead of the competition.
Investing in developing & differentiating their proposition keeps them relevant to their evolving customer needs.
Using customer insight, data, & intelligence smartly is an increased & growing focus.
Blending these together in a way which drives & enhances Customer Advocacy & Experience consistently seems to be “pivotal” to outperforming the competition & a theme that sets the “best performers” apart from the rest. Those businesses that focus on their Customer experience & Customer Advocacy & get it right get some really “tangible” business benefits in return.
They attract customers to them.
They gain more referrals.
They achieve higher average spend per customer.
Through constantly looking for ways to evolve & improve their proposition, they tend to be more innovative & faster paced.
Great people want to work in businesses that are focused on creating a great customer experience, so they find it easier to “attract the best talent”.
Their businesses attract higher valuations when they choose to sell or restructure them.
Looking at this list, as both a business owner & a customer myself, that feels like a good investment to me …
In my experience, those businesses that are thriving in the rapidly evolving digital world blend the speed, ease of access, convenience & efficiency of digital services with the authenticity, experience, & expertise of talented empowered people.
If I think about how my children, who have grown up in an increasingly digitalised world, like to access products & services, they look for:
Ease of Access
The speed and convenience of digital services, particularly for straightforward administrative tasks,
Supported by ease of access to talented people when they are looking for specific advice & guidance.
A selection of staff in some of my clients gave an interesting alternative perspective on the dilemma.
Whilst some saw the advent of digital as a potential threat to their futures the majority saw it as an opportunity to:
Strip out some of the inefficient, duplicated, & mundane processes they have historically had to do day in day out.
Deliver a better, faster, & higher quality service to their clients
Focus their skills on the areas where they can really add the most value to their customers
Contribute positively to the culture that attracts high quality talent into the business.
As someone who is passionate about:
Talent development
Creating the culture to grow your people
Building an exceptional customer experience
Using Technology & Data as an intelligent Business enabler
It feels to me that those business that blend their digital & people strategies in a well thought through complimentary way are most likely to:
Grow their businesses faster & more profitability than the rest
Create an environment that attracts in the best & most dynamic talent
Stimulate a continuous improvement culture that uses technology & people expertise in the right proportions & in the most effective areas
Deliver a dynamic & engaging customer experience
