A while ago I blogged about controlling your inner chimp. This technique, explained to me by Coaching Psychologist, Mike Duckett, was pioneered by TeamGB and generally famous sports psychologist Dr Steve Peters and it totally makes sense. In fact one could look at the David Brailsford (Performance Director of British Cycling) era and utilise the lessons to enhance or perform better in business.
One thing that has made a huge difference in British cycling, leading to the current dominance at the Olympics and major wins in competition such as the Tour De France is attention to detail. In cycling we are talking about things like the amount of rotations of a pedal per minute required to travel a certain distance or the amount of carbohydrate an athlete should imbibe each hour as a ratio to their weight. What British Cycling is doing here is assessing the requirements and ability of the rider and working out how those minute requirements can be met and how technique and strategy can be adapted to enhance the ability of the rider. Small, small details.
So what does this have to do with business? Well take a price comparison website – this is equivalent to deciding you want some insurance (or fancy a bike ride) and going to the one stop, no fuss online shop (a well known high street bike and car part retailer) to purchase your insurance policy (bike). What you will get might be something that does the job instantly, allows you to trade (or go for your bike ride) but will not really provide you with what you ‘need’. This word – need – is key. Often we know what we want, I’m sure that as a kid Bradley Wiggins wanted the coolest looking bike with all the spokey dokeys (if you were born in the 70’s / 80’s you will know what they are) but it is the professionals that have surrounded him that have nurtured him into the cyclist he is today by recommending the correct bike, nutrition and indeed through Dr Peters, the right train of thought and essentially giving him what he ‘needs’ in order to succeed.
The attention to detail which comes from expert advice leads to what David Brailsford terms ‘marginal gains’. These are small amounts of progress or advantage that when they add up produce race winning performance. In insurance terms we are talking about fine tuning each aspect of the cover a customer needs ensuring that the marginal gains in these areas lead to competitive prices and appropriate cover.
This is what Fairweather Insurance pride’s itself on – the attention to detail. Whether we are looking at your home insurance, a multinational company’s liability needs or a small let property they all equally deserve this service and the benefit of our expert advice to deliver the most competitive and appropriate solution.
It doesn’t stop with preparation though. Watching the Tour de France you are acutely aware that the rider is not alone, whilst they might win the medal or jersey they are not waived off at the start of the tour only to crack on their own. The car is with them all the way loaded with everything they need to compete. It is also this level of support that is key to the success of a broker. It is no good us giving a client a piece of paper and wishing them luck, we are there to assist with claims (when you come off the bike) as well as underwriting and advice when your requirements change.
So as a client are you looking for a quick fix which may or may not be suitable for you or would you rather a race winning set up and support?
Alistair
