Come in. If you can get past the Porsche.

If you can make out the photo above that I snapped recently with my phone, you’ll see a traditional Insurance Broker in London (Chelsea). Parked outside, as close to the front door as possible, is an Audi S6 and a (new) Porsche 911.

There are a few reasons why I took the photo.

1) Why does an Insurance Broker have a high street shop?

2) What message does parking two £50K+ cars right outside a place of work send out? What do customers or prospective customers think about a company, the company’s employees and the company’s margins, when they walk or drive past?

3) Why would you locate a Business to Business Insurance Broker right next door to an Off Licence and a Hair Dresser’s?

Here is what I think has happened here……
The shop has been there since the 90’s when everyone bought every conceivable piece of insurance via a high street broker. Despite the fact no one buys insurance this way anymore the company ’still needs a base’……and this is perceived as being as good as any. Because no one comes through the front door anymore to buy insurance they’ve decided its now acceptable to park the cars right out front now……And they’ve additionally decided that because they need to drive to businesses to broker insurance directly they’d better do so in top of the range sports cars that go 0-60 in less than 7 seconds.

Each to their own? I don’t think so.
All businesses would be well advised to consider that business consumers (including those buying an insurance policy) are simply consumers who happen to have a corporation to pay for what they buy. Making the right impression counts - and a disappointed customer is worth ten delighted ones.