The confirmed business passed in a typical Guildford meeting will usually be well into 5 figures and of course, this is the reason why most people join BNI…to get more business.
This is not the only motivation to join however as one of the greatest benefits of membership is access to the expertise of fellow members. Just about every profession and trade is represented at BNI in the UK and each and every member can benefit from their experience and technical know-how.
One of the most sought after members in our group is Clive Harrison, owner of H2i Insurance Brokers. The depth of knowledge and quality of cover that Clive can provide means that just about every person in the room uses his services in some way.
Clive’s company specialises in commercial insurance, protecting businesses of all sizes and in his ten-minute presentation he allowed us an insight into the diverse nature of his business, what goes into making a claim and how his company continues to flourish in a very competitive market dominated by ‘the big boys’ of the insurance world.
With offices in Surrey and Yorkshire, H2i are a very well established company offering sound advice to businesses of all shapes and sizes, Clive himself has been in the industry for 30 years and his team have well over 100 years of experience in insurance. Backed by Momentum, H2i have all the muscle of a much larger company while still maintaining a very close working relationship with their clients.
It is this extremely close commercial relationship that so many H2i clients point to as the most important part of their service. Clive and his team take their business seriously and personally, in many cases they become a de-facto part of the clients’ business, immersing themselves in the all so important details.
Having worked for a number of years as a claims handler, Clive has a unique perspective on the claims process and he is often able to increase pay-outs because of this experience…’poacher turned gamekeeper’ might be an appropriate turn of phrase?
Clive then explained that H2i recently ‘won’ a significant contract ahead of a number of other insurance brokers, including national companies, a fact that he and his team are extremely proud of, commenting ‘it shows that if you’re good enough, you’re big enough’.
A recent case also demonstrated perfectly the diverse nature of the business that Clive helps. A Dog Hotel in Surrey required full insurance not only for their premises and ‘guests’ but also for all the fittings in the ‘bedrooms’, including luxury furnishings and colour TV’s.
As always with such an interesting presentation, the ten-minutes flew by allowing Clive to field just a couple of questions.
Chris Winser, Chartered Surveyor and member of Woking BNI asked Clive about Professional Indemnity Insurance, a subject of huge importance to many of the people in the room.
Clive was pleased to confirm that H2i handle all types of professional liability insurance and that indeed, H2i have arranged cover for many BNI members.
Roy Forstner of Carlton St Martins Carpet Cleaning ‘we don’t cut corners, we clean them’ then offered a quick verbal testimonial for Clive saying that he had switched to Clive as he was able to provide specialist covers for his business normally excluded on standard policies. Not only that but he also saved him money in the process!
Applause for a genuinely interesting and informative presentation was generous and sincere, as would befit one of the most respected members of our group.
