Broker Business Plan
Broker Business Plan
Broker Business Plan
PREPARED BY
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................................................1
SUMMARY.........................................................................................................................................................................1
ORAL DISCLOSURE........................................................................................................................................................9
25
2019/20 Business Plan for
RG166........................................................................................................................................................ 18
KEY ASSUMPTIONS....................................................................................................................................... 18
INCOME / EXPENSE BUDGETS....................................................................................................................... 18
CASH FLOW STATEMENTS............................................................................................................................ 18
PROJECTED BALANCE SHEETS...................................................................................................................... 19
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................................. 19
RATIO ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................................................... 19
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS AND PROPOSALS................................................................................................... 19
CLIENT FUNDS CONTROLS*.......................................................................................................................... 20
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................................................20
25
2019/20 Business Plan for
INTRODUCTION
Our business has achieved strong and steady growth over the past three years and is currently on
track to achieve our current year budget. We have seen moderate premium rate increases over
the past three years and this is anticipated to continue into 2019/20, which will provide some
automatic commission income growth. Overall economic conditions are patchy with little
underlying growth expected in the SME marketplace.
SUMMARY
For the coming financial year the business is focussed on the following major issues.
1. Ensuring the business and staff continue to meet the day to day requirements of the
Corporations Act and associated Regulations (The Act) to ensure compliance with our AFS
Licence requirements.
2. Improving and strengthening existing credit control processes in light of the current tight
financial conditions facing the business community. This will include the more aggressive and
widespread marketing of Premium Funding facilities.
3. Bedding down and building relationships with our existing insurer panel to ensure we retain
access to all existing markets for our business.
4. Increasing staff productivity through training, effective work allocation and process re-
engineering.
5. Promoting our name, servicing personnel and business approach to our existing client base
thereby maximising retention of our existing client base and building a strong referral network.
6. Continuing to use technology to streamline our business, improve service levels, reduce costs
and improve our bottom line.
7. Increasing our income ratio on our existing client base by implementing a strict application of
our fee structure.
8. Reduce our costs and increase our office efficiency by implementing electronic scanning and
retrieval of all documents.
9. Actively targeting small to medium size accounts currently held by large national brokerage
firms by a focus on individual service and personal relationships.
10. To build the ? portfolio by developing new marketing support material and allocation of
additional resources to the sales and service of this market segment.
11. As would be expected, the Top 50 Clients represent a far greater portion of Commission & Fee
revenue (?%) than their overall proportion, in numbers, of the business (?%). As a result it is
planned to continue to place greater emphasis on building and consolidating the relationship
with these clients.
12. Commence a process of formally assessing the long term ownership options of the business.
13. Proactively improve the quality of practical advice and support provided to clients when
assessing their sums insured.
14. Develop a Cyber Insurance capability within the business.
15. Identify potential new niche / specialty markets focused on our existing skill base.
To develop the business with a strong clear growth path that produces 20 % increase in income
and profit annually.
To be recognised by our clients as the best provider of financial services to their business.
MISSION
We will grow together with our clients by providing assistance and access to:
1. Staff with the expertise to identify needs and find solutions.
2. Value for money insurance protection and broking services.
3. Specific product coverage’s for target markets.
4. A professional and reputable business with a focus on service.
We are a Service Provider committed to adding value to our Clients purchase of Insurance. We
strive to be seen as excellent in the area of service and expertise in our chosen field. We strive to
offer a fulfilling environment for all Staff and an acceptable return to our Shareholders.
To advise on and protect our clients’ financial exposure to risks through the purchase of
competitively priced quality insurance products suitable to their wants.
Our aim is to add value to our client's business through the design and management of General
and Workers Compensation Insurance solutions.
We are committed to providing a level of service to our clients far in excess of the level of service
our clients expect.
Our mandate is to act in a manner of total trust, confidentiality and professionalism in all our
business dealings.
We seek to fully understand our client's business and continually keep updated with changes
occurring within our client's business to ensure the Insurance Solution we provide will meet their
requirements.
We must continually provide high quality documentation and service to all our clients and not
become complacent.
Our aim is to build a strong working relationship with our clients; a long-standing relationship built
on trust.
Our company will provide an environment of continued growth ensuring all staff are continually
developing their skills, which results in clients dealing with people who are extremely proficient in
the Insurance and Risk Management fields.
We are in the business of providing Service and Security enabling our clients to sleep easy without
worrying about their insurance.
The mission of the Company is to provide the best possible product advice and on-going support to
satisfy stakeholders of our professional and prudent offer by:
Working with industry participants to support industry development, change and regulation
Working with the market to ensure effective service and support for the Companies products
Encouraging our clients to provide our Company with feedback with regard to our performance
Encouraging our staff to develop their careers and aspirations and to pursue company
sponsored training programs
VALUES
Value Comment
Integrity and professionalism Ensure all staff and management set high standards in the way
they approach their day to day activities
Honesty and Good Faith Develop a reputation with customers and suppliers alike for
telling things the way they are, the good with the bad.
Service Excellence Develop a systematic approach to the way we do things to
achieve consistently superior outcomes for our clients.
Compliance Nurture a culture of compliance with staff understanding what
has to be done, why and what has to be done if things go off
the rails.
Enjoyment Whilst driving the business forward we need to remember that
we need to enjoy our work to consistently perform to our best.
Teamwork We work on the principle that Together Everyone Achieves
More
Understanding and Insurance can be complex and claims stressful; we need to
Approachable provide services as if were in the customers’ shoes.
Customers should be comfortable bringing their insurance
problems to us.
Energy and Action We look for opportunities, develop prospects and take action to
ensure our service meets our clients’ expectations.
OBJECTIVES
1. To achieve our annual 2019 – 2020 Sales / Expenses and Profit budget.
2. To achieve business income growth of ?
3. To achieve client retention rate of ?
4. To achieve an income to turnover rate of ?
5. To achieve an expense to income ratio of ?
6. To achieve an income per staff figure of ?
7. To maintain facilities with all existing insurers.
8. To develop relationships with ? new insurers.
9. To complete a formal external compliance review of the business.
10. To formalise Letters of Engagement with all major clients.
11. To have all new documentation electronically scanned.
12. To have Debtors of 60 days or more represent less than 10 % of outstanding debts.
13. To have staff turnover below ?
14. To appoint ? new Authorised Representatives/Distributors/Spotters
15. To enter / maintain profit share arrangement with ?
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths Weaknesses
Experience / expertise and market contacts of Lack of quality experienced staff able to support
management the business management functions.
Long standing and loyal client base Business not large enough to develop expertise
on Corporate style accounts.
Breadth of access and quality of relationship
with underwriters Portfolio of business not evenly spread across
insurers.
Experienced and well trained staff.
Age of principals/senior staff.
Business is of a size that lends itself to building
relationships with clients. Little formal allocation of clients to staff.
Stable computer and accounting systems in Minimal monitoring and measurement of
place. financial contribution of job roles.
Client relationships generally based on a sole
staff member.
Opportunities Threats
Cross-selling within existing client base. Loss of support from major insurer.
Using existing client base as a referral source. Failure to maintain AFS Licence
Poor service levels being offered by Payment options offered by competitors and
corporate/national brokers. costs incurred in providing same.
Develop junior staff to be more efficient, Loss of existing clients who fail in the current
effective and flexible. difficult economic climate.
Identify niche markets suitable for business. Reduction on interest income on Trust Funds
due to lower interest rates.
Reduced competition due to agents/brokers
selling. Client loss due to departure of key servicing
staff.
Reduce costs with technology.
Potential loss of commission income stream in
Increase income with formal fees policy.
medium / long term due to government
Purchase portfolios from brokers exiting the intervention.
market.
Direct insurer and internet based competitors in
Upgrade flood coverage to the client base. the SME market.
Deliver Policy documentation / invoices / Increased competition from the growing army of
FSG’s etc. electronically. Authorised Representatives.
Maximise Interest on Trust income by Potential changes/banning of commissions
restructuring banking arrangements. payable by insurers.
Increased sales via internet based delivery
options.
Growth in Cyber Insurance market.
STRATEGIES
1. Engage specialist consultant to review our compliance regime and overall business
professionalism.
2. Work on building a strong relationship with the key decision-makers of our top ten insurers.
3. Be pro active with Corporate / Commercial accounts likely to attract significant rate increases.
4. Focus on business leads from clients currently serviced by the larger corporate/multinational
brokers.
5. Maintain focus on commercial client segment.
6. Increase productivity through technology.
7. Sell the technical advice, policy coverage and service and not the price.
8. Focus and emphasise the personal nature of the client relationship and service.
9. Up skilling support functions to maintain and build business continuity.
10. Developing staff from within rather than seeking replacements from outside.
11. Maximise the take up of Premium Funding from the client base.
12. Assess the viability of Implementing the BPay facility.
13. Review all employment agreements to ensure they include an effective “non compete clause”.
14. Engage consultant to actively identify potential portfolio purchases.
15. Collect email addresses for all clients.
16. Increase our fee structures across the board and develop communication
tools/correspondence to support the increased fees.
GOALS
1. Review all office procedures and documentation and improve efficiency by the use of
technology by ?
2. Have an external Compliance Review undertaken in the 6 months to December 2016
3. Personal visits by one of the Responsible Manager(s) to each major insurer by ?
4. Responsible Manager(s) contact with second string suppliers by ?
5. Implement minimum fee structure by ?
6. Complete client segmentation program by ?
7. Implement formal Service standards by ?
8. Increase interest income by depositing part of the Trust Funds in a higher earning cash
management or similar ADI approved account.
9. Increase percentage of policies funded from X% to Y%.
10. Reduce Commission as a percentage of total income from X % to Y%.
PRESENT STATUS
BACKGROUND
The business has seen steady growth in income and profitability over the past few years.
Significant financial challenges have been placed on the business due to falling premiums. The
expected continuation of the impact of the low interest rate cycle on Trust Monies for 2018/19 is a
minor negative factor, together with generally flat growth in the SME sector and the rise of internet
based options for SME clients.
The Hayne Royal Commission has shown the big end of town in an extremely poor light and we
are exposed to any government Regulation/Legislation that may be applied across the whole
Financial Services sector.
PRODUCT ALLOCATION
Key information on the current split of products is detailed below
Class Percentage of Portfolio (By Earning Rate
Income/GWP)
Householders
Private Motor
Commercial Motor
ISR
Package
Liability
Marine
PI & D & O
Construction
Other
Total 100%
INSURER ALLOCATION
Key information on the current split of products is detailed below
Insurer Percentage of Portfolio
CGU
Allianz
Vero
QBE
Hollard
Zurich
Suncorp/AMP/GIO
AIG
Chubb
Berkley
Other
Total 100 %
LICENSE AUTHORISATIONS
The business is authorised to deal and arrange on behalf of others general insurance products for
both Retail and Wholesale clients. There are no plans to change this authorisation in the next
twelve months.
PROGRESS TO DATE
The following is an update on major projects /strategies implemented over the last twelve months.
Project Status Outstanding Work
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
Our performance last year was in line with our previous budget expectations. Business income
and profitability have both grown steadily and the underlying strength and diversity of our earnings
remain unchanged. Expenses were in line with budget.
PRODUCT/SERVICE DESCRIPTION
We will continue to provide traditional general insurance broking services to our clients as reflected
in our AFSL Licence. There are no changes to our services or activities that require any change in
our AFSL Licence.
The services provided are spelt out in our Broking Service Standards and the delivery of the
services controlled by our Broking Policy and Procedures.
ORAL DISCLOSURE
To ensure that we meet the requirements of Oral disclosure required by Licensees dealing with
Retail Clients we have developed an Oral Disclosure script. The script has been reviewed to
ensure that it continues to meet our responsibilities.
COMPETITION
Insurers
This has been a concentration of insurers where streamlining of back office support and tightening
claims management processes have led to the development of substantial call centre operations
as a primary tool of customer interaction.
As a result of the current trends in the general insurance marketplace we have seen somewhat of
an exodus from one on one services being provided by the major insurers in favour of streamlined
call centres managing consumers straightforward retail and small business insurance
requirements.
Direct insurers will continue to attract price sensitive domestic clients and start to reach into the
small business area over the next few years. These direct insurers are unlikely to offer our clients
personalised service, leading to us being able to clearly differentiate ourselves (at an increased
cost) from this market when we choose.
Brokers
As a relatively small business with a diverse range of clients across a broad range of activities
there is no specific competitor that is likely to significantly impact our operations.
Over the past five years we have seen an explosion in the number of Authorised Representatives
operating in the market. It is estimated that there has been as many as 200 new AR’s enter the
market, they are income driven and very hungry to write business, sometimes at whatever cost.
The Act also provides for existing Financial Services players to expand into the General Insurance
industry relatively easily however we do not anticipate any significant increases, if any, in the
overall level of broker competition we will face in the next twelve months.
The use of Internet based distribution channels will also continue to grow with a small segment of
our clients.
PRODUCT RESEARCH *
We are not undertaking any expansion of business activities over the next twelve months.
We have reviewed our Product Research Policy and Procedures and confirmed that it continues to
meet our requirements and will ensure our compliance with our legal obligations.
We have reviewed the security and service performance of each of the products that we use within
the business and confirm the product range continues to meet our expectations and the
requirements of our customers.
The business does not currently have nor contemplates entering any binder arrangements.
OPERATIONAL PLANS
Detailed plans for the achievement of the strategies, objectives and goals in this plan are living
documents and are subject to ongoing development and change. As such we have not included
them within the Business Plan. These plans are detailed in our Operational Plans document and
are maintained by the Responsible Manager(s). Detailed below is a summary of the key
management processes that will support the business in achieving our objectives.
Issue Action
Marketing Development and implementation of a promotional /communications plan
Review of competitor activity and respond accordingly.
Sales Recruit an additional Account Executive
Up selling & cross selling included in all renewal processes.
Develop and monitor formal sales reports, actual Vs budget Vs last year.
Commence analysis of income Commission Vs Fees
Formal sales meeting shall be held on a monthly basis.
Operations Automatically issue reinstatement letter to Underwriter once claim has
been notified.
Have all Claim Forms, Policy wordings and PDS’s, Proposal Forms and
our FSG available electronically.
Request client to write advising cancellation of policy
Return Premiums only to be processed on confirmation from insurer.
Return premiums to be approved by Responsible Manager prior to
drawing cheque
A full review of IT usage within the business and implementation of
findings.
Conduct review of broker fees to ensure they are fair and reasonable and
are being disclosed to clients in a timely and effective fashion.
Staff Hold regular staff meetings
Complete Job Descriptions or Task Matrix for all staff
Ensure relevant and productive training is planned and achieved
Compliance Have external compliance review undertaken
Ensure Board meetings review Compliance system and Breach Register
Finance Develop / implement / use monthly Actual Vs Budget Vs Last Year
Cash flow & Profit and loss
Customer Service (monthly)
Initiate process to purchase Brokerage businesses
Buy premises once current lease expires
MANAGEMENT REVIEW*
There are no plans to make any changes to our Responsible Manager(s) or their duties in the next
year. At this stage we have not identified any staff with the immediate potential to develop to a
Responsible Manager level. We will continue to monitor this area as part of our annual appraisal
process.
We have also monitored and reviewed the level of training and personal development undertaken
by the Responsible Manager(s) and believe that they have maintained the necessary knowledge
and skills to support the business in meeting its obligations.
We have reviewed the risks associated with the loss of a Responsible Manager(s) and believe are
current contingency plans adequately cover this exposure.
ORGANISATION CHART*
A current copy of the Organisation Chart is maintained on our Intranet.
SUCCESSION PLANNING
At this stage the current business owners consider that there is little likelihood or plan of any
significant changes in the ownership/control or management of the business in the next five years
and therefore have not put into place any specific succession planning steps or processes.
There are no expected changes to Responsible Managers over the next twelve months and MSM
Compliance Services have been engaged to provide a Relieving Responsible Manager facility
should the need arise.
PRIVACY REVIEW
We have reviewed our compliance with our Privacy obligations over the past year and there have
been no breaches identified. We have not identified any Overseas Suppliers that warrant specific
notification to any of our clients.
We have reviewed the Privacy Policy and Procedures and confirmed that they continue to meet
our requirements and will ensure our compliance with our legal obligations.
OUTSOURCING REVIEW*
The business has no plans to outsource any additional critical business activities in the next twelve
months.
We have reviewed the Outsourcing Policy and Procedures and confirmed that they continue to
meet our requirements and will ensure our compliance with our legal obligations. All outsourced
activities are included in our Organisation Chart. We have reviewed the performance of all
outsourced suppliers, in a similar fashion to that applied to staff.
FINANCIAL ISSUES
RG166
For the coming year the business has decided to use Option ? within RG166 to meet our financial
obligations.
KEY ASSUMPTIONS
The following key assumptions underpin our budget.
1. Staff numbers will remain unchanged, with salary levels increasing by 5% - 7 % due to
inflationary pressures, increased brokerage profitability, increased staff productivity and the
shortage of suitably trained staff within the financial services industry.
2. Professional Indemnity and Other Insurance costs will remain steady or reduce slightly from
last year.
3. Other expenses will move marginally upwards in line with inflation.
4. Fee income per client will be maintained.
5. Commission income per client will increasemarginally due to increasing premium levels, whilst
commission rates themselves will stabilise and possible drop marginally in some areas.
6. Client and policy numbers are anticipated to continue to increase in line with historical trends.
7. We will retain the majority of our major clients and the overall client retention ratio should
remain steady over the next twelve months.
8. Sundry income from premium funding, affinity group incentives etc will remain relatively
unchanged.
9. Interest income will remain relatively unchanged.
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
The business draws its income from a varied source of clients. No one client or client grouping
makes up more than 10 % of our annual income. Our exposure therefore to loss of income due to
the loss of a single client is minimal.
The other factor that may impact our revenue streams would be loss of insurer support. Our
analysis of the market and the business we have placed with our largest insurer leads us to believe
that this business could be readily and easily transferred to another carrier should the need arise.
There would probably be some marginal expense increases and revenue losses should this occur.
RATIO ANALYSIS
Ratio Last Year This Year Comment
Income to turnover
Fees Vs Total Income
Commission Vs Total Income
Income per Staff member
Expenses to Income
NPBT to Income
Staff Expenses to Income
Insurance to Income
Cost per staff member
Premises costs to Income
New business per staff member
Client numbers per staff member
Debtors over 60 days as % of total
debtors.
CONCLUSION
The planning process has provided an opportunity for us to formally review the performance of our
business over the past twelve months. It is pleasing to note that we have made progress on many
fronts and are now better placed than ever to take the business forward.