Elliott Australia Group
Last years’ ranking: 6
JOHN ELLIOTT, CEO
What’s your reaction to making the Top 10 Brokerages list in 2014?
Once again it’s a rewarding feeling for the team here to be recognised following another year of hard work. Sometimes we all get so absorbed in our own worlds that we fail to benchmark ourselves on others out there. To find out again that we are continuing to improve and grow the business amongst the Top 10 Brokerages in Australia is a very rewarding feeling.
What is one thing you did differently this year, and why?
We brought our focus back on our systems and service. We are growing at such a rate that you must ensure that the service offering you have and the systems in place are faultless. We want our clients to be our best advocates of our remarkable service offering, and this requires a team prepared to go over and above for every client interaction we have.
What would you say was the biggest challenge of the last year?
This year I handed the last of my clients to the team here in order to focus on management and direction of the company. It was a very hard decision to make, as dealing with clients and bringing more on is how I have grown this company. However, I had the confidence in the guys and girls here that this was the right time to make this transition. Making my new role profitable and beneficial to the company is my next challenge.
Where do you think growth opportunities lie for brokers in the years ahead?
Acquisition, People, Online. Our three focuses over the last five years have worked well for us. We have invested highly into these three areas and it has paid off well, and we will continue to do so. We are currently open for our next acquisition for a brokerage up to two million income. As much as we are faced with extremely competitive markets, there is as much business to be won as there as lost. With the right people on board this competitive market can be like shooting fish in a barrel for some brokers. Taking business from complacent brokers and direct insurers that just roll the arm over each year is rife!
Is there a philosophy or practice that you feel sets your brokerage apart?
We feel the responsibility of running a good profitable business is ours, not the client’s. Profit can be found inside your business without having to simply charge your client more in order to keep up with rising business expenses. We are consistently trying to automate, improve and create systems and procedures that enable us to offer a great service but at a very affordable price. This is one of our major points of difference.
Is there something the industry need to change so it can better service clients?
I think the industry needs to stop living in the past. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing expecting a different result. If brokers try to stick to tradition they will lose the battle against direct insurers and other models. It’s up to our industry to be leading the way, in technology, systems and support for our clients.
