Some people have their career paths mapped out since elementary school, while others take time to explore their skills and interests, and eventually find a role that aligns with both. That was the case for broker Daniel Cook (pictured), who dipped his toes briefly into insurance before returning to it years later.
“My dad had been in the industry, so he directed me to take this business insurance program that was offered at Algonquin College in Ottawa,” he told Insurance Business. “It worked towards what they now call your CIP designation.”
However, the course wasn’t exactly Cook’s cup of tea due to the heavy exam load. It has since evolved at other colleges and has been amended to be more student-friendly, but at the time, it deterred Cook from continuing on in the industry. He instead found a job working for a carpenter and roofer, and then worked in the mechanical trades for two years, when he decided to make another career change.
“I went, ‘I think I want to have a career instead of just a job,’ and I said, ‘Well, maybe I’ll try to do something with this diploma.’ I applied at a local brokerage in Brockville and they didn’t hire me, and then I found an opening here,” said Cook, today a partner and account executive at McDougall Insurance & Financial (formerly Brister Group) in Prescott, ON. “They hired me in November of 1998, and I’ve been here ever since.”
While Cook dabbled in different careers, he did have a goal in mind since he was young, which was to own a business. McDougall Insurance ended up being a great fit since the brokerage offered him the opportunity for ownership.
In the meantime, Cook got involved in the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario’s (IBAO) Young Broker Council (YBC), and, after he turned 40, an opportunity came up to take a seat on the IBAO board of directors.
“I thought, ‘I’ve really enjoyed the YBC, so why not try the IBAO?’ My dad had been on it in the early 1990s before I was ever in the industry, and he always spoke highly of it,” said Cook, describing the board, where he’s currently the Territory 12 director, as a fellowship. “I’m not against other brokers – they’re not my direct competition in my mind. The All States and the State Farms and the direct writers, those are my direct competition. I’m not here to run any other broker down because they’re the same as me. They’re people who live in their communities and they run their businesses there, and they care about what happens in Prescott or Spencerville or Kingston or Toronto.
“Us being together, having our membership with the IBAO, we’re doing what’s best for brokers and in turn, doing what’s best for consumers.”
In fact, Cook’s proudest accomplishment has been his work with clients, and the relationships he’s established over the course of his 20-plus year broking career. He recently had a client that he spent four hours with figuring out the best coverages for all of this insured’s needs, which ran the gamut from commercial insurance to motorcycle insurance. The experience underscored the kind of broker Cook wants to be.
“I’d rather deal very well with a smaller number of people than try to have massive amounts of clients. I want to have a relationship with every person at the company and I want to know their name, I want to know their face, I want to recognize them on the street when I go by them and say, ‘Hey, Bill, how’s it going?’ ‘Hey, Susan, how’s your daughter doing in gymnastics?’” said Cook. “I’d rather have that, than just write and process.”
After all, he added, the broker-customer relationship is built on trust.
“I’ve told customers that I have been working with that the only way this is going to work is if you trust me, and I’m only ever going to do what’s right for you. I’m not doing anything to ever put you in harm’s way. That’s never my intention, and it never will be my intention,” the broker said. “My mother taught me to treat everybody like you want to be treated and everything will work out, so that’s what I’ve tried to do.”
