Phonebooks might not be as widely used today as they were before the days of the internet, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t proven their value, as one broker discovered when she fell into an insurance career.
“As most brokers will admit, it was not my dream career growing up. My father was a broker and he would constantly encourage me to get into the industry. I resided in Burlington my entire life, had an amazing career in pre-employment screening, and then I met my future husband, who is from Sudbury,” said Jennifer Savage (pictured), personal insurance broker at Cambrian Insurance Brokers. “When I relocated to Northern Ontario, I had no career to fall back on and my father once again suggested that I look into the possibility of insurance. I took the phonebook and found Cambrian Insurance. I explained that I had no experience, and the brokerage took me right under their wing. I have been here 14 years and can honestly say that I have never looked back.”
Savage is also the Territory 2 Team Leader for the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario’s (IBAO) Young Brokers Council (YBC). Her path to this involvement was likewise through the good ol’ fashioned print media.
“There was an advertisement in a magazine and I thought, how cool would it be to meet more people like me that are new to the industry?” said Savage. “At the time, it felt that everyone I knew had been in insurance forever. I wanted a different perspective and that I got – and more! Being involved in this group brings me together with other likeminded individuals who are newer to the industry, not just younger. We are a little insurance community always welcoming people to join. It is important for us all to stay abreast of the changes within our industry and to help be part of the insurance evolution.”
Some of those changes include the recent differentiation of how the various markets provide water coverage, which Savage says has “definitely created many challenges and opportunities in my role of new business sales.”
“Although it seems like a full-time job to keep up with the various coverages and exclusions the different markets have implemented on water coverage, it allows me to better educate prospective clients, and provide alternate insurance quotes with different limits and risk management strategies,” she added.
Savage’s key accomplishments in the industry include becoming part of the YBC executive, though she’s also proud to say that she obtained her life insurance licence through the Life License Qualification Program (LLQP).
“It was a self-study course and being able to do that with two young children at home was an accomplishment in itself,” said Savage.
Meanwhile, the connections and contacts she’s made with underwriters, CEOs, brokers, and industry leaders through the YBC have been a value-add to her work, and she suggests others take part in YBC-related opportunities.
“If you want a fresh outlook on your insurance career in two days, go to the YBC Conference. It is more focused towards challenges and trends within the industry,” recommended Savage.
