08 July, 2016

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Footman James Shortlisted In UK Broker Awards

Footman James has been shortlisted for the prestigious UK Broker AwardsThe classic car insurance firm has reached the final of the Schemes Broker of the Year category. The winners will be announced at The Brewery in London on Friday, September 16. Footman James faces competition from four other finalists in this category.

What are the UK Broker Awards?

They began in 1994 and are widely regarded as the insurance broker industry’s premier awards. Winning an award is thought to demonstrate that insurance brokers are well regarded in the sector.

What Footman James is required to do

It will need to prove to the judging panel that it is committed to bringing a high level of service in all aspects of its operations. The judges will also be looking for the winner to have a successful track record in the industry and be set for growth in new markets as well as existing ones. Employee training, successful niche audience targeting and profitable insurer partnership programmes are also expected.

Should Footman James win, it will automatically go forward to the Insurance Broker of the Year section. The 12-strong judging panel includes British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) executive director Graeme Trudgill and Emmanuel Kenning, the Insurance Age editor.

Plus factors

Footman James hopes to win over judges with its trailblazing FJ+ scheme. This has helped to underpin a raft of personalised micro-schemes, 15 of which have been set up with classic car owners’ clubsThese micro-schemes have surpassed Footman James’s already healthy overall performance. Conversions for the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club and Morris Minor Owners’ Club (MMOC) hit 58% and 55% respectively.

The results follow a change of policy at the end of 2013, when Footman James decided that it wanted to stand out from the competition. This meant specialising in classic bikes and motors and it chose to offer bespoke products within these areas. Dialogues with the MMOC identified a gap in the market, with the result that Footman James started covering Morris Minor drivers with provisional licences under its “Young Enthusiast” initiative.

It also recognised that many owners of classics do not use the cars as their primary vehicle. This has been reflected in rates for members of Lotus and Jaguar drivers clubs. The new approach followed extensive consultation with over 10,000 customers.

In this time Footman James has acquired a trio of new partners which share its vision - Chubb for private clients, NIG, and Ageas for personal lines. The MMOC and Mazda MX5 Owners’ Club have written testimonials recommending Footman James.

Now it’s over to the judges…