Winning brokers and getting away with it
Well the UK Broker Awards are over for another year but the general consensus was that they were one of the best yet. Don't believe me? Just ask Coversure's Bob Darling. Observers say that he was so happy at one of the company's franchisee's wins that he looked "positively giddy with excitement" and it has been suggested that he resembled "an overexcited Labrador pup". Not my words you understand - just reporting the market chat.The most touching win of the day was John Moore, chairman of Thomas, Carroll who picked up the achievement award. The man looked genuinely honoured to have won which is handy as there's nothing worse than an ungrateful winner. I don't know the man personally but everyone I spoke to says that not a better man could have won it.
But it wasn't all sweetness and light. When the Aviva-sponsored award came up, a ripple of boos crept across the room. Which is odd. Of all the large insurers, Aviva has done more for brokers than any other, as far as I can see. Maybe the reality of day to day dealing with the insurer is rather different?
Anyway, those slight unpleasantries aside, it was a great day and a wonderful showcase for what good brokers can do.
The only downside for me was a strange affliction that hit me as soon as I started to deliver my opening speech. I hadn't been nervous at all in the lead-up which did concern me but I put it down to me simply being an incredibly cool customer who refuses to be flustered by mere trifles such as public speaking.
When I finally got up and started to talk however, my left leg started to tremble uncontrollably. It was one of the strangest sensations. The shaking was so intense I think I compromised the structural integrity of the stage. It was like there was a wee pneumatic drill in my leg and eventually I had to deliver my speech with the offending leg raised off the ground.
Not quite the Churchillian delivery I had intended but either I got away with it or the broking market is much more polite than I gave it credit for.
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