George Seatter, Director of Vizion Private Clients talks to May Walker-Wallis, Head of Marketing at Vizion about his journey so far.
MAY: George, tell me a little bit about your background.
GEORGE: I’ve been involved in the Private Client insurance industry for the past 17 years and during that time I have been fortunate enough to work as part of some brilliant companies.
The early years of my career I spent at Stackhouse Poland helping to develop their relationship with St James’s Place; this is now widely recognised as the best example of organic growth through a panel of strategic introducers. During my time as MD of Green Park, I honed a ‘best in class’ approach to portfolio insurance – a consolidation of my clients’ requirements into a single tailored programme. Following this, my two years spent with SPF Private Clients allowed Savills to stand apart from any other Estate Agents by truly understanding where insurance adds value to their proposition, thereby achieving a six-fold increase in the number of converted referrals.
MAY: How do you go about getting to new clients?
GEORGE: I am also a passionate believer in building a business through networking – this is much more than attending breakfast or lunch clubs (although I have done a lot of this too). It’s more about the belief in helping others and the old principle of “givers gain”.
MAY: What makes a great Private Client broker?
GEORGE: My time with these companies has helped form some fundamental beliefs about how Private Client insurance should be handled. For me, it is always about a deep understanding of my clients’ requirements, and a passion to “go the extra mile” to ensure not just satisfaction but a genuine customer delight. I know from personal experience that passionate clients are often the best referrers of a business.
MAY: Tell me how you ended up joining Vizion.
GEORGE: Upon meeting John, Chris, Jerry and Trevor, it was apparent that we shared this common ethos. I still had a burning ambition to grow my own boutique insurance broker, and the ability to partner with individuals who are truly respected and admired in the industry was too good to turn down. This, combined with an opportunity to be involved from day one with a drive to help them develop their proposition made this a very straightforward decision.
MAY: Can you share your experience of being in the business so far?
GEORGE: Fast forward nearly three years - I can honestly say that I have few regrets. Whilst it’s been challenging at times, I’ve always been able to count on John and the team for support when required. My business has grown quickly, with new clients from my panel of introducers and long-standing clients returning to the fold as they prefer the more personal service we deliver. Continuing to deliver this as the business grows will be one of the challenges for the future.
MAY: What does the future hold?
GEORGE: I have now made it into a fully-fledged appointed representative which was always a goal of mine and demonstrates that it’s been successful from both sides. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow the business over the next 7-10 years.
