Page 248 - harryDEC12_clean.iba

John Hughes had got up and seized the extended hand and said formally, in a tone reserved for Englishmen only:
„Nice to meet you too, SIR.“
Then Fred fired away without warning:
"I’m Mister Yacht Insurance of Australia,"
Was his modest introduction and we looked at each other and in our looks was anticipation of failure.
„I have more than thirty years of experience in the Market, I’m a passionate sailor, my clientele includes more than 20,000 insurance clients with a premium revenue of 20 million Australian dollars. We’re organized in the form of a club with high standards and criteria of acceptance...”
(Not a word about that he had sold his business to MMI, that was already the past as far as he was concerned and why bother an insurer with such minor details?)
"...I’m looking for a competent insurer, the Lloyd’s label would be ideal since Lloyd’s enjoys great respect on our continent. Of course that would work only if I was accredited with the status of a cover holder that gives me as much freedom as possible to operate in the interests of the insurers in London. We do yacht insurance in a different way than you here in London, more personally. My clients feel they are part of a yachting community under our flag, „
He said - stretching the word COMPETENT unnecessarily long then pointing to the text of a brochure:
"YACHT CLUB OF AUSTRALIA is unique. When you arrange insurance for your boat, you aren’t just a number on a policy - you become a member of a Club and you receive an individual card that entitles you to a whole range of exclusive services and benefits, like Assistance-that's why we’ve also created a policy with a personal flavor. Clear language, no lawyer’s jargon. We offer services that go far beyond mere insurance protection: winter camps, organizing moorings, legal protection, and of course a club magazine with interesting contributions on sailing areas and the fascinating world of islands - that has a resounding Marketing effect. I don’t understand why the innovative Englishmen haven’t come on this idea ages ago. But above all we administer the business using the most modern technology, online quotes with storage of data on the most modern IBM AS 400 machines - a breakthrough ... „
John Hughes turned to me, trying to be technical after this barrage of words: „Have you got by any chance an inventory listing and statistics?“
247