Over the past few months, we’ve been explaining the model that Gauntlet Group has pioneered – and which other networks have sought to copy – Gauntlet De-authorisation Fast-track (GDF).  But now, we want to explain it in a different way, as it’s occurred to us that it’s pretty much like looking at a deconstructed dish or sandwich.

So, firstly, what is a deconstructed dish or sandwich?  Well, it’s a dish that’s broken down into the component parts that make it tick.  Take a BLT, for instance.  We can all buy a BLT, but if we broke that down into the parts that comprise it, we’d have bread, butter, bacon, lettuce, tomato and probably some mayo, sitting on different parts of the plate.  We can then put that together as we wish, constructing our ideal snack.

But, if we do that, and we’re given the choice, we might leave some things out.  The things that might really tickle our taste buds might be the bread, bacon, tomato and perhaps the mayo.  We might not be as keen to tuck into the lettuce and butter, but know that we need them, in order to deliver the complete experience and make a sale.

Deconstruction, as a culinary trend, was an invention that enabled chefs to present all of the key components of a dish at the same time, but not necessarily mixed together.  The starting point, for those wanting to follow this technique, is to drill down to the core idea behind the dish and then rebuild from there, to make it as palatable as possible.

Let us tell you, de-authorisation is exactly the same.  It starts with the core idea – delivering a top level of broking service to the customer, whilst making the best living possible from the provision of a broking service.  From there, it’s a case of taking an existing brokerage and breaking it down into its component parts.  If you laid those on a plate, you would probably have customer relationships, risk appreciation and assessment, quotes (market access), compliance, administration (post-sale service), sales and marketing, and accounting.

When an existing broker then looks at this plate, they may well see that they really only have an appetite for some of it.  They probably want to dive their knife and fork into client relationships and appreciation of risk, but shove to one side the compliance, administration, accounting and marketing and perhaps even sales.  Those are the peas of the plate.  They probably want to nibble at the quotes side, but can’t find what they really want on the market stall, so it’s not very satisfying.

Why broker de-authorisation is so compelling

So, this is why broker de-authorisation is so advantageous for those who feel this way.  The dream of being directly authorised may have turned into a harsh reality – the fact that it involves paying out for offices, staff wages and overheads and involves a weighty requirement to continually handle FCA compliance and accounting duties, whilst also trying to find time to sell and market the business.  It becomes joyless.  Brokers want a simpler diet, focused on what they really want to devour.

By becoming an appointed representative with Gauntlet Group, as an alternative to direct authorisation, they can immediately deconstruct their business and just focus on those bits for which they do still have an appetite.  All IT, compliance, sales and marketing, administration and accounting can be handled by the Gauntlet back-office team and consultants.  They can have an easier, happier and, often more lucrative life, by just doing what they do best – dealing with clients, assessing their risk and then, not even broking that risk, unless they really want to.  Tapping into Gauntlet’s buying power, they can gain better premiums or policy wordings for their clients, making things even better, when it comes to reinforcing their client relationships.  They don’t have to sell up and then lose their ongoing income-earning potential and, as importantly, can retain the social life that is intrinsically linked to their life as a broker.

One thing that experts agree on is that you can’t really deconstruct a burger.  You need to focus on a good quality dish, before you begin analysing which parts can be successfully taken apart and rebuilt in a different mode.  That’s why, here at Gauntlet Group, we only focus and accept true professionals into our network.  All the dishes we serve up, have to be of top-quality standard.  We are NOT the network that has an appetite for those with minimal experience, no commitment to standards and a poor PI record.  If that’s what you want, others will serve you.

The Lemon Tart Analogy

Let’s conclude this analogy with a little trip into the kitchen of Michelin Star chef, Massimo Bottura, owner of Osteria Francescana, in Modena, Italy, the World’s Best Restaurant in 2016.

Massimo now serves a dish that is hugely successful and which is one of his star performers – ‘Oops, I Dropped the Lemon Tart’.   This is a deconstructed dish, based on a tasty, upside down and smashed-up lemon tart.  It came to prominence, and was put on the menu, after Japanese sous chef, Taka Kondo, dropped a lemon tart dish one day, when working in the eatery.  It was a mistake and a mess.  However, when picked up and put back together in a different way, it took on a different form.  Its new form became an overnight success.

Massimo has said of this dish that its success comes from the fact that he never cared about the aesthetics of the final plated-up dish, only the ethics of what was being served up.  Translate that into the world of insurance broking and we can say the same.  We do not care whether you serve your customers from a signage-toting, swanky office, or from your home, as long as you back your service delivery with the ethics that we ourselves apply to all we do. Your brokerage does not need to look pretty, with all the frills and lots of staff.  It just needs to serve your, and your clients’, needs and be super-ethical.

Sometimes, by deconstructing our ‘dish’ and seeing what works and what doesn’t,  and finding what we can push to the side of the plate and what we can leave on our plate, to relish to our heart’s content, we can become far more satisfied with what life serves up.

If you’re ready to deconstruct what you serve to clients and more than willing to drop the lemon tart, to make what you do even more tasty for your clients and access a service that zings, you need to take a look at Gauntlet De-authorisation Fast-track.  Head to the rest of our Gauntlet Enterprise website (www.appointedrepresentatives.com), to find out more.