ADVISER PROFILE

BY DANIEL SMITH

As some rugby players remark that it was inevitable for them to play professionally given their enthusiasm for the game, Brian Burgess believes that his passion for insurance means he was bound to find himself working in the industry.

Unlike many in the insurance business Burgess started young. “I have always been a real advocate for insurance. My sister worked with a lady whose husband was an insurance agent. I was 17-18 at the time. One of the things I used to do to earn some money was recommend people to him for insurance [and in return] I would get a little referral fee. I was probably just a bit of a natural born salesman. If I find something I like I tell people about it.”

But what started as a way for a teenager to earn a couple of extra bucks soon turned into a lifelong career, especially after Burgess considered the perks that ran with the job. “When I started to consider the options, I was thinking about what business opportunities I have where I can dictate my own hours, dictate my income, work for myself, but also provide a product for people. When I put up what the industry offered against what I wanted I thought ‘hey, that is a pretty good match’.”

The good match was solidified when a young Burgess got a couple of successful claims paid for his clients in the beginning. “I started talking to friends and family, doing what you do when you are new. I got a couple of claims early on which cemented that this is a really good thing and I am glad that I am doing it.”

Seeing the impact of a successful insurance claim on his clients’ lives deeply impacted Burgess in a way that has continued throughout his career and into his current role. “For me it is all about the claim. That is very much the ethos of the business I am a part of now, SwainWoodham. We articulate this to clients on a really regular basis, that we walk the talk. Nothing makes my [blood] boil more than when I see an adviser pointing their clients to an 0800 number. Advisers need to look after their clients all the way through, they really need to be there at claim time.”

This firm belief in the role of the adviser continues to be central to Burgess as he finds himself in the more serious side of the insurance business. “As I am getting older I am getting into more dramatic situations [via clients]. I just feel that the adviser is in such an honoured position in their clients’ lives. We are so privileged. People are on the phone with us really early on when they have concerns. I have been part of a journey with so many people and it truly is an honour. We are so privileged to do what we do.”

Another person that Burgess feels honoured to be on the insurance journey with is his wife Lynette Anderson. Burgess says that he felt like a “wandering generality”, but that all changed when he met his wife Lynette. “We became a team. From that moment we really got our act together. It just works really well, she handles client appointments, she’s my logistics genius, she does everything really. I give her huge amounts of credit for taking me from someone who was just bumping into things and trying to make it work, to when we got together [and] became a team that could really make things happen.”

This major gear shift in Burgess’ life and career came when his team expanded from a team of one to a team of two. Joining a large adviser organisation was the next stage in discovering that more boots on the ground can mean more achievement in helping clients.

“When I became part of a bigger and broader organisation, those philosophies I had built up over the years truly carried through. I did the solo thing for such a long time until Lynette came along. I went from home to home trying to figure it out, I was very much a one-man band. The power of coming together with the guys at SwainWoodham, to build a case, to discuss a claim, to look at a different angle, to share knowledge, it is just gold. I don’t know how people can do without it, it would be such a mission to go back to solo now.

“I guess it is just that power of synergy. When two people come together they get more of a result than two individuals working alone. Bigger and better things happen basically. You leverage their knowledge, you get inspired by them when you are having a flat patch. The chairman of SwainWoodham when I joined was Ken Swain and he talked about joining MDRT [Million Dollar Round Table] which was something I just never thought I could remotely aspire to. But then those numbers soon became a reality. Having a guy like Ken who could really help you lift your sights was vital.”

Looking ahead to an industry that is going to be facing huge regulation change in the coming year, Burgess is confident that advisers have what it takes to see things through. “At the end of the day all we have to do is prove what we have been doing already. Most advisers do a good job. Some people like to throw rocks at other advisers, but by and large most of them do a bloody good job. We are going to keep doing what we have always done, but we are just going to make sure we can demonstrate it not only to a third party but also to the client. I just don’t see that as a bad thing.”

When Burgess isn’t working he is a man being kept youthful by his six children and his nine grandchildren (plus one more on the way). Burgess also enjoys cooking on his Weber barbeque grill, sipping a good wine and watching whatever sport happens to be showing on the telly. A