FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Swamped: Thoughts on the Insurance Industry with Chris Boschman from Exclusive Floors
Natural disasters like floods can send homeowners reeling, but what happens after the water recedes? Remediation Manager Chris Boschman of Exclusive Floors takes Cam and Tyler through a typical restoration, offering insight into the assessment, insurance, and installation phases. The Primco pair learn that while a client’s journey back home can be emotional, affiliate retailers make that trip a lot less bumpy.
“The pictures really didn’t do it justice,” says Chris of the recent flooding in Western Canada. “When you see entire areas of highways and overpasses that are completely underwater, you just understand how big the devastation was.” Regional disasters rightly make headlines. But hyperlocal incidents like a burst pipe or house fire can be just as devastating to a homeowner.
Regardless of the cause, repairing that damage requires cooperation from multiple entities––and an abundance of empathy. Unlike new construction or renovation clients, restoration clients are reluctant shoppers, picking a new floor because they have to, not because they want to. “They’re dealing with the trauma and shock of waking up at two in the morning with water dripping on their face.”
The process often includes a physical relocation, adding logistical challenges for homeowners already forced into a tense situation. Still, restoration offers clients the chance to level up their living spaces in the wake of devastation. There’s no better time for homeowners to reevaluate their lifestyle needs or opt for a style refresh than when an insurance company is involved. “We can’t go in looking at it as we’re hungry for more than they’re willing to spend,” Chris acknowledges, “but we [as retailers] do want to present them with the opportunity.”
Once the insurance company accepts the entire remediation package (think: drywall, flooring, electrical, etc.), homeowners have the option to absorb the cost of upgraded materials over the amount established on their original, now damaged flooring. “It’s kind of a nice way to really take something that’s usually super-difficult and at least try and put somewhat of a positive spin on it,” says Tyler.
Cam agrees, pointing to Primco’s recent inclusion as an affiliated vendor through Consensus, a third-party flooring appraisal company that provides retailers and, in turn, homeowners with access to a broader range of products––and the quickest route from ruin to restoration.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Consensus Resource Group
QUOTES
Chris Boschman
“When you work in a retail store, most of the customers that walk through the door are excited to do what they’re doing. When you’re dealing with the restoration, most of this is because something is forced on them. And, so, they’re dealing with, you know, the trauma and shock of waking up at two in the morning with water dripping on their face.”
“You have to treat restoration customers with a little more bedside manner than you would a retail customer who’s walking in the door happy to do their renovation.”
“So as far as getting involved in the insurance industry, if you don’t have a program like ICC or Consensus, it’s going to be hard for you to break into it.”
“We want to help them put their lives back together, and if we can do that, then we can establish a word of mouth network that can’t be bought through advertising.”
Cam Overacker
“Because most of our listeners are, you know, dealers or salespeople that work at dealers, things like that, I think it’s a good point that the restoration work or insurance business is something that’s always there. It doesn’t matter, you know, your pipes bursting can happen in a recession. It can happen in a boom time as well. So it’s business that kind of helps, too, helps your profitability from, you know, the ebbs and flows of day-to-day business that happens with all of us.”
Tyler Yelland
“It’s kind of a nice way to really, like, to take something that’s, usually super difficult, negative, and at least try and put somewhat of a positive spin on it because there’s, you got to look at a little bit of the bright side of the whole thing. Otherwise, it’ll get you down every day.”
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Know Where You Stand is produced and edited by The Creative Impostor Studios.
To learn more about topics we discuss, visit https://primco.ca/ or contact your local sales rep.
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