The Dividends That Trust Pays

As any successful entrepreneur can attest, managing success is much more challenging than managing failure, but the payoff is a darn sight better

We feel very fortunate that Cornerstone Insurance Services Incorporated has enjoyed the level of success that it has. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the foundation of the success we have enjoyed is Trust.

Many years ago a healthy level of dissatisfaction led us to seek out, discover and innovate solutions that would allow us to grow the way that we knew we could. We were a vibrant growing company, but we were running flat out with no time to spare.

That course of discovery led to the realization that we had to let the genie out of the bottle. Who are we and how do we tell our story? The genie was TRUST! I mean integrity in every way.

We knew what it meant to us and our clientele, but to everyone else we just looked like every other broker out there. Realize that the insurance industry is predicated on the premise of “utmost good faith”. All relationships depend on it . . .

Re-insurance Co. > < Insurance Co. > <Broker > < Client > < Claims > < Service Providers

. . . And that the stereotypes of our industry are the opposite.

So how do we tell our story? An early goal was to develop our Core Values.

A first reaction might be: LOL, Hokey *&$#)$@#!

Maybe.

If you write them on a plaque on the wall and forget about them, then yes they are, in fact, useless and nerd worthy. If you live them every day and get everyone else to know and understand them, it will serve you, them and your clients very well.

Today Cornerstone’s core values are known and practiced by everyone in the organization. Within a month of the time anyone on-boards with Cornerstone, they know the core values and can state them unaided. I challenge you to call the office and ask the question. “Can you tell me the Cornerstone core values?”

Okay, so that’s the easy part. Beyond developing living core values we had to tell our story to everyone within the industry too. By “tell the story” I mean earn the trust. I know eh? Easy to say. We have worked very hard to not only consistently do the right thing, but also to let it be known that regardless of the consequences to us we will not deviate from the path of integrity.

Today our reputation with clients and within our industry is that we are reliable, trustworthy, efficient and friendly. The dividends that integrity pay is that we have become the magnetic broker we wanted to be.

Clients come to us because they know they can trust us to do what is their best interest. Employees come to us because they know they can excel and be successful here. Insurance companies come to us because they want to partner with integrity that generates new business.

Great People > Great Relationships > Great Rewards