Feature: Parlow/Ensurco
It is always a nice change to chat with an old friend for the purposes of a “work” story and such was the case when I chatted with Mike Parlow for this article.
You see, Mike and I go way back. How far back? How about some thirty plus years since we went to elementary school together at a great west end learning institution, St. Mary’s.
Michael is still the funny, personable, social, dependable, easy going guy that I remember from my childhood and those very character traits are what has made him so successful in his role with Ensurco Insurance Group as a broker/partner and risk manager.
He estimates roughly a 50/50 split between commercial and personal insurance is his client base currently.
When I asked Mike if he was always interested in the insurance world because let’s face it, selling insurance isn’t everyone’s forte, he explained that it was a natural progression from what he had been doing previously, which was sales in Vancouver for a number of years. Sales and the insurance world are similar in many ways.
After he got engaged, he felt he needed to decide whether or not to return to the Sault to be closer to friends and family and he felt the time was right to return. In 2001 he began selling insurance for what was then his uncle’s insurance company, Gord Royle Insurance, until his uncle’s retirement in 2010.
He then began to work under the Ensurco umbrella and with that began access to in and around 17 companies as opposed to the three or four when he worked for Gord Royle Insurance. What Mike and Ensurco excel at is surveying the market to see which company can best suit the needs of their clients, providing the best insurance option and working hard to offer risk management solutions.
From car, home, business, Mike Parlow, broker/partner for Ensurco Insurance Group will work diligently to provide the best service and most appropriate policy for you. His current clientele is very diverse from retail, roofing, contractors, hotels, cab companies, auto parts delivery and of course, personal insurance — and he is happy to provide exceptional client service to all. In fact, he is able to provide service to people and businesses all across the province and he does frequently.
Having a varied clientele makes the job interesting and he is always kept on his toes to make sure he is able to provide the absolute best service possible and able to provide the coverage needed by his clients at a competitive price point, whatever is within his power. It can be difficult at times because as he explained, the market is competitive, from high risk to mid risk, it is ever evolving.
It is no secret that there are a lot of insurance companies out there so why should people and businesses consider Mike for their insurance needs? Speaking from my personal experience with him, he is open, honest, enthusiastic, personable and truly enjoys his work. He always tries to be available for clients as much as possible.
Mike says that he has always made a point of thoroughly explaining to clients what they are getting in return for what they pay. When meeting with clients, his goal is to ensure that they leave the meeting having a full understanding of what they are paying for and it’s not an automatic, robotic transaction with no chatting about what the terms are.
He gets the fact that not everyone speaks finance/insurance lingo so he tries to explain policies in layman’s terms so people are fully aware of what they are signing up for. He feels it is important to educate people on why insurance prices can vary so much. For example, the cost to insure a smaller car is more than a larger car because in the event of an accident, the risk of injury is greater. These are the types of things that Mike is happy to explain to clients. You can’t expect people to know the business so he does his best to explain things in easy to understand language.
In all of the nineteen years he has been working in the insurance field, he can count on one hand, the number of clients that have gone to other insurance companies and he is quite frank in saying that they all chose to go with another company because they weren’t happy with the price. However, five times in nineteen years is a pretty good record in my book.
In fact, he relayed that he has even had people tell him that another insurance company could beat his pricing by say $100 even $150 but they chose to remain with him because they trust him and are happy with the service they have received over the years. He has even had former teachers become clients because he joked that they are proud to see that the student who was such a pain in the you know what has succeeded and matured and is now a hard working, reliable professional. As he told me, keep your nose clean, work hard and people will notice and put their faith in you as a professional. According to Mike, the best compliment is a referral and he has been blessed to receive many and for that he is truly grateful.
Mike, happily married and the father of three, has also made a point of setting a good example for his children and instills the importance of giving back to the community. He was always into athletics so it is no surprise to hear that he has been a junior football coach for six years and even had the pleasure of coaching his son.
In July of this year, Mike and Ensurco made a generous donation to ARCH and he is also happy to sponsor the Soup Kitchen’s bagged lunch program every couple of months. Showing support for the community you live and work in is important and he will always try to support community causes whenever possible and encourages residents to also provide support if you are in a position to do so.
During these times, he recognizes that some people might be reluctant to go to an office setting so he is happy to meet people elsewhere, he can come to you, arrange a phone meeting, go to a coffee shop, meet on a patio, whatever people are comfortable with, he can be flexible.
If you or your business are considering your insurance needs, contact Mike Parlow by calling 705-949-8424 extension 3103 or by email at [email protected].
