In the fast-paced world of insurance, timely responses can make or break a deal – especially during the final and often most stressful phase: financing the policy. At this stage, everything becomes urgent, and every stakeholder expects instant results.
But meeting those expectations takes more than speed. Financing specialists must strategically prioritize competing demands, even when “ASAP” feels like the only timeline in play.
Jordan Aravena, relationship manager at FIRST Insurance Funding of Canada and recipient of Insurance Business Canada’s 2024 Business Development Manager of the Year award, shared how responsiveness, education, and empathy form the foundation of success.
As nominations open for this year’s Insurance Business Awards, professionals are encouraged to recognize peers who are setting new benchmarks in service, strategy, and leadership. Submit your nomination today.
For Aravena, standout service isn’t just about being quick – it’s about showing up, staying consistent, and making good on your word.
“To me, great service is first and foremost being available to support and deliver on what you've promised,” she said. “Insurance is a really fast-paced industry, and I’ve learned quickly that time kills all deals.”
Working in premium financing – the final stage in the policy process – means Aravena often handles the most time-sensitive requests. As the person who helps ensure brokers get paid and clients get covered, she’s frequently operating in a high-pressure zone where everything is flagged as urgent.
Aravena relies on key dates – such as effective dates, renewal timelines, or payment deadlines – to triage her workflow without letting anything fall through the cracks.
“If you ask a broker, every request is urgent,” she said. “But of course, you have to prioritize. If something’s coming up that day, we’ll deal with it first.”
But timeliness is just one part of the equation. She also emphasized education as a pillar of success. Companies that offer financing solutions have to make sure brokers have access to the tools and resources they need so they can effectively communicate the product benefits to their customers, she explains.
“That not only boosts their confidence but also helps drive sales,” she said.
Aravena said that education is not just a nice-to-have – it’s central to her business development approach.
“Premium finance is a very niche area of insurance,” she said. “A lot of brokers and clients aren’t educated on the benefits of our offering.”
That means Aravena often finds herself in myth-busting mode, helping brokers and clients understand how premium financing works – and more importantly, why it could be a smart financial move.
“There’s a lot of myths around why a client might premium finance,” or what a payment plan actually is when it comes to premium financing versus a direct bill market, she said.
One of the biggest misconceptions? That premium finance is a standard loan. But that’s not the case, she explained.
Unlike traditional loans, she said, premium financing arrangements through FIRST Insurance Funding of Canada are secured by using the insurance policy itself as collateral for the loan."
This structure, she said, means businesses can access financing without drawing on their line of credit or affecting their borrowing capacity.
While Aravena brings a consistent level of service to every broker she works with, she says her approach is far from one-size-fits-all. She adapts her strategies based on the broker’s client base, the size of the premiums they handle, and the sectors they’re aiming to grow into.
This allows her to align support more effectively, whether that means customizing training sessions, fine-tuning workflow recommendations, or helping brokers identify where premium financing could add the most value.
Still, she said, the foundation remains the same: consistent service, clear communication, and a focus on providing value. Regardless of a broker’s size or specialization, Aravena’s goal is to ensure they feel supported and empowered in every client interaction.
“I'd say overall, my approach is very similar across all of our brokers, and I always make sure that they're supported with whatever they need,” Aravena said.
