Condo Media - August 2019 - 64

Ask a Busy Person
How did you get involved in the
insurance business? I didn't start
out with an insurance career in mind.
I majored in marketing, thinking I
wanted to create marketing campaigns
for businesses. But when I graduated
in 2003, the economy was really bad;
there weren't any marketing jobs available. My dad, who owned an insurance
agency, asked if I wanted to work for
him. I'd grown up thinking I definitely
wasn't going to work in the family business. But I'd worked there summers
while I was in school doing special projects that I had enjoyed. So I decided
to give it a try. Getting hired wasn't
automatic, though. My dad had grown
up with nothing. He'd built his business
from scratch, earned everything he had,
and expected me to do the same.
So he made me submit my resume
and go through the interview
process as if he'd never
met me. He wanted to
see if I was a good candidate to sell insurance.
What made it a good fit? I found
that what I'd learned about marketing
worked well in insurance sales.
In both areas, you have to connect with people and make them
understand what you're selling and
why they want or need it. Of course,
in sales, I also had to learn to deal with
people saying no. You don't have to deal
with that so much in marketing.
What do you like most about what
you do? The competition. I'm a competitive person. The idea of going out
and competing with another agency for
business appeals to me . I hate losing.
I also like the fact that every day is different. I never know exactly what any
day is going to bring. I'd hate to work
on a service line, doing the same thing
every day.
What do you particularly like about
working with condo associations?
I love meeting board members
and interacting with them. I also like

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CONDOMEDIA August 2019

top of that list. It's a great organization.
It provides tons of helpful information
about condominiums and how they
are run, and it's a wonderful forum
for meeting people in the industry,
learning from and sharing information
with them. I especially enjoy teaching
seminars, because I think the programs
help people, and that is really satisfying.
But the feedback I get from participants
teaches me a lot, too.

BRENDON KILCOYNE
H&K INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.
the challenge of identifying the
right insurance fit for them.
All condo communities
are different and
their insurance
solutions are going
to be different, too.
I especially like
working with the
talented professional
managers in the
industry. That's one
of the real pleasures of what I do. They
do a great job for their clients-and they
make my job a lot easier, too.
You won the
CAI-NE "Business Partner
of the Year"
award for your
"exemplary
service" to the
condominium
industry.
How and why
did you get
involved with the organization?
When I decided to focus on the
condominium market, I researched
organizations that provided services to
people in that industry. CAI was on the

What do you do in your
spare time? You're assuming I have any. I have
three children, 12, 9, and
4. That's what I do in my
spare time-and I love it.
What would it surprise
people to know about
you? I'm an introvert,
by nature. My job requires me to step outside
my comfort zone, to meet people
and engage with them. But that isn't
natural for me.
If you could give condo boards
one piece of insurance advice,
what would it be? Work with an
insurance agent who specializes in
condominium insurance-for the same
reason that you should work with an
attorney who specializes in condominium law. I'd also advise them to pick an
agent who belongs to
CAI. That's an indication the agent is investing the time and effort
required to understand
this industry.
What's the best advice
you ever got? My
dad told me, "Treat every client like a family
member." He also told
me to remember that while we may
deal with 10 claims a day, many of the
people who call us have never had this
experience before. And they are probably having a very bad day.
Condo Media - August 2019

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