Intelligent Instructor is proud to have brought together industry and business experts to produce ‘The Ultimate Guide to Running a Driving Instructor Business’.

This FREE  64-page guide, in association with Drive-Up Training, will support you in running a business the way you always dreamt it could be.

Over nine weeks, we are publishing a selection of the articles in this guide.

This week, we look at how you can gain extra earnings for your driving school through referrals and recommendations to pupils.


 

 

Win-surance

Get rewarded when you refer your students to an insurer, with an affiliate programme

Capping off a rather meaty section on how ADIs can diversify their income, it’d be remiss of us not to include a note on insurance. This page is dedicated to earning money from insurers rather than spending it with them.

Various insurance providers offer affordable learner driver insurance solutions. Policies can be set up online, meaning learners – and their supervisors – can head out on the road stress-free.

“Instructors can earn as much as £75 for every students referral, with no cap.”

This can translate into annual policies once the learner has passed their test, which is where the perks come for instructors. Many insurers offer affiliate programmes that reward PDIs and ADIs through referral schemes. It is straightforward to register – generally via a form that takes a few minutes to fill out online – and instructors can earn as much as £75 for every student referral, with no cap on the number of referrals.

Katie Baker, Chief Marketing Officer and Director at MyFirst, explains, “We’ve been running our successful Driving Instructor Scheme for over seven years, allowing instructors across the UK to sign up completely free. Once registered, for every annual policy taken out using your unique discount code, you’ll earn £75, while your student receives £50 off their insurance – it’s a win-win!”

Collingwood specialises in learner driver insurance, offering flexible short-term and annual policies. “Tailored solutions suit every learner’s needs,” says Jonathan Brougham, Head of Marketing, “and insurance [that] allows learners to get extra practice outside of lessons with a friend or family member” should be a consideration for ADIs when choosing an insurer to partner with.

So, how does it work?

“You will be allocated a code that you can pass on to students,” explains Gerry Bucke, General Manager at broker Adrian Flux. ADIs can share that code on their website, social media or direct with students via WhatsApp, and “when the student takes out a policy using that code, we make sure you get the correct commission.” Nor are ADIs supposed to be expert salespersons. As Bucke continues, “We have a support team of specially trained staff for any enquiries, that searches over 20 different insurers to get the best deal for your students.”

This kind of dedicated support is often invaluable for the inexperienced insurance buyer, since “Without proper guidance,” Baker adds, “the consequences of getting it wrong can be severe. Every day, we speak with young drivers who have unintentionally misinsured themselves simply due to a lack of knowledge. A common mistake we see is young people listing themselves as ‘unemployed’ instead of ‘student’ because they don’t consider college an occupation. This small error can increase premiums by thousands of pounds.”

“It’s as simple as being allocated a code that you can pass on to students.”

It is also worth noting that ADI Network offers a similar commission scheme with GoShorty, one of the most competitive insurers for one- to seven-day insurance policies. “This is ideal for someone who wants to bolster their learning before they take their test,” says ADI Network’s Connie Kelly. “ADIs can complete a form within the
ADI Network app and it’s a great partnership because it gives the ADI a double boost
of commission and the student then having more chance of passing as well.”

It’s another win-win situation.

 

Contributors…

Jonathan Brougham, Collingwood

Katie Baker, MyFirst

Gerry Bucke, Adrian Flux

Connie Kelly, ADI Network

 

Next week, Ray Seagrave will drive home the importance of leaving a road safety legacy and how that will only improve your driving school and enhance its success into the future.