European insurer: Designing a new sales force model

European insurer: After several years of declining productivity, this European insurer’s sales force was no longer profitable. We came on board to help them address a number of problems, including poor sales incentives, a selling/service ratio that was out of sync, and an inflated management structure. Our team designed a new sales force model, including roles and responsibilities, incentives, performance management framework, and a new sales management organization. We focused on centralizing and automating servicing and administration, improving productivity with new laptops and point of sale applications, and supporting the negotiation with unions and communication to staff. Within six months of implementation, the client had returned to profitability; within 18 months, the implementation costs for the transformation were covered by cost savings. The business is growing again, recruiting additional sales agents.