This article is part of the Recruitment Ki SHAKTI Series of articles. This is my eight article. You will find all articles on agency recruitment in my blog https://www.helpindiainsure.iistpune.in/category/agency-recruitment/. In the blog you can read this article in most Indian languages. At the bottom of the screen on the right-hand side you will see drop down menu “Select language”. If you are reading from your mobile, you will have to first go to settings and choose “desktop mode” for the language option to be activated. Choose your language from the list given and your article will appear in the language of your choice.
One of the dreams of those managing agents is to look for and recruit HNI agents. This is based on the belief that HNI agents will bring in big ticket business.
Let me recount an experience of mine. I was deputed by my company to interview agents proposed by the unit managers at a branch. In those days the company policy was that the unit manager would identify a candidate and present him to the branch manager or the training in-charge for final selection.
The HNI Profile
In one such instance, one unit manager approached me very excitedly. The unit manager told me that he had a big fish who was ready to become an agent. The big fish was a large dealer for a national two-wheeler company. Apparently, the dealer had contacts with the who is who of the town. The unit manager got carried away by the reputation of the dealer.
The dealer however refused to come to the branch for the selection interview. It hurt his ego that he had to be selected. I, however, insisted that rules are rules. If the dealer does not come to the branch for selection, he cannot be recruited. The unit manager begged and pleaded. But I stood my ground.
The dealer finally comes for interview
Finally, the unit manager convinced the dealer to meet me. The dealer came full of anger that he had to attend an interview. At the meeting, the dealer told me that he knows all the big shots of the town and that he could get 1000 policies sold in one day – all big ticket. I told him that we did not have 1000 proposal forms. So, I told him that I will give him 25 proposal forms and will wait 24 hours for their submission. He, in anger, told me that the forms will be submitted before lunch the next day.
Trying to sell life insurance as if one was selling scooters
The unit manager went along with him to the dealer’s office. For the rest of the day and late into night he kept making phone calls and sent the unit manager on many field visits. The next day this activity continued. In the evening the unit manager returned to our office, completely dejected.
What do you think happened? Not one policy was sold. I sat with the unit manager and counselled him. I told him that selling life insurance is not like selling a scooter. It requires persistent and regular visits over a period of time to sell one policy. HNI agents are unlikely to put in that kind of effort. They want quick results – possibly with one phone call.
Build a bread-and- butter team
I then advised the unit manager that if he wants to be successful, he should concentrate on building a bread-and-butter team of agents. A bread-and-butter team consists of agents, who are willing to work daily, willing to learn how to sell and have a strong need to earn money.
A learning for life
Many years later I met this unit manager (now zonal manager at another life insurance company) at an airport. He came up to me and remembered with gratitude the tip I had given him. He told me that he has been following that tip ever since. He mentioned that he now advises all unit managers working under him to follow what he had learnt.
Develop a team of active agents
It is very difficult to get HNI agents to work. The unit managers or development officers who concentrate almost exclusively on HNI recruitment are not likely to succeed. Those who concentrate on building a bread-and-butter team of at least 25 active agents, will be successful. Once a bread-and-butter team is in place, one may try for some experimentation. If the experiment works well and good.
Recruitment Ki SHAKTI
To have a defined process in place to recruit sufficient agents to make a successful sales team join the course Recruitment Ki SHAKTI (Click on this link to know more website https://www.iistpune.in/recruitment-ki-shakti/).
This is what you will learn when you join the unique, tried and tested method of IIST’s Recruitment Ki SHAKTI course. You will learn a defined, tried and tested process of recruitment. Visit our website https://www.iistpune.in/recruitment-ki-shakti/ to know how we can help.
More tips in my next article. Look out for regular articles on agency recruitment. In the meanwhile, you may also visit the website (https://www.iistpune.in/) of The Institute of Insurance Sales Training (IIST) to know more about the number of ways we can help you reach great heights in life insurance sales team building and selling.