The following experience of an ambitious young
Assistant Manager serves as a good example of
what an organized recruiting effort can
accomplish.
The Assistant Manager came into a
well-established agency located in a territory
that he was unfamiliar with and where he had
no contacts. There was an urgent problem in
the agency of injecting new blood into
building a new organization.
The first step was to become familiar with the
territory, which covered seven counties. A map
of the territory was secured and placed on the
agency wall within easy reach. White tacks
were placed in areas where present agents were
stationed. This revealed that parts of the
territory were well covered, while many other
areas were not covered at all. Where agents
were needed most, red tacks were placed. When
a new agent was added, the red tack was
replaced by a blue star. The red tacks so
replaced were put in a line along the bottom
of the map to indicate the number of vacancies
that had been filled. This map gave a very
clear picture of the condition of the
territory.
The recruiting program had two purposes: (1)
to bring in agent candidates and (2) to
introduce the assistant manager to centers of
influence or to candidates. For each new agent
whom a member of the agency recruited, there
was a small bonus, and a slightly larger bonus
when the new agent paid for a specified
minimum amount of insurance. The assistant
manager discussed the situation with each
agent and in nearly every case, was introduced
to at least one center of influence or
candidate. Every available source was utilized
– particularly heads of service clubs,
ministers, placement bureaus, personal
contacts, and agents’ policy owners with whom
the agent expected sources produced results.
Three files on candidates were kept: (1)
candidates not yet contacted and those active
candidates with whom contact had been
postponed; (2) candidates in transit – those
who were immediate possibilities; and (3)
declined candidates.
During the first two or three months, the
results were negligible, but during the
balance of the year, the organizational
efforts of those first few months bore fruit.
Seven full-time agents were put under contract
in an eight-month period, all of whom were
with the agency a year later. In less than a
year, they were producing a substantial amount
of volume every month.
The assistant manager did considerable
coaching on the job and joint work with new
agents. The results in this agency led the
management to believe that field coaching and
joint work are the most effective methods of
“putting an agent into the business,” and that
properly done, they do not and need not make
“learners".
Rather than being due to any unusual ideas,
the success of this method of recruiting seems
to be the result of being well organized, of
being “recruiting-minded,” and of making
recruiting a continuous process.
It would seem that if such a plan will work in
an unfamiliar territory, it would be even more
effective where the manager knows the area. |
