Why do insurance agents have so many team bonding events?
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They r competing against each other for clients unlike normal companies where people have different job scopes and have to rely on each other. Moreover they aren’t drawing monthly salary and these events are eating into their time which can be better used to hunt for new clients.
Netizens’ comments
- Must show that their lives are very good mah every year got retreat / team bonding events overseas. If not how to recruit dumb & new blood into joining their Ponzi scheme??
- If you can have up to 7 layers of people beneath you that are earning money for you independently of any of your efforts, what’s the best way for you to encourage them to stay? Play on the trope of family, and the importance of it. It’s common sense, really.
I bring up 7 layers because that’s the legal limit on the number of layers permitted under the Insurance Act in Singapore. - The answer lies in the question. They need to keep promoting cohesion in a competitive environment to prevent it descending into a bloodbath…
- They are structured like a MLM, they need all these events to attract new people to join and stay long enough for those on top to benefit. Project an image of financial success to attract people.
- I am a salaried adviser, but I have been to many of such events/shows/head starts/final sprints/galas
Believe it or not, sales is actually a very pressurising job, more so than others, you cannot be a farmer/quiet quitter and more is always expected out of you. Even if you super hardworking, you might not get the results you desire and even lose out to someone with connections/good looks.
These team bonding stuffs are often held on many levels, at the manager levels, it usually is to show the team has a fun working culture #workhardplayhard vibe, good for recruiting as well.
On an agency level, it is better to budget $300/head to go for a short trip than to pay $300/head in cash, presumeably for tax purposes/business expenses etc.
Combining the above, such events are best way to do R&R, there is very little need to talk company P&L or share about road maps for fiscal gains, just focus on sales related stuff (which is very little) and play.
Making it fun gives more benefits than anything else,
Usually these are held towards end of quarters and during week day so that very little clash with weekend appointments.
This is of course the original intentions, and when other apply other agendas to it, it’ll start to display cultish/MLM characteristics and the other philosophical debates.
For example, I don’t think traveling is a luxury like the olden days, so incentive trips do not entice me unless I can bring my wife and kids. But having been on a few trips, I’d say it is really fun, you get to know your colleagues at a personal level, interact with higher ups who pay for everything (I once when on a trip with $300 cash and went home with $250), and it is good when done in small dosages, too much and I’ll feel like I neglect family.
Hope this gives another insight from someone from the industry. - i’m from the industry too! i’m really happy at my job because i really believe in the positive impact financial advisory can have on people’s lives. it’s a fulfilling and challenging career that i’m grateful to be a part of.
- Grateful your mother la go away