Aviva has announced the appointment of three new general agents, three of whom will be carrying out their duties as associates, a professional formula which is characteristic of the strategy pursued by Aviva for its general agent network.
Aviva has announced the appointment of three new general agents, three of whom will be carrying out their duties as associates, a professional formula which is characteristic of the strategy pursued by Aviva for its general agent network.
After an 18-week induction course alternating work and training, staged by Aviva and certified by the French professional insurance training institute (IFPASS), the new Aviva general agents will take up their duties in the following agencies:
- Sandrine Prugneau, 1 November for Cherbourg and Coutances (Manche),
- Alain Palanson, 1 November for Sainte-Ménehould (Marne),
- Yann Faure, 1 January 2009 for Sisteron (Alpes de Haute-Provence)
Sandrine Prugneau appointed Aviva general agent for Cherbourg and Coutances
In association with her husband, Sandrine will take responsibility for the portfolios of the agencies of Cherbourg, Valognes and Coutances. Previously, she was sales manager in a small metallurgy dealership, managing professional clients located throughout France.
Alain Palanson appointed Aviva general agent for Sainte-Ménehould
Between 1988 and 1993, Alain Palanson sold insurance products for l'Abeille (the previous name for Aviva Assurances). He will take on the portfolio of the agency of Sainte-Menehould, after many years of sales and management experience in a number of sectors (electronic household goods, real estate, automotive, public works and construction, etc).
Yann Faure appointed Aviva general agent for Sisteron
Working for Aviva will not be 32-year-old Yann Faure's first experience as an entrepreneur. Before joining his Aviva training programme in 2007, he was responsible for a real estate agency created in 2000. He joins Aviva as an associate of Dominique Bailly-Contios, who has been a general agent for 30 years.
The recruitment drive for Aviva general agents has been expanding since 2002
Since 2002, Aviva has been following a very active recruitment policy for general agents. This makes Aviva the only company on the market to have recorded a significant increase in its number of agents (812 in 2003, 850 in 2005 and 875 in 2007).
The ideal candidate could be a man or a woman, will have at least two years of university education and a successful track record in their previous professional commercial experience. However, the candidate's level of formal education is not the most important thing: their vision of their career and experience of face-to-face selling are their real assets. Another major criterion is that the candidate is well established locally, because "being from the area" and understanding the specific character of a region do much to pave the way for commercial relations with the future clientele.
IFPASS-certified training and combining theoretical and practical agency-based input
With a policy of recruitment on the increase, a career which is becoming increasingly specialised and different modes of agency management, Aviva has designed a training course which is perfectly adapted to fit this new dynamic. The training allows the agents to do the job whilst acquiring new skills. From the first day on the job, they will follow solid induction training, to be followed by a second round of training to start them on the road to their speciality. Throughout their career, they will be monitored to guide them in the right direction and train them on product evolution and new technologies.
Training for new general agents lasts 18 weeks. It is based on an alternating work/study theory of education, mixing theoretical input with learning the ropes with agency-based training sessions.
The aim is to give the candidates a fair and realistic vision of the job of general agent. Amongst other things, they will learn:
- Research into and analysis of the needs and expectations of clients,
- The technical and commercial characteristics of the products,
- The profitability of the activity,
- Agency management,
- Managing the relationship with the company.
In parallel to their initial training, the candidates must develop their own "blueprint agency", designed to evaluate their strategy and objectives for their future agency. The "blueprint agency" is the subject of specific training. It will contain the candidates' development strategy and a description of the human, technical and financial resources anticipated to achieve their objectives.
For the whole of the training programme, the candidates will be tested on what they have learnt and assessed by the training team. They will be awarded a diploma certified by Aviva Assurances and IFPASS.
For the first 24 months in the job, the general agents will follow additional training designed to consolidate the elements of the profession initially learned. This allows the general agent to acquire the autonomy needed, particularly in the framework of delegating extended powers.
The "Good Advice" approach, a key element for the Aviva general agent
In France, long-term client satisfaction is a key factor in growth. Aviva has invested a great deal in this and is continuing its investment in this field. The company is rolling out its approach of personalised accompaniment of the clients, known as "Good Advice", to all of its distribution networks. This approach consists of offering the clients solutions and services which genuinely correspond to their expectations and of regularly monitoring their situation, so that they can make any changes which may be necessary to their contracts. The general agents stand as guarantors for the correct application of this approach. In order to do this, the company has set in place an innovative programme in France, aiming to modernise all of its procedures and information systems, to make the agents even closer to their clients and more effective (Internet sites, remote tools, early warning systems). Aviva also encourages synergies in the exchange of best practice between networks, helping savings to be made and increasing their effectiveness for its clients and its networks.
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Press contacts:
Aviva Assurances
Fanny Dieval
Telephone: + 33 (0) 1 76 62 79 67
E-mail: fanny_dieval@aviva.fr
HDL Communication pour Aviva Assurances
Nicolas Faget
Telephone: + 33 (0) 1 58 65 20 17
E-mail: nfaget@hdlcom.com
Notes to editors:
About Aviva
Aviva is Europe's leading provider of life assurance and pensions savings with strong positions on other markets around the world. Based on gross premiums at 31 December 2007, Aviva was the world's fifth-largest insurance group. Aviva's three principal businesses are life assurance and long-term savings, asset management and non-life insurance, with a total turnover of €56.7 billion in 2007 and €455 billion in assets under management at 30 June 2008.
With more than 150 years' experience in France, Aviva is one of the top 10 players in the insurance market. Aviva France stands out from the crowd with its solid, balanced and profitable multi-distribution model: 875 general agents, 1,800 branch staff, 400 life advisers and 1,000+ brokers. Aviva France also has major partners such as AFER, the largest savings association in France, the Crédit du Nord group, l'Union Financière de France and Médéric. Specialising in unit-linked products, Aviva is recognised for the excellent performance of its long-term funds and solid commitment to its customers through its "Good Advice" approach. Aviva employs more than 3300 staff in France. At 31 December 2007, Aviva France recorded consolidated sales of €6.5 billion and an IFRS net profit of €338 million and managed assets worth €71.4 billion at 30 June 2008.