Department  :  Sales & Distribution

Responsible to  : Managing Director

Overall Responsibility  

To play a key role in:  the acquisition of new business in accordance with targets set and criteria formulated by the Company; handling of renewal of all existing accounts and maintaining acceptable ratios of business retention; preparation of business plans, and coordination of marketing and sales promotion and development of general insurance products to ensure the business revenue targets for the Company are achieved; and presiding over the effective management of Sales and Distribution

Key Tasks, Duties and Responsibilities

i) Business Promotion, Acquisition & Development

1. Leads and coordinates marketing efforts within the division to ensure business targets are met.
2. Identifies and pursues new business leads
3. Handles new business enquiries
4. Coordinates new business quotation processes, and follows up quotations with intermediaries and clients
5. Proposes changes in business handling procedures and underwriting approach and rating mechanisms to enhance competitiveness of the Company’s services and products
6. Recommends possible measures to enhance the Company’s competitive ability
7. Ascertains the technical soundness of insurance policy documents; and ensures they remain sufficiently presentable, appealing and comprehensive.
8. Conducts appropriate market intelligence to keep Senior Management informed of new developments in the financial sector.

ii) Policy Renewals and Business Retention

1. Handles renewal of business
2. Ensures acceptable levels of business retention (i.e. preservation of existing business) are maintained at all times; and any existing business lost due to unavoidable circumstances is replaced by other suitable accounts (over and above the new business acquisition target for the year)
3. Closely monitors customer service satisfaction to ensure renewals are not threatened; negotiates renewal terms of all programmes well in advance, and sends formal renewal confirmations to the Operations Department before the renewal dates.

iii) Product Review and Development of New Products

1. Periodically reviews existing products and proposes changes with a view to enhancing their quality
2. On an ongoing basis, looks for possible new business potential in traditional and nontraditional areas
3. Formulates plans for launching relevant insurance products
4. Proposes basis and scope of new insurance contracts and sales approaches/methods.

iv) Business Performance

1. Prepares, as directed, periodical business performance appraisals; maintains, on the prescribed format, monthly records of business acquired/lost
2. Maintains, and regularly updates business progress reports.

v) Marketing Plans

1. Generates marketing strategies, sets, marketing objectives, and carries out market research within and outside the Company
2. Optimises utilization of the Company’s comparative advantage (in resources, assets, product range and market leadership) to promote prospects for business acquisition and retention
3. Appraises competitors’ activities and overall economic and social trends whilst drawing up action plans to stimulate profitable revenue growth
4. Strategies on how to achieve the prescribed product mix ratios to achieve the company’s   objectives of balanced revenue growth and profitability

vi) Other Duties

1. Maintains close liaison with senior staff in other divisions, departments and in the branches in order to enhance a well coordinated approach to service delivery and customer service
2. Plays an active role in promoting use of information technology 
3. Performs other duties as directed by superiors from time to time
4. Develop the most effective distribution structure, the level of manpower and the size of financial resources to reflect market opportunities and required to achieve the company’s volume and market share objectives.
5. Ensure an efficient and effective marketing organisation which is well trained and highly motivated in order that marketing representation is superior to the competition in both core and value added services.
6. Manage the development skills levels of the Marketing organisation in order that appropriate succession plans are in place to meet the future needs of the Company.
7. Develop and implement an effective presence marketing and promotion programme to achieve the highest visibility and volume performance for the key classes of business.

 PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration 
• MBA (added advantage)

Professional Qualifications

•  ACII or CIM

Experience

•  8 years experience in managing Sales and Distribution operations in the Insurance Industry