How to motivate people to sell insurance even when they’re not your employees
Internal sales teams, external agents, travel agencies, banks, technical inspection centers, brokers, or embedded insurance sellers – all of them can be your sales channels. But are they truly motivated to sell your insurance product? In this article, we explore the challenges of insurance sales, global best practices, and a solution that genuinely drives results.
Insurance Sales
Unlike many other industries, sales in the insurance sector do not rely solely on internal teams. Sellers always receive a commission from each policy sold, and the process often includes a wide network of channels:
- banks,
- brokerage houses,
- individual agents,
- travel agencies,
- technical inspection centers,
- embedded insurance sellers (e.g., when purchasing airline tickets or products with built-in insurance).
This diversity creates opportunities, but also challenges: how do you ensure that all these sellers are motivated to promote your policy instead of someone else’s?
Challenges in Insurance Sales
Although each sales chain has its own specifics, the most common problems are shared across both internal and external teams:
External Partners
- Agreements are typically made at the management level (targets + commission per policy), but insurance companies lack insight into who actually sells on the ground and how motivated they are.
- Sellers often push what is easier or more profitable for them, not necessarily what is best for the client.
- Training is limited or non-existent—partners don’t receive direct, simple, and usable product information.
Internal Teams
- Employees have a fixed salary plus a variable part tied to results, but this is often not enough to build long-term motivation.
- Learning platforms exist but are overly complex and rarely used.
- There is no microlearning, real-time communication with employees, or live performance tracking.
- Additional incentives for results in temporary campaigns are missing—everything boils down to a standard bonus.
Shared Challenges
Without structured support, continuous education, and clear motivation, even the best insurance product can remain “invisible” in the hands of unmotivated sellers.
How do leading insurance companies handle this?
Global leaders such as Allianz, AXA, Generali, and Zurich have been investing in advanced seller motivation approaches for years, both for internal and external teams. Examples include:
- Allianz uses gamification and interactive platforms to train sellers through mini-games, challenges, and sales simulations.
- AXA introduced personalized training modules based on individual performance, with micro-rewards for each milestone.
- Generali organizes localized campaigns with travel agencies, providing quick-access tools, ready-made sales scripts, and remote support.
- Zurich empowers sellers with a storytelling approach, helping them “tell a story of protection, security, and trust” rather than just selling a policy.
The core message: motivation is not a one-time activity—it is an ongoing process of building relationships and support.
How does Sales Tune solve this problem?
Sales Tune was created with the specific goal of connecting marketing and insurance sales in an entirely new way. Instead of patching up old methods, it brings fresh dynamics:
✅ All information in one place – educational content, ready-to-use marketing materials, and sales tools available in real time for both internal staff and external partners.
✅ Personalized motivation – each seller can track their progress, results, and next-step recommendations, boosting engagement.
✅ Campaigns that work – launch targeted campaigns for different sales channels (e.g., agencies, tourism, individual agents) and monitor their impact live.
✅ Turning partners into ambassadors – with Sales Tune, external partners stop being neutral intermediaries and become true promoters of your insurance.
Conclusion
In a market where products are increasingly similar, the real difference comes from the way they are sold. And that means—through the people who sell them. If you want your policy to stand out, it’s crucial that all your sales channels, both internal and external, are motivated, informed, and engaged.
Sales Tune is not just a tool. It is a bridge between your brand and those who deliver it to the end client.
