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Peta Tomlinson

The AXA group's innovative programme was developed locally for rollout in Asia

Reaching the final of the HKMA awards is a major coup for the AXA insurance group, according to Mark Wilson,  chief executive, distribution for AXA China Region Insurance Company.

It is a tribute to the group's philosophy on training, and underscores the value of a programme pioneered in Hong Kong for rollout throughout Asia.

AXA has been nominated for its direct client programme, a segment of the training initiative Peak (professional education applied knowledge), which is designed to help advisers cultivate and retain existing customers. Peak was devised in conjunction with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

'AXA is renowned worldwide for its training, which is one of the key tenets of the group's philosophy. AXA is obsessed with lifting up its people. It makes massive investments in training to the extent that during all the mergers and acquisitions of the 90s, it had three universities - one in the United States and two in France - specialising in AXA training courses,' said Mr Wilson.

Now that most of the group's middle and senior managers have gone through those universities, AXA has just one full-time university, in Bordeaux, France.

Gabriel Hui, assistant general manager sales training, said the Peak initiative trained advisers in a wide range of skills, including how to find out what the clients' needs were, how to use technology, how to prospect (find new clients), and how to recruit and retain staff.

Mr Hui said: 'The difference lies in the AK in Peak - applied knowledge. This programme is not just about passing an exam; it's tested in the field by assessors and if you don't get it right, you go back and do it again. We call it an experiential approach, or an alignment of the adult learning cycle. Adults learn best when they face concrete experiences, once they know what the rules behind [the theory] are. They can take new skills and apply them to the real world to see if it works or not.'

The direct client component has three key focus areas: how to make an approach to a customer, policy review (doing a 'needs analysis') and trust-building.

Mr Hui said the aim was that customers should realise they were not being sold anything, but were making their own buying decisions wisely.

Situations are simulated under the guidance of senior advisers, and then up to 200 trainees are called together to undergo a mass, real-life client call-up. The coaching process continues during these sessions, and success stories are reported promptly with effective business behaviour shown as a benchmarking tool.

Of course, there is no point investing in training if it does not alter the bottom line. Mr Wilson described the programme as 'hugely successful'.

'The number of clients leaving us has gone down by 50 per cent, and the cross-sell ratio has gone up dramatically. We are happy to spend the money, but you have to get results. We can measure everything in Peak,' he said.

'There are all sorts of benefits. Staff are more loyal when they have this type of programme, shareholders are happy and we know we have happy customers as we also run client satisfaction surveys.'

The Peak initiative was two years in the making and was launched in Hong Kong as a testing ground ahead of its rollout in Asia. Certificates on Peak are given by RMIT, which Mr Wilson said added credibility to the programme. A sophisticated programme, it includes a range of translations for presentation in multiple languages throughout Asia.

Mr Wilson said that reaching the finals of the HKMA awards was recognition that 'we have a programme that's a bit different, and is something that works'.

'Over the past 12 months, we have been launching a whole series of initiatives to fundamentally change the way we do business. Our contention is that the market has changed and matured, so that it's no longer a case of just work a bit harder and you will make more money. We have to raise our people's competency in order to get results.'

A win in such a high-profile competition would set a best practice standard in an industry where the bar needed raising, Mr Wilson added.

'I think we've got the results to deserve it and that few companies have a training programme of this calibre.

'HKMA's is the most professional training and education award in Hong Kong, so it's the one everyone wants. Whether we win or whether we don't, it won't change what we do - but it will help us promote to the industry what competency-based training does.'



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