MANAGING director of JSInsurance Management Steve King has warned agents that it will be forced to sell direct to the public if agents do not support them.
Launching the company’s Party On Us initiative, King said: “This is not something we want to do, but the consolidation of the industry means the pool of independent agents is shrinking. We also see the trade continuing to support travel insurance providers who have set up direct businesses, even though those businesses are competing with agency sales.
We will always back the retail trade as well, but it is getting harder to rely solely on the one distribution channel for sales.”
Under the Party On Us incentive, agents earn 5p for every person sold an Essentials policy which is designed for clients taking lower cost holidays or short breaks. The money builds up each month into a nest egg for their agency and will be distributed in the form of Whitbread vouchers in time for Christmas. As an extra bonus, JSwill double the money for the agency that has sold Essentials policies to the most people by the time the scheme ends.
He estimated agents would have to sell policies to 3,000 people to earn ú150 in vouchers.
Agents who are not already selling JS Insurance’s Essentials policy need to register as soon as possible to receive their passport so they can start earning. The passport has spaces for the agency to stick the stamps awarded each month with a cash value based on the number of policies sold.
Existing agents are registered automatically and as a special bonus are having their sales of Essentials since January 1 included in the scheme.
The last stamp and the vouchers will be distributed to all agents just before December 15, when November returns have been received.
Essentials cover includes up to ú1,000 for cancellation, ú5m for medical expenses; ú500 for personal property; and ú1m for personal liability. The 17-day Europe net rate is ú7.94 net (ú36.38 net for families). Agents should contact 01784 484601 for more details.