First to increase the distribution system

"In AXA." We would like the world in our hands! "On air pop of the 1980s, they are 60 to resume in chorus the"AXA song", a hymn touting the values of the French insurer. They Young Chinese freshly recruited by AXA to grow its network of insurance agents in the Middle Kingdom. Almost as many women as men, between twenty-five and thirty-five years. A graduate of the University for the most and out of a month of training.

The ceremony will last for half an hour. Move to the most productive desk agents, which provides advice and encouragement, one of the managers of the network, which delivers voice of stentor a quasi military speech ("give the best of yourself and especially never give up") and a new recruit telling his joy to have here found a "large family". The official pins are given to young officers before last "motivational song" all resume standing hand in hand, arms raised in rhythm, where it promises that they will go up to the Rainbow ".

Hundreds of CV

"This ceremony has nothing exceptional." "We in organize two or three per week," said Jamie McCarry, the pattern of AXA Minmetals, the joint venture created by the French in China with an industrial partner. "New officers need to be mentored, otherwise they are quickly lost." We recruit between 50 and 100 agents per month and we receive hundreds and hundreds of CV. "Since the opening of its first Office in Shanghai in 1999, the young insurance company task ekes out of their place amongst the omnipotent Chinese insurers and non-less aggressive foreign competitors. AXA Minmetals still has a small but growth is not strong. In the first six months of 2006, the Group has already won almost all premiums life insurance only on the whole of last year: 248 million Yuan, against 295 million in 2005, for some 100,000 customers.

To take such a pace, there are two major issues. First, to increase the distribution system. AXA Minmetals claimed 1,600 agents not employees; It runs also in bancassurance and tests network of salaried advisors. Then, and especially, to attract Chinese to place them in positions of management at the time where the hunting of young graduates in full swing. "One thing is to obtain licences, another to have the means to exploit," says Mark Pearson, the pattern of AXA for insurance in Asia. AXA Minmetals has 300 employees. "Our rate of growth depends largely on the pace of recruitment of local skills," he continued. Today, the company may sell its contracts accounts for the bulk units in three major cities and province: Shanghai, Canton since 2003 and Beijing since 2005. She hopes to get two or three other licenses each year. It can also sell collective contracts to companies whose head office is located in a city where it has a licence. And it will soon sell the damage insurance in Shanghai. AXA Minmetals was still in loss in 2005. "It takes an average of four to five years before an Office is profitable, but with the centralization of our back offices in Shanghai, we will gradually reduce these deadlines", provides for Jamie McCarrie..