Having worked as a BDM with Allianz Australia since 2017, Gordana Bailey (pictured) sees the international insurance company’s culture of supporting its employees as a crucial factor in her success.
“I’ve found Allianz to be a very supportive employer and while they’re a global organisation, they apply a local, human touch when interacting with their staff,” she told Insurance Business. “Being part of that environment has given me the confidence to present what I do in the marketplace, knowing that the team that sits behind it all, in terms of customer service and claims handling, is really second to none.”
For Bailey, the social distancing restrictions brought about in 2020 have shone a spotlight on the fact that BDM work is “all about relationships.”
“As a BDM, I have to take the time to invest in building relationships with my clients,” she noted. “During this past year, there have been times where I’ve been unable to physically connect and engage with my broker partners, yet I had existing, strong relationships with them so there was no impact on their willingness to do business with me.”
This emphasis on building strong partnerships with clients is just part of the reason that Bailey was recognised as the General Insurer BDM of the Year at the recent Insurance Business Australia Awards. It’s something that she works with brokers on so that they can deliver their own clients better insurance solutions.
“Oftentimes, I see the missing link for brokers and their clients as being clear two-way communication,” she said.
“At the end of the day, brokers are selling products to customers, and so they have to make sure the product meets the customer’s needs. But once they’re satisfied that this has been achieved, they need to sell the product, and the opportunity it presents, to the client – and that’s where the BDM can really help out.”
Continuing to collaborate with brokers during the pandemic was a relatively seamless process, according to Bailey, due in no small part to Allianz’s rapid uptake of digital technology. “At Allianz, we’ve been really quick to adopt new ways of working to maintain our relationships with brokers,” she stated.
“Virtual meetings have really helped me keep in touch with my partners and allowed me to foster relationships with current and prospective clients. However, many of our partners still appreciate traditional meetings and I’m looking forward to more face-to-face interactions in the months ahead as restrictions, hopefully, continue to ease.”
Asked how she felt about winning the General Insurer BDM of the Year award, Bailey was enthusiastic though diplomatic.
“We all put a lot of work and effort into our jobs, particularly given the challenges our industry has faced over the past year, so it is sincerely lovely to be recognised among such a high calibre of industry peers,” she said.
