The programme offers support across a range of areas including marketing, admin, qualifications, regulation and product knowledge. All AIA advisers will have access to the Apollo programme, and 100 ‘top’ advisers each year will also be selected to join Apollo Prime, which offers extra support around specific aspects of an adviser’s business.
Sam Tremethick, chief partnership insurance officer at AIA, says helping support and grow the adviser industry is a ‘win-win’ for the insurer, especially since the programme is not based on sales volumes, as has historically been the case.
“The main purpose of Apollo is to ensure we’re providing the best level of service to our advisers, and ultimately to the clients,” Tremethick told Insurance Business.
“We’re trying to enable business growth, and we think we’ll all win if we can help advisers do that. We’ve partnered up with lots of other providers to give them discounted access to subject matter experts, and we also have AIA Apollo Prime, which is where we’ll really focus on helping the top 100 advisers to grow their businesses through both internal and external support.”
“We’re doing it based on learning styles, so we’ll continue to build our online tools, but we’ll still continue to provide face to face support where required,” he added.
Tremethick noted that while a standard programme would have been based on an adviser’s production and total premium, that is something which has completely changed. The education part of the programme will now be a key component of helping businesses through this period of change, with support being offered around online accreditation processes and refresher sessions.
“It’s all about enhancing what’s been offered in the past, and we believe this is a demonstration of shared values,” Tremethick said.
“As the largest manufacturer of life insurance in the New Zealand market, we also have a responsibility to encourage new advisers into the industry, and we’ll be using this as a platform for the education and training of new advisers.”
Advisers are encouraged to talk to AIA’s BDMs, who can help identify how the programme can help them.
