How managers can bolster the performance of their sales reps

It can be vexing to answer the phone only to discover an auto insurance sales rep on the other end of the line. The next time that happens, though, consider cutting the rep some slack. Drivers in the United States spend an average of US$1,771 a year on full-coverage car insurance, with rates in some cities topping US$6,200. But finding and recruiting customers for such plans isn’t easy.

The University of Missouri’s Srinath Gopalakrishna and colleagues studied the auto insurance industry to learn more about what drives sales success. In particular, they wanted to examine the rep’s role throughout the sales funnel, from prospecting for leads to converting those leads into customers.