Faced with dismal prospects for growth at home, Japan's life insurers are trying out some of their traditional sales tactics to try and make inroads in emerging Asian markets.
Shortly after 9 a.m. every business day, scores of women bring Reliance Nippon Life Insurance's Mumbai sales office to life with a stirring rendition of the country's national anthem.
After investing in local life insurer Reliance Life Insurance in 2011, Nippon Life Insurance spent a long time striving to figure out an effective formula for expansion in the country.
Selling life insurance has traditionally been a side job in India. But poorly motivated salesmen moonlighting for a bit of extra cash rarely explained their products thoroughly and reliable after-sales services were almost unheard of.
As a result, about half of all newly sold policies got cancelled within a year, according to Koji Ichiba, general manager at Nippon Life's International Planning & Operations Department.
"We needed committed, full-time salespeople who can provide meticulous after-sales care," said Ichiba.
In a country where less than 30% of Indian women work, it seemed logical to try out the "seiho ladies (life insurance ladies)" system that had been so successful in Japan.
"We concluded that our best chance was to hire homemakers," he said.
Initially, there was concern over whether the company would be able to hire in sufficient numbers. But the strategy has proved successful and the teams of saleswomen initially employed at Reliance Nippon Life's seven local offices have been a huge hit.
Full-time housewives naturally tend to be less wary about saleswomen calling door-to-door, and are more likely to agree to chat than if a man calls, according to Ichiba.
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