Good advice through integrated training

Stephan Hofmann is Regional Director in Leipzig and has been managing his own agency since 2016. He started out at ERGO in 2006 with an apprenticeship in the office, but in the second year of his apprenticeship, during an internship in field sales, he realised that he was much more interested in sales.

"I particularly liked the independent and flexible way of working," explains Hofmann. "I was also really motivated by the direct contact with clients and the opportunity to take direct responsibility, so I immediately decided to pursue a career in sales.”

From employee to independent agency owner

After working for a short time as a salaried Sales Assistant, Hofmann switched to being self-employed as the Junior Partner of an agency, with the prospect of taking over the agency at a later stage. "That provided me with great prospects and, of course, it also really motivated me to develop the agency and the business," recalls the 36-year-old. However, when the head of the agency died suddenly at the beginning of 2016, this was unexpectedly premature for Hofmann. "That was a difficult time for all employees," says Hofmann. "But we stuck together as a team, shared the workload and responsibility and managed the situation together." Hofmann’s agency is now operating so successfully that he was able to appoint a colleague he had met during his office training as a new Junior Partner.

Use of digital media

The next stage in the agency’s growth came at the start of September: Stephan Hofmann bought a plot of land in Leipzig, on which he plans to build the agency’s own offices in 2021. "I want to build an insurance office that I can design in line with my own ideas, where I have more space for new employees and where I can use more digital media," says Hofmann. "I'm thinking of digital signage and touchscreens, using which I can bring out insurance to life for customers. ERGO has developed the relevant apps for this, with which, for instance, new products and campaign content as well as advertisements can be automatically displayed. These displays can be used in a variety of ways, especially in a consulting situation. I would like to make the most of these opportunities to reach new clients even better and further improve our advice and consulting services.”

Good advice through integrated training

For Hofmann, offering good advice to his clients is his top priority. To do this, he and his team need to meet the highest professional standards, which is why regular training and weekly team meetings at which the team jointly discuss new products are so important to him. "I believe that you need to meet two decisive criteria to be successful in sales," states Hofmann. "Professional knowledge and expertise, and an understanding of the clients’ needs. This is the only way that I recommend the right product for a client and inspire them with my good advice. That's why I see myself as a consultant rather than as an intermediary or facilitator.”