Willis is a leading global insurance broker, developing and delivering professional insurance, reinsurance, risk management, consulting and actuarial services around the world.  

“It is my clear intent to embed in the organisation a truly sales-oriented culture”
Joe Plumeri  Chairman

With over 300 offices in more than 100 countries, its global team of 13,000 professionals serves the needs of clients in major industries such as aerospace, marine, construction and energy.  Revenues exceed $1.4 billion.

Joe Plumeri, Willis’ Chairman, states the clear intent to embed in the organisation a truly sales-oriented culture. Associates, working as a part of one, unified team, look to identify and satisfy a wide range of client requirements. Miller Heiman and Academy played a key role in this initiative. 

In an increasingly competitive and regulated market, the objective was to improve sales performance by bringing a more structured approach to winning new business, whilst retaining and growing existing accounts. Willis in the UK selected a £250,000 Miller Heiman project with Academy, and over a twelve-month period ran over 50 programmes in Europe, USA, Mexico, Brazil and Japan. In total, over 700 professional staff were trained.

The following year was very successful for Willis: results in several of the Business Units implementing the Miller Heiman process were outstanding. 96% of those who took part in the training saw practical application for the process, and evidence from specific sales and account situations demonstrates a direct link between the process and success.

The account manager for one £¾ million account commented:  "The Goldsheet process helped me to formulate an approach to improve Willis' role.  It gave me confidence to propose that Willis could deliver all the client needed and I shared with him some of the ideas we had put on the Goldsheet. We put together a formal proposal outlining a partnership approach, which got his approval."

Another account manager commented: "Had I not Bluesheeted this account, I would not have identified the crucial need to include certain buying influences and the Economic Buyer.  Therefore, I would not have captured a sale which is presently worth £70K with additional revenues to come."

And a third: "The Bluesheet exercise suggested different routes to the Economic Buyer (and even questioned his identity) and enabled us to find a coach.  Without this we would not have won the business, I'm sure."