Phil Billingham: a brave new world phoenixing from the old

Let me take you back in time. To a time when insurance salesmen - and men they were - roamed the Earth. Despite talk of ‘building a business', the reality was stark. For every 100 fresh enthusiastic and hungry new salespeople released into the world, clutching their ‘Project 100' folders to their hearts, perhaps ten or 15 would still be surviving a year later. The other 85 or so fade away, frequently in an atmosphere of rancour over debts and drawings. In between, consumers may or may not get good advice, and may or may not profit from that advice. Uniquely in the business world...