Insurance distribution has to reinvent itself. The 4th edition of Bain's distribution benchmark shows that a strategic approach is therefore much needed. Ongoing cost pressure, a decline in new business, decreasing consumption of sales power, less and less agents and an outworn compensation system: Germany's insurance companies face a need for action. Nearly everyone has already worked on decreasing their costs, but regarding the continuing basic conditions there is fundamental change needed. For this purpose a strategic approach is required to face the numerous challenges while providing consistent customer orientation against the background of ongoing digitalization.