WOW!  Some great answers!.  Over the many years in the business (Property and Casualty) I have tried several things to keep people in the agency. Paid them a base plus commission, paid them a salary and a bonus. About 10 years ago I looked at the people around me and told my wife. "I am more worried about them failing than they are". So I sat down and had an individual meeting with each person working as a producer or a CSR. For producers no salary no base I provide the best companies that you can have and no one gave me a penny when I started from scratch. I gave the producers 3 months to get geared up or find another occupation. I had 12 when I started this it went down to 4 when several quite because they couldn't produce enough to put food on the table. After one year I was having more production with the 4 than I had with the 12. 

With the CSR's they had to round out accounts and show positive growth on that part of the book that they handled. A funny thing happened one of my CSRs is now my leading producer.  I have  solid relationship with my people and love them. Not one of the producers that stayed with us and fought the good fight is making under $173,000 as their part of the commission split. 

Even a slow boy can be kind and retain highly motivated people is the goal is attainable and the results monitored, that way you can manage the results. 

I don't have a lot of the answers, but I think we make it too easy for people who have chosen a very hard career path. You have to be tough and love what you are doing.  One of the people I let go came back to me a year or so later and told me that he would get up in the morning and be sick coming to work because he knew that he really wasn't cut out to be an agent. You talk about performance punishing!