LOCALASSOCIATION

MARKETINGGUIDELINES

International Association of Insurance Professionals (IAIP)

LOCAL ASSOCIATION MARKETING GUIDELINES

Congratulations!! You are on your way to recruiting and retaining members simply by your interest in learning more about the tools available to you and your membership team.

Attracting and retaining new members is vital for our organization to succeed and continue to offer the quality Insurance education, skills enhancement and leadership development that IAIPis known for.

This task may appear to be intimidating but is notvery difficult when you have the right tools. This guidebook can provide you with the necessary tools but it is up to each member of your local association to be the best marketing ambassador for the association.

Each of us at one time or another was a new member of an organization. Perhaps the first thing to do is remember why you were attracted to the organization. What did it do to get your attention? What made you decide to stick around? Obviously, the organization was doing something right -- you just have to figure out the right techniques for your group to do the same.

We are making these marketing tools available to you in several ways. You can find them:

  • Online at
  • From the Corporate Centre on a CD, flash drive or in written form

. Tools included in this guidebook are:

  • Mission Statement
  • History of IAIP
  • Structure of IAIP
  • Member Benefits
  • Marketing to prospective new members
  • Marketing to employers
  • Sample letters, power point presentations and brochures

Mission Statement

As a local association, you are part of the IAIP team. By your actions, you represent this association. Prospective Members and employers may want to know your Associations’ Mission Statement. In some of your printed materials, you may want to include your local association’s mission statement and/or history.

History of IAIPand Your Local Association

In 1938, Elsie B. Mayer and C. Bertha Rachofsky joined with nine other Denver insurance women to form an organization for educational purposes. To launch the organization they had to:

1.Solicit prospective members

2.Convince employers of the non-union nature of the association.

The first meetings were devoted to insurance education and discussion of a national organization. Because of the favorable response to the local group in Denver, Elsie and Bertha began to investigate the possibility of a national association. The organizational meeting was announced in “National Underwriter” magazine and all insurance groups were invited to send representatives. The organizational meeting was held June 21–23, 1940, at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver. Elsie was appointed general chairman. Sixty-five delegates attended representing 19 groups from Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Total registration was 187. The meeting resulted in the formation of the National Association of Insurance Women.To recognize the Canadian members, the word Internationalwas added to the official name in 1967. In 2011, the trade name, International Association of Insurance Professionals (IAIP) was adopted to remove gender from the name and better recognize the diversified membership.

The association wasoriginally organized with 17 groups representing 2,000 members. The constitution and bylaws were adopted, as well as the creed: “Fellowship-Loyalty-Education”.

Structure of IAIP

Legend

International – Officers, Committees, Executive Committee, Board of Directors

Regional – There are nine(9) Regions.Each Region has a Regional Vice President

Council – Each State has a Council Director and Council Committees

Local – Each local has a President, other Officers & Committees

Member Benefits

  • Educational Opportunities (Professional and Personal)
  • Leadership Development
  • Connections with other professional leaders
  • Participation in industry and community outreach
  • Mentoring
  • Scholarships and awards
  • Opportunity to build confidence in a non-threatening environment
  • Publications
  • Online Website community
  • CareerCenter
  • Ongoing practical education

Marketingto Prospective New Members

Recruitment Techniques

Personal contact/word of mouth

People are more likely to get involved if a friend personally invites them.

• Introduce yourself and describe your association and its goals.

• Answer questions about the organization.

• Have a list of the benefits of yourassociation. Attach the date, time of your next meeting, and invite them.

• Take down names and phone numbers so you can call and remind them of the meeting.

• Offer to drive them to the next meeting.

Announcements

Get the word out! Send information to your prospect with a tear off on the bottom to send back with their name and phone number. Include the purpose of your association, goals, upcoming events, benefits of joining, and meeting dates, time and location. Use posters, radio announcements, e-mail, local or industry newspapers and the Internet.

At your next event

  • Have an information table with a sign-up sheet for prospective membersand have someone there to answer questions.
  • On an advertisement for your next event, recruit new members with a simple “If you are interested in helping plan our next event call…”

Interactive technology

If your group has a homepage or Web site, add a section detailing how to join your association. If your group does not have either, create one. A technology savvy association helps youreach thousands of prospective members by simply pointing and clicking.

Be available

The most important things are to be available to answer questions or help new members join. If interested individuals are unable to contact someone from your association, your prospecting efforts may have gone to waste. You may want to make sure new members can get in touch with yourassociation.

Group Presentation:

When marketing to a group it is very important that you use your best presentationskills and that the message is enthusiastic and positive. Presentation is critical to making prospective new members excited and anxious to join the association.

Here are some tips for your presentation.

  • Don’t merely read the slides
  • Make the slides exciting— include some video clips and photos of past national or regional conventions or local meeting programs, of the CWC Speak Off, community service, keynote speakers, workshops, etc.
  • Include an industry leader or member employers’ testimonials of the benefits of IAIPand why they support it. (either in a short video or in a quote on a slide)
  • Have someone present a 1 minute impromptu or 3 minute prepared speech to show the benefits of NAIW’s educational programs
  • Present informationthat describe the educational programs to members and bring examples of the new programs to show the quality of the materials available.
  • Present the group with a calendar of upcoming programs including the meeting date, time and location and give them an invitation to attend (a real handwritten invitation).
  • Make sure you have enthusiastic presenters who can energize a room—make it light, keep it moving and brief and make it fun
  • Rehearse the presentation; be familiar with the benefits IAIPoffers to its members.
  • Don’t merely list the benefits, demonstrate them in testimonials.
  • Be sure to give the audience your local association’s web site address if you have one.
  • Work with their schedule and tailor the presentation to fit their needs.
  • Present them with new member packets and thank them for their time and give them a contact name to follow up with
  • Secure their e-mail addresses to include them in invitations to future meetings.

Remember you have only a matter of seconds to make a good first impression—it is almost impossible to get that time back.

Marketing to Guests at Your Meetings:

  • Greet and make sure someone sits with the guests to make them feel welcome and to introduce them to other members
  • Create a subcommittee to your Membership Development Committee as a new member welcoming committee.
  • Follow up before they leave by giving them a new member packet that includes a letter thanking them for coming to the meeting and telling them who to contact to join or for further information and a membership application
  • Get their e-mail address and make sure they’re on the e-mail list to invite to future meetings/events
  • Be sure the meeting is conducted professionally and that the program was well done—Don’t waste their time
  • Streamline the meeting keeping business to a minimum
  • Make sure the meeting is positive—No negativity
  • Start and end the meeting on time

One-on-One Marketing:

  • Invite them to a meeting; conference or IAIPsponsored class or workshop.
  • Present them with one of the marketing tools:
  • Membership Marketing Brochure
  • A link to IAIP or your local web site
  • A flyer telling them the return on their investment in IAIP
  • Provide them with a short story on how your membership in IAIPhas benefited you personally and professionally (you be the advertisement through your own testimonial)
  • Be positive and enthusiastic
  • Do not forget to stress the friendships you have developed and the memories you’ve created
  • Most importantly, listen for clues as to what they look for in a professional association and stress the benefits that meet their specific needs.

Follow Up:

No marketing tool or presentation is going to help you recruit new members unless you follow up.

  • Send a hand written thank you note to people who attended. Thank them for giving you the time to present IAIPto them or for attending.
  • If the presentation was at their company, be sure to send a handwritten thank you note to their boss.
  • Invite them to another meeting.
  • Ask them if they have sent in their membership application.
  • If not, try to find out why not
  • Ask them if they have any questions, you can answer about the local.

Tips and Ideas for Recruiting New Members beyond Presenting IAIP

  • Develop a local association Speakers Bureau.
  • Have a group of your members, who are proven trainers or presenters, available to present a program, conduct a workshop or training session on insurance for other organizations.
  • Have annual membership drives at regular meeting or hold an open house
  • Have exhibitor “booths” showing

Information on the benefits of belonging

What the various committees do

Photos, slides, accomplishments of your local association and information on past programs

Invitations to member or prospective member employers

  • Be sure your welcoming committee

Greets each guest/employer and potential new member to personally thank them for coming

Takes them around and introduces them to current members and other prospective members

Answers any questions they may have about the association and what it means to them.

  • Send them a link that will take them to an online version of “Today’s Insurance Professional” magazine’s lead article so they can see the additional benefit of the industry publication.
  • Be an example every day of the caliber of Insurance Professional IAIPproudly boasts as members.
  • Share your knowledge
  • Mentor others
  • Demonstrate the benefits of IAIP
  • Share an invitation to an IAIPclass or webinar
  • Demonstrate ethical behavior
  • Look for Community Service Opportunities that Get IAIPout into your insurance community and the community at large
  • Be sure you send out press releases on the accomplishments of your members and your activities in the community
  • Submit an article to your company newsletter on IAIPbenefits or activities
  • Post a flyer about your next meeting or program on the company bulletin board or your company intranet bulletin board (see if you can post a link to your local association’s web site on the company intranet)
  • Share your enthusiasm, memories and new knowledge with colleagues when you return from an IAIPconference
  • Hold a joint meeting or educational opportunity with another professional insurance organization
  • Send letters to employers that announce the accomplishment of their member employees.

No recruiting guide would be complete without reminding you that retention of those new members once they join is just as important as recruiting them.

We all know it costs more to get new customers than to retain existing ones.So it is with NAIW-it costs more and is harder to get new members.Do not forget to continue to market to your existing members. Make sure they are involved and appreciated. You may want to practice some of these recruitment tips to keep them coming back!

Marketing to Employers

Tell Employers about your local association, and howmembership in IAIPwill be an investment in their employees, their employees’ careers and in the industry. Membership in IAIPwill give their employees an advantage over others, and help them stand out and succeed in the industry.

Tell Them about Your Association

For more than 60 years,IAIPhas been serving its members by providing professional education, an environment in which to build business alliances and the opportunity to make connections with people of differing career paths in the insurance and risk management industries.

IAIPis dedicated to the professional development of its members and the insurance and risk management industries through innovative education programs and meetings offered at the local, state, regional and national levels. Membership is open to insurance and risk management professionals in all areas of these industries.

NAIW’sdiverse membership provides unique opportunities for members to connect with other professionals in all areas and obtain information needed to succeed in our ever-changing industry.

Leadership development is an integral part of IAIP’s perpetuation of the insurance and risk management industries. Our members are recognized for the development of leadership skills that they can utilize in their professional careers.

Membership Benefits

• Diverse Membership

An International association since the 1960s, IAIPcontinues to expand globally with members located in the United States,Canada and Puerto Rico.

• CareerCenter

NAIW’sdiversification connects your company to vast opportunities that allow you to learn of qualified professionals to fill an employment opportunity within your company.

• Business Connections

While attending local association meetings, state council meetings, regional conferences and the annual International convention, members will have access to both potential clients and markets in extremely diversified atmospheres, with professionals from various fields, including Life/Health, Property/Casualty, Claims, Risk Management and more.

• Professional Development Programs

Programs on industry and career related topics such as Risk Management, Underwriting, Ethics, Multi-Tasking, Time Management and Communication Skills are offered to members.

• Subscription to All IAIPPublications

Members receive complimentary subscriptions to “Today’s

Insurance Professionals”, quarterly magazine; Connectionselectronic newsletter, to keep them informed of the latest industry innovationsand association news.

Get Employers Involved

Help increase your bottom line and show your employees you believe in them. Invest in their Professional Development.

• Support your employees by encouraging them to join IAIPand offering to pay their annual membership dues.

• Increase your employees’ effectiveness and promote their professional development by sending them to valuable Continuing Education courses offered at IAIPmeetings, including Sales Proficiency and Relationship Knowledge (SPARK),Confidence While Communicating (CWC), Three Steps to E&O Risk Management and Homeowner’s Coverage, just to name a few.

• Recruit qualified industry professionals by posting job listings in IAIP’s online CareerCenter.

• Send your employees to IAIP’s Annual Convention to represent and receive education on behalf of your company.

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