NAILBA Perspectives - Winter 2018 - 9

ceo insights

DAN LABERT

NAILBA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

resh off #NAILBA36, I hope
you are feeling tan, rested
and relaxed. What an Annual
Meeting! Truth be told, this was my
first NAILBA Annual Meeting as the
new CEO.
I cannot say THANK YOU enough
for how much of a warm welcome
I received. From the BGAs to the
IMOs to the Carriers, sponsors, and
exhibitors, I really appreciated your
hospitality and engagement.
For those of you able to attend
the Opening General Session with
NAILBA 2017 Chairman Jim Sorebo
and me on stage, I'd like to expand
on our message to all NAILBA members (current and former). This begins
the dawning of a new age at NAILBA.
Change is coming. We are committed
to creating a new path for the organization, but we are also committed to
preserving the integrity of the past.
Over the next few months, we
will focus on:
1. Enhancing
relevancy
for
NAILBA members, vendors, and
carrier partners.
2. Growing membership and revenue.
3. Improving
marketing
and
communication.
4. Strengthening carrier and independent marketing organization
(IMO) relationships.
5. Developing
a
stronger
advocacy arm.
6. Enhancing education capabilities.
7. Collaborating with other associations and organizations creating a single, powerful voice.

The Dawning of a New Age
Great strategic points, right?
More importantly, I'd like to share
how we plan accomplish a few of
these goals.
Relevancy for NAILBA members, carriers, and vendors starts
by adding more value to #NAILBA37
(November 1-3, 2018, Orlando FL).
It's no secret that without the continued support of carriers, sponsors, exhibitors and members, the
meeting will not be a success. There
are so many distractions in today's
professional world, how on earth
can you make time to be out of the
office for three days? Well there's a
saying from John Maxwell,
"Growth is the great separator
between those who succeed and
those who do not. When a person
is beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it's almost
always due to personal growth."
Growth can only be achieved
through
professional
development. I encourage you to watch for
announcements on how #NAILBA37
will increase professional development workshops that will not only
impact agency heads but also offer
opportunities for agency staff to
grow in leadership, industry knowhow and technology skills.
"What about the exhibit hall?
It's not what it used to be." This is
a statement that was said to me at
#NAILBA36. The exhibitor area and
the challenge to keep it lively is
not unique to NAILBA. Many associations are faced with this dilemma. However, NAILBA is fortunate
to have the continued support of so
many vendors that it's now our turn
to make the exhibit hall "an experience, not just a transaction." Look
for #NAILBA37 to increase foot traffic significantly. From an exhibitor
passport with some fantastic givea-ways to product university demonstrations to fireside chats, I guarantee future attendees will think
twice about missing the opportunity to interact in this space.
Membership. As the economy ebbs
and flows, not to mention daily life

challenges, sometimes remembering
to maintain membership in a professional association is not a priority.
That is, of course, if a person is not
getting value out of their membership investment. NAILBA has quite a
few membership benefits that should
be on the radar of every single BGA.
From the E&O Insurance Program to
the Field Underwriting Guide to the
Anti-Money Laundering Training to
the Agent Training Series, the complete list of membership benefits can
be found online at www.nailba.org/
membership/benefits59. I'm sure
these benefits have been promoted
to you in the past. What hasn't been
promoted to you is two new Member
Benefits that will increase the value of NAILBA membership. Look for
announcements regarding NAILBA's
new partnerships with:
1. FSEdNet-A game changing
strategy to help with the education of new advisors. The key
to any training is to focus on
being brilliant in the basics. This
is a turnkey educational program that helps leadership teams
implement an easy to deliver
training system for success.
2. National Purchasing Partners-
NPP is a trusted savings and
solutions provider for businesses
and their employees, delivering
negotiated contract pricing on
leading-edge products. NAILBA
members will experience the
purchasing power of large
corporations to small and midmarket sized business allowing our
members to save with confidence
and convenience, so you can get
back to business and life!
Belonging to NAILBA, the premiere insurance industry organization promoting financial security
and consumer choice through the
use of independent brokerage distribution, provides you with the
information and resources you need
to advance your career and enhance
your quality of service.
Your NAILBA membership dues
are invested in you. We will continue
to strive to provide the highest qual-

ity benefits and services possible. In
many cases, participation in just one
of these benefit programs will recoup
a portion of your annual membership
fee. We understand and appreciate
the value of your dollars spent on
membership and work hard to provide you the best service, products,
and programs.
I mentioned earlier about
#NAILBA37 being hosted in Orlando,
November 1-3, 2018, and as you may
have seen, we were able to offer an
attractive incentive to join or renew
your 2018 NAILBA Membership by the
deadline. Thanks to our good friends
at the Walt Disney World Swan and
Dolphin Resort, I am pleased to
share that Donald Ebbert, CEO of First
Financial Companies in Tampa, FL
was randomly selected as the winner
of NAILBA's WALT DISNEY WORLD
Grand Prize! Thanks to his timely
renewal, he'll enjoy a 3-day, 2-night
stay at the Walt Disney World Swan
and Dolphin Resort, a food and
beverage gift certificate of $150
to use at the resort during his stay
and complimentary roundtrip VIP
airport transfer. Congratulations
to Donald Ebbert and thank you
for renewing First Financial's
membership by the deadline!
I'll leave you with my favorite
quote from Walt Disney and how
it's applicable to the new NAILBA
(besides, it fits well with the membership giveaway):
"Around here, however, we don't
look backwards for very long.
We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new
things... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
Many thanks for your continued
support of NAILBA. I welcome your
feedback. Please do not hesitate to
contact me at dlabert@nailba.org
or my direct line at 703.383.3066.
NAILBA is open for business.
Best,
Dan LaBert
@DCLaBert
www.linkedin.com/in/danlabert/
www.nailba.org 9

http://www.nailba.org/membership/benefits59 http://www.nailba.org/membership/benefits59 http://twitter.com/DCLaBert http://www.linkedin.com/in/danlabert/ http://www.nailba.org

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