NAILBA Perspectives - January/February 2015 - (Page 9)
chairman's corner
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lp AgBuckletart the Year Strong!
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Up!
I
DAVID LONG
NAILBA CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
t was November of 1999, the
place was the Century Plaza
Hotel in Los Angeles. I'd been
in the brokerage business for two
months, and this was my first
NAILBA annual meeting-NAILBA
18. As a wide-eyed newbie, it was
a lot to take in, but three things
struck me-1) You could really have
some bizarre party themes when
your meeting is in Hollywood, 2) it
seemed strange that an exhibiting
life insurance company's theme was
"The Year of the Smoker" (complete
with cigar rolling experts in their
hospitality suite), and, 3) that
guy on the main stage must have
been master of his universe to be
chairman of such an incredible
organization (and the incoming
chairman, Art somebody, had more
electronic gadgets on his belt than
Batman!). So, it goes without saying
that I'm honored to follow in the
footsteps of the visionary leaders
of our industry as the 2015 NAILBA
Chairman. I'd like to thank Barbara
Crowley for her leadership of NAILBA
over this last year; she has made it
an easy transition for me and has
been an excellent mentor.
I was born and raised in this
business, and one thing I've gotten
used to is change. However, the
one thing I'm finding challenging
to keep up with is the increasing
pace at which this change seems
to come. It was never more evident
than when the NAILBA Board of
Directors got together last spring to
construct our three-year strategic
plan. This was the third time I've
had the privilege to take part in
this discussion, and it was by far
the most challenging round we've
had yet. Everybody talks about
change, but what changes matter
to our membership? And what can
NAILBA do to help its members deal
with and optimize those changes?
After the Board read some books
(Jack assured me there was no
movie), met in person, had several
conference calls, and conducted
the most in-depth survey we've ever
attempted-I believe we've built
a plan that reflects what NAILBA
member agencies most desire from
their association. So hold on to your
hats and glasses, this ride is wild,
but NAILBA can be the seat belt that
keeps you in the driver's seat.
The first and most obvious
change was the new schedule at
NAILBA 33. Based on feedback from
our members and exhibitors, we
shook up this year's meeting and
the results were great. Attendance
was up across almost every category including a packed ballroom for
the Mooers Award Dinner. The general sessions had great energy, and
we were all together in a bustling
exhibit hall. Finally, we were able to
finish with a great golf tournament
with an early start on Saturday, and
most of us were still back home for
dinner on Saturday night. Thank you
to our carrier and vendor partners,
and to all who attended and participated, for making the meeting such
a great success.
Next, we have built a new advocacy
strategy that includes an exciting
joint venture with the Association
for Advanced Life Underwriting
(AALU). Combining the strengths of
the two organizations will present
a stronger unified message that will
bolster the industry's position in
combating legislation that attempts
to weaken the long term financial
security of Americans, and our
ability to provide that protection.
NAILBA is also looking into alliances
with other industry associations to
see where combined resources can
help our members be successful.
Education was a focus of many of
the survey responses, so it is also in
the bull's eye of the new strategic
plan. NAILBA will continue to
provide resources and tools to train
and advance principals and staffs
of member agencies, but with an
expanded multi-platform strategy.
We will take advantage of face-to-face
opportunities, webinars conducted
by NAILBA and outside resources,
tools available at NAILBA.org, social
media, and more. In addition to
professional development, there will
be expanded training on how to run
a business. This "best practices"
type of education has been well
received in the Agency Successor
Networking Group (ASNG), and we
are looking forward to making this
information more widely available
to the entire membership. Speaking
of ASNG, we are adding a mentoring
element to the group to facilitate
the passing down of knowledge from
one generation of our business to
the next.
NAILBA will also dig deeper into
technology. We are creating a subcommittee from membership to help
convey wants and needs to the Life
Brokerage Technology Committee.
Also, we are fortunate to have a
great working relationship with the
Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development
(ACORD), so we're going to make it
easier for our members to communicate with them to help improve
standards across the industry.
This strategic plan is ambitious,
but, with our professional staff,
strong board of directors, and our
dedicated team of committee volunteers, it will be a great year as we
not only respond to the ever changing landscape of our industry, but
our member agencies capitalize and
thrive on the opportunities those
changes create.
Thank you for the opportunity
to be your 2015 Chair, and if I
missed anything, you can find me at
chairman@nailba.org.
www.nailba.org 9
http://www.NAILBA.org
http://www.nailba.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NAILBA Perspectives - January/February 2015
NAILBA Perspectives - January/February 2015
Contents
Chairman’s Corner
CEO Insights
The NAILBA of the Future
NAILBA Charitable Foundation
Life Happens
Shaking Up Sales Concepts in 2015
Agency Successor Networking Group
NAILBA 33 Highlights
Member Profiles
Reading Ahead
Agency Resources
Calendar of Events
Index of Advertisers
NAILBA Perspectives - January/February 2015
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