How to build association relationships that drive sales success

Posted by Dustin Boss on May 28, 2019 9:00:00 AM
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How to build association relationships that drive sales success 

As an insurance agent, prospecting isn’t always easy (or very much fun). But it’s necessary to keep growing your book of business. The most successful agents don’t put all their prospecting eggs in one basket, so to speak. Instead, they employ a number of sales strategies to keep leads coming in from multiple places. One of the best (but often underutilized) lead sources is through association partnerships.

In this blog, we’ll talk about the value of partnering with industry associations and other local networking groups, as well as how to get started.

Why partner with associations?

Local trade associations, chambers of commerce, and other relevant industry groups can be extremely valuable partners for insurance agents, as they are made up with business owners who may be the perfect prospects for you.

Besides the obvious benefit of networking with these employers, the best sales strategy is to get invited by the association to provide an educational seminar to the group. The concept is that you share a presentation on a valuable topic such as OSHA, safety or wellness, then deliver even more value to attendees with a free “gift.” Here’s a step-by-step plan of how to execute this strategy and leave with a roomful of engaged prospects.

It’s important to keep in mind, this partnership is not one-sided. Associations and other trade groups are constantly looking for ways to provide value to their members, to justify the time and cost of being a member. Bringing in experts on important topics like OSHA, safety, and wellness is a perfect way to deliver beneficial content to their members—so much so that most associations will happily promote you and your event(s) on their website.

How do I build these partnerships?

The first step to building partnerships with local associations and groups is to identify the ones that offer the most benefit to you (the ones with members that match your ideal client) and join them yourself. Begin networking and getting to know the members, as well as the leaders of the group. Once you’ve begun building relationships with the leaders of a particular group:

  1. Approach them with the idea to speak on an educational topic to the group. Give them a specific topic you have in mind (and make sure to keep it educational, not promotional). Focus on the value it will offer their members and that you will do it for free.

  2. If they agree, work with them as you plan, promote, and present your seminar. Co-brand everything to give the association just as much credit as you. This should come across as something you and the association are doing together, not something you’re doing yourself.

  3. After the seminar is over, ask the association leaders how they thought it went and talk about next steps. Ask if they would be interested in additional topics you might present in the future or if there are other ways you could help serve their members.

 

Are you overwhelmed thinking about creating and presenting an educational seminar? Check out this done-for-you plan to execute this strategy start to finish.

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Tags: Sales/Prospecting