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 By
David F. Woods, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, NAIFA CEO
Former Speaker of the House Thomas P. O’Neill
Jr., a Democrat from Massachusetts, served in Congress for 34 years and
was beloved by his Boston constituents. He knew that constituent service
not only got you reelected; it also kept you in close touch with the voters.
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We at NAIFA can learn a lot from Tip. He knew
the condition of the potholes on Beacon Street in downtown Boston
were a lot more important to his voters than the condition of U.S.-Soviet
relations. In like manner we know that the identity of the next
speaker at the association meeting in Allentown, for example, is
far more important to the Allentown NAIFA members than the identity
of the NAIFA CEO in Washington, D.C.
Let your voice be heard
NAIFA is utterly dedicated to just two things—political advocacy
and member benefits that will improve your bottom line. And to paraphrase
Tip, all NAIFA is local. That means that both political advocacy
and member benefits that improve your bottom line are best delivered
right in your local association. Here’s how.
First, political advocacy. All the political skills
of the lobbyists of NAIFA and its partners, the Association for
Advanced Life Underwriting and the American Council of Life Insurers,
are wasted if the politicians don’t know there is an army
of concerned and active NAIFA members back home. In other words,
NAIFA national is only as effective as our political action committee
(IFAPAC) and our political involvement committee (APIC) are. That
means IFAPAC needs your money and APIC needs your political contacts
and influence.
Tell them our story
Don’t have any political contacts, you say? Make some. Meet
your state representatives. Meet your congressman and senators.
In addition to your IFAPAC contribution, give them some money directly.
It doesn’t have to be much—$50 brings you to the attention
of their staff. Invite them to your local association meeting and
tell them our story. Tell them the good we do for people. Tell them
of the billions of dollars of benefits we pay out each year. Tell
them that we are the third largest source of new capital in this
nation. Tell them that without our industry, government would have
to grow even larger to do the job we are doing.
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And tell them that when they have a question about an
insurance issue, they should call you. In fact, make them a client. Demonstrate
your knowledge and expertise. You are local. You vote for them or against
them. They will pay attention.
Your bottom line
Secondly, NAIFA has many outstanding products that can help you improve
your bottom line. For just one example, if you haven’t checked out
the LIFE Foundation website (www.life-line.org)
to see the outstanding materials it has—at a 15 percent discount
for NAIFA members—you are missing some of the best consumer materials
in our industry.
Additionally, go to your local meetings and tell the leadership you want
educational programs and inspirational speakers who will improve your
business—your bottom line—and nothing else.
We at NAIFA national understand our strength lies in Sacramento and Raleigh
and Greenville and St. Louis and thousands of other cities, towns and
villages around the country. We are committed to helping you strengthen
your local association so it can be the catalyst, the source of the many
benefits that will help improve your bottom line.
Tip said, “All politics is local.” We say,
“All NAIFA is local.”
David Woods is CEO of NAIFA and president of the
LIFE Foundation. Previously a MassMutual agent for 30 years, he has been
an MDRT member since 1970. He was NALU president in 1986-87.
This Month
Cover
Story
Expert to
Expert
Life
Stories
Lighter
Side of Life
Making
the Transition
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About Us
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