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Protecting Yourself When Dealing With Associations
This is the eighth article in a series of Target Marketing ideas that I hope will help you to think differently and set yourself apart from your competition. It will also help you to avoid many pitfalls associated with target marketing.
One of the most challenging parts of dealing with associations is politics.
This can take many forms, including finding out after you’ve done all of the work that there is someone on the board that wants the program to go to his brother in law. Another is the loss of the executive director that has grown to trust you. The new executive director feels it necessary to make his own mark on the association by terminating all previous contracts, vendors and providers to the association.
Unfortunately, I found this out the hard way in 1981 after creating a program for a large Southern California association. One year later my program was taken over by another agent that was dealing with the Northern California association for that same industry.
Could I have prevented this? Yes, but I didn’t know then what I know now. This is one of the subjects that I deal with in my Target Marketing Seminar. You will learn a very important way to protect yourself in the event association politics rears its ugly head before, during and after you’ve worked hard to create a program. Remember, an association board of directors and the executive director are only looking out for themselves---not for you. Learn how to protect yourself BEFORE you do all of the work.
I welcome your comments, and if you are interested in taking my complete Target Marketing Seminar, please give me a call at 714 813-3221. Four hours could change your entire career. (4 CE credits available in California)
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