In the Beginning

The Society’s Connections program began as a newsletter in 1995, targeted to property-casualty insurance leaders. The program has evolved into a more aggressive campaign that encompasses gathering marketing data, making personal visits to employers and engaging key industry decision makers in an ongoing dialog about their organization and the industry’s future.

What Is a Connections Visit?

A “Connections visit” is, quite simply, a one-to-one dialog with an employer about the CPCU® designation or the CPCU Society. The employer can have anywhere from zero to several hundred CPCUs on staff. And the setting for the discussion can range from a visit to the employer’s office, to a conference call, to a recognition event honoring a specific “Champion Employer” or executive. The goal is the same: to enhance awareness of the value of Society membership among decision makers, and to obtain critical feedback on the organization’s professional development needs.

Connections Visits Are Not Sales Calls

What a Connections visit is not is a sales call. Chapters are not expected to sell employers on the CPCU designation or on CPCU Society membership. (The Institutes employ Regional Marketing Executives who are available to handle the CPCU sales aspect). It is a relationship-building tool. As outlined in the objectives below, Connections visits are all about letting employers know what the Society and its chapters can offer them, and about understanding what employers need in terms of professional development.

Say Thanks ...

The basic objective of a chapter Connections visit is to enhance the employer’s awareness of the value of the CPCU Society. This primary objective can be broken down into three additional goals:

1. To thank the employer (if appropriate) for their support of the CPCU designation and CPCU Society membership.
2. To inform or update an employer about the latest programs offered by the chapter, the Society, and/or The Institutes. (A Connections visit can also be an excellent, low-pressure way to find sponsors or participants for chapter events, like I-Days.)
3. To obtain feedback about evolving management needs.

Chapters should conduct some basic visit preparation before scheduling a visit, and review suggested talking points once their employer target has been identified.

… And Pass the Problems

The importance of following up on a Connections visit cannot be over-emphasized. Feedback that is not communicated to the appropriate people cannot be acted upon. Here is how you can make sure that feedback on non-chapter issues is heard by the right people in Malvern:

• Submit your feedback using the online Connections Visit Feedback form, or fill out this Word® or pdf document, and email or fax it [(610) 251-2780] to Malvern.

• If using the online form, you can indicate that follow-up is needed from Malvern, and a separate email alert will be sent.