Top 10 Ways to Promote Your NEB Membership

Remember the philosophical question, “If a tree falls in a forest, and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?”  Well, there’s a similar question regarding NEB membership: “If you get approved for NEB membership and no one knows about it, does it really matter?”

Some would argue it does matter because it’s personally rewarding to get recognized for one’s exemplary ethics.  Others contend it would matter more if your clients, prospects, and referral sources knew about it and did business with you as a result.

The recent National Ethics Bureau member survey suggests a majority of members are in the former camp, with nearly 52 percent not announcing their membership.  We believe new members should consider joining the other camp by talking up their NEB affiliation, especially right after they join. To that end, here are the top ten ways to promote your new membership.

1. Send a hard-copy letter to your current clients and prospect list.
2. Zap an e-mail to your client list, including a link to the NEB web site and your professional profile (see #7).
3. Mention your NEB approval on your web site’s “what’s new” section.
4. Issue a press release to your local and state business media.
5. Send a letter or e-mail to your referral sources about your acceptance into NEB and what this conveys about your professionalism.
6. Include the NEB approved member logo on your business card and stationery.
7. Post your Professional Profile on NEB’s web site and publish a link to it on your web site.
8. Send the NEB Approved Member brochure to your clients and prospects.
9. Send out a promotion letter or e-mail to prospects in your sales pipeline, encouraging them to check you out by visiting NEB’s web site (www.ethicscheck.com) or by calling (800) 282-1831.
10. Make hard copies of your NEB Professional Profile and hand them out at your seminars. 

Better yet, develop a campaign including multiple communication tactics and channels.  Why? Because the more you “talk up” your membership, the more people will be impressed by your verified ethics and inclined to trust you. And when trust deepens between advisor and client, good things invariably happen.