by Milt Vine
I'm sure most of you have eaten your share of rubbery chicken served up at trade association dinners. And you've had to sit through more than a few hours of dull, long-winded speeches. If you're like me, at the end of each of these evenings, you've likely asked yourself why you keep spending your precious time at these events.
Here's why: It's simply good business.
Active participation in your own industry's trade organizations - such as the Craftsmen Club, PPI, PIA and NAPL - brings a wealth of knowledge that can have significant impact on daily operations and future plans.
Helping us help ourselves. Staying "in the loop" of information flow is vital to any company's success. None of us can afford to operate in a vacuum. Regularly attending association dinners, presentations and workshops keeps us abreast of industry trends and introduces us to new business and production methods to maximize profitability and realize efficiencies.
Since their reason for being is to serve us, national and regional trade associations provide valuable programs like management seminars, offer services like health insurance, and publish how-to manuals, year-end reports and industry statistics. For instance, I often have referred to PIA's annual ratio studies before making a business investment. Of course, the other benefit to being a dues-paying member is free or reduced rates for these resources.
Association events are also good networking opportunities, giving you on-the-spot access to information about your competitors, rumored buyouts or consolidations, and possibly even which employees at other companies may be open to job offers.
Join their club. While most of us recognize the value of joining our own industry associations, we may overlook the terrific opportunities that result from joining organizations related to our clients' businesses.
The visibility of being one of few vendors among a group of clients is worth the membership dues by itself; however, there are many larger advantages. Participating in an organization in an industry you are targeting gives you an insider's vantage point. You'll get an outlook on the health and market potential of the industry, as well as firsthand knowledge of your clients' needs. This applies to your sales staff as well. Reps who are assigned specific markets would do well to get involved in those associations of which clients and prospects are members. (I think every industry has a representative service organization.) Meeting and mingling with prospects informally and on their own turf is a great way to develop relationships that can lead to new business.
Stepping up to the board. You can reap great rewards if you're willing to do more than join an organization. You can do this with little extra effort by being proactive-be a presenter instead of a participant; teach seminars instead of attending them.
Serving on industry association boards is another way to heighten your status with peers, clients and prospects and position you as an industry leader. Many associations are hungry for volunteers to serve on boards, which offers a wonderful way to cultivate new business. You get to work alongside prospects in a non-sales environment, and you have access to information about that industry which otherwise would be hard to come by. The deeper your knowledge of clients' businesses and the challenges they face, the greater your chances of addressing their needs in a sales call. The other obvious plus is you'll be viewed by your colleagues on the board as both an equal and an expert.
I recently was asked to join PIA's finance committee. Certainly, this is a great honor, since few vendors sit on the board. My experience so far has given me tremendous insight into which issues are critical to printers, which is an immense help when it comes to strategizing my sales efforts. I believe PIA also benefits, since I bring to the table fifteen years as a certified public accountant.
Before you raise your hand, though, do some research about the organization you're about to join. There are good, established ones, and there are those that appear to be serving nobody. Once you decide on the organization and make a commitment, you need to stay committed, particularly if you're serving on the board. There's no faster reputation destroyer than being labeled a "flake" by peers and clients.
So, the message of the month is: get involved in your own and your clients' industry associations. You'll not find a better return on your investment.
Milt Vine is president of Seattle Bindery, a post-production house specializing in custom index tabbing in addition to bindery services including plastic spiral, Wire-O® and perfect binding; folding; stitching; scoring; perforating and trimming services for the trade. You can reach Milt at 206/682-2558. ©1997, Seattle Bindery.
©1997, Seattle Bindery. Reprinted from Northwest Trader, July, 1997.