{"id":1080,"date":"2021-02-08T14:54:03","date_gmt":"2021-02-08T19:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/?p=1080"},"modified":"2021-02-08T14:54:03","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T19:54:03","slug":"open-house-2021-should-i-join-a-trade-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/08\/open-house-2021-should-i-join-a-trade-association\/","title":{"rendered":"OPEN HOUSE 2021: Should I join a trade association?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span style=\"color: #648e65;\">By: Todd Burgard\u2014<i>President, Burgard<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><span style=\"color: #488ba6;\">Name any industry, and you will find countless trade-specific associations available to folks within those professions.<\/span> <\/b><\/span>For us builders, contractors, and suppliers, it\u2019s no different. You may have even considered joining one. In this article, we\u2019ll briefly discuss the pros and cons of industry associations and, hopefully, help you decide whether membership is right for you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span style=\"color: #648e65;\"><b>PROS<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s2\" style=\"color: #488ba6;\"><b>Networking opportunities.<\/b><\/span> There\u2019s no doubt that networking with others in your industry has immense value. Expanding your network can mean qualified-lead generation and synergy with<br \/>\nother companies.<\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span style=\"color: #488ba6;\"><b>Educational resources &amp; training.<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> Conferences, seminars, and information from industry leaders can be powerful tools to build your business.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span style=\"color: #488ba6;\"><b>Representation.<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> Associations can advocate for legislation on behalf of businesses in your industry and sometimes offer legal representation as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span style=\"color: #488ba6;\"><b>Reputation.<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> Adding an association membership next to your company name can create instant credibility and promote you as a true professional.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span style=\"color: #648e65;\"><b>CONS<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s2\" style=\"color: #488ba6;\"><b>Cost.<\/b><\/span> All associations require membership dues and perhaps fees\u2014some higher than others.<\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span style=\"color: #488ba6;\"><b>Time.<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> Your experience will only benefit from <\/span>participation, which means time. Expect a more significant time investment if you take a leadership role.<\/li>\n<li class=\"p4\"><span style=\"color: #488ba6;\"><b>Guilt by association.<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"> Some associations take political or social stances that may not agree with your values. Ask questions if this is a concern for you.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\">If you\u2019re wondering about membership in a trade association, you may find a better perspective by talking with current members, researching the organization, and interviewing the leadership within your local chapter. Check out their website to see what kind of events they hold and the tools they offer your business. Review their member list to determine if the network of individuals and companies is a good fit for you. And finally, remember that growth\u2014whether personal, professional, or business revenue\u2014should be the outcome.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In the end, the answer to, \u201cDoes it make sense for me to join an association?\u201d would be, \u201cIt depends.\u201d Like anything worth doing, you only get out what you put into it. You must weigh the investment of time, the cost of membership dues, and the level of engagement against any potential value you see your business receiving. And, only you can determine that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By: Todd Burgard\u2014President, Burgard Name any industry, and you will find countless trade-specific associations available to folks within those professions. For us builders, contractors, and suppliers, it\u2019s no different. You may have even considered joining one. In this article, we\u2019ll briefly discuss the pros and cons of industry associations and, hopefully, help you decide whether&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1080"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1081,"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1080\/revisions\/1081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homesteadoutdoorproducts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}