Getting Involved in Industry Associations
Today I want to touch on how you can use industry specific associations to grow your business. This kind of thing can be really effective or it can be a waste of time. Some of it depends on you and some of it depends on your business and industry. It can be the most effective thing possible for some businesses and it can be a waste of time for others. I’m a member of the International Business Brokers Association in which I am a CBI (certified business intermediary), Wedding International Professionals Association ( in which I am a board member), the Utah Live Events Industry Association (in which I am the former vice president) and the Realtors Association as well as some others. Getting involved in industry associations is an area that many people don’t even bother with for the following reasons:
- They don’t have time
- They don’t see the value in it
- They don’t know how to get the most out of it
- They don’t know anyone in the association
- They don’t understand the point
I resonate with all of these concerns because in the past, I had the EXACT same things to say. I’ve changed my tune a little as I’ve gotten involved. I’m going to address each of these concerns and then I’m going to give you 3 tips with getting involved. As I go over this, I hope I help you to understand how getting involved in this might help your business. It might not but you should evaluate whether or not getting involved is a good idea with some perspective of someone who has explored.
Concern #1 – They don’t have time
Trust me, I get it. If you are spending all your time trying to run your business, you really aren’t going to have enough time to get involved with one of these associations. Even if you can squeeze it in, you won’t be able to put enough into it to really get anything out of it. This idea is something I’ll discuss later in this video. If you don’t have the time to grow your business because you are spending all your time running your business, you are experiencing a separate issue that you need to address. I would highly recommend watching my video called “delegating and leveraging your time”. You are hard pressed to grow your business if you are bogged down running it. You need to solve that problem before you can really take advantage of an association
Concern #2 - They don’t see the value in it
I dealt with this and didn’t really see the light until I decided to put a good amount of time and effort into it. Most people perceive the value of being involved in an industry association as being put on some kind of member directory for referrals and showing up every once in a while to pass out your business cards and pester people about hiring you. That really is a surface deep way of thinking about this. I see the value of associations more in terms of really getting to know people in your industry and becoming an influential part of the local economy. This isn’t something that you will see results from Immediately. You may need to get involved and really get to know people for a year or more before it will pay off. When it does pay off it will be because your name will be very well known in your industry and you will have a sizable group of friends that will be happy to refer you. The more exposure you have the better. If multiple people are buzzing about you and your business, you will see an increase in work, even though it may be difficult to quantize it. Another benefit to becoming a part of an association is the education they may or may not offer. If this is of value to you, then it becomes a part of your decision
Concern #3 – They don’t know how to get the most out of it
Again, I’ve been there. I’ve signed up as a member of associations before and then kind of said to myself “now what?” Here is my suggestion: Introduce yourself to one of the leaders in the association and ask them what you can do to help support the association and get more involved. They will have a great answer for you. Be patient for a minute about how you will see quick results from your involvement. As you get involved, you will realize that there are opportunities to network and get your name out there. AND, if you find it to be ineffective, don’t renew your membership the next year. But if you are going to do it, really get involved. It’s very much a “you will get out of it what you put into it” kind of thing.
Concern #4 They don’t know anyone in the association
This is a valid concern but it is also a reason to join. I would join and then reach out to people and get to know them. Once you build a network of friends, you may decide that it was a good move. It’s going to take more than one introduction though. Sometimes if I’m short on time, I just show up to events just to have people see my face and I don’t stay very long. It is BENEFICIAL for people to be reminded that you exist. Even if it is just a quick pat on the arm while you say “Hi Dave, good to see you” as you walk by.
Concern #5 They don’t understand the point
Hopefully by now you have got the idea that the point isn’t to pass out a card, ask people to hire you and then leave but rather to build friendships, get involved and become a part of your industry in a way that you become a household name and a trusted resource for people
Okay, now for 3 tips
Tip #1 – Don’t bother getting involved unless you can commit
If you aren’t going to follow some of these suggestions, I think you may be better off putting your time and efforts into something else. I have found that it doesn’t really become worth it until you build the friendships
Tip #2 – Rather than approaching it with an attitude of “what can I get out of this”. Start out by having the attitude “what can I do for this association”. That will be a better strategy in terms of making friends. People respond better when they don’t feel like the networking you are doing is just one sided.
Tip #3 – Watch my video called Networking Part 1 and Networking Part 2. They will help you with your
networking efforts as you get involved. Good luck, make sure you watch those videos and if you subscribe, you will be the first to get new tips videos as they come out. Thanks.