How Should Manufacturers Evaluate Associations?

I think there are several association benefits that drive manufacturer value.

Things like exposure, networking and contributing to the industry – are the obvious ones -but hard to measure. From our selfish perspective, we see the ability to drive some of that interaction online provides the ability to track and connect in ways that are more quantifiable.

There are many opportunities for associations to evolve and support the collective online but they don’t always have the knowledge or staffing to do it.

I am curious if any ideas about the ways manufacturers want associations to support the “need for greater member support for the manufacturers” that were new or innovative.

We have some very tactile ways we are approaching it with the NECA/NJATC organizations. We are also driving alot of the communication there to online methods that are new, distributed and simple to maintain.

It has been my experience that most distributor associations don’t seem to know how to thank manufacturers for the support in the form of over priced booths and meetings.Or for that matter thanking people for attending.
A simple “Thanks for your support” would go a long way to making us feel appreciated and not just for the money.
ASA and ISA make it a point to say ‘Thanks…we appreciate your support”. But there are others that assume you should support them. They seem to be more focused on their survival and message.

Associations primary value add to the manufacturers is exposure to, and efficient contact with, their member community. The challenge today is that many distributors are evaluating their participation in association meetings and determining that rah-rah speakers who have nothing to do with their industry, boring member sessions over focused on honoring leadership and limited substantive business conversations with suppliers combine to make association meetings easy to not attend without “missing” them. If member participation in meetings is high, the value to the manufacturers is there. When attendance is poor, the value to the manufacturer is as well. Fix the value add of the association to its members and the manufacturers will be there. Wow, I wrote this whole thing without mentioning NAED…

Nice job of not mentioning the elephant in the room…

We have found that joining a national retailing association has done nothing for us as a supplier. All the association does is cater to the distributors, retailers and big-box stores, for that is where they get most of their membership fees from. We used to advertise in their monthly magazines and journals, but stopped when they hit us with a 40% price increase right in the middle of a year-long signed contract agreement. We were not the only one, for I noticed their last publication had 30-35% less advertisements.

They won’t publish any news releases from the manufacturers either, for all of their “news worthy” energies and press are centered around the big-box distribution channels, even though they said they were out to help the little guys.

They also never got us to attend or be invited to any of the retailers’ trade shows. Personally, it was a waste of our budget joining their association last year and something we will not be renewing later-on this year.

I won’t mention NAED either.
Generally, association value has decreased (there may still some there)over the last three or four years. It’s been more about the association making money off the meetings and thinking that the association’s false assumption that they have “the channel message”. And that somehow they have the answer for the distributor and manufacturer. They really don’t have the magic they had originally.
Buying groups have added a great deal of value for the distributor not only in rebate checks, but is product buying and real incentives they offer for connectivity. Their membership meeting really offer more value for the manufacturer(if you are in plan) than do the Associations.

Without mentioning any specific association, it is amusing to watch how associations destroy for profit companies that bring really cost savings to both manufacturers and distributors.
Thus was the case when NAED tried to destroy IDEA because on the personal feud that Mr. Naber had with Mr. Rioux. While Mr. Nabor got Mr. Rioux fired, it crippled the effort of IDEA to the point where their value has eroded and now they have become an over priced VAN.
It is amazing what distributor members will allow employees to do.

Nice job of reminding us that the South end of a North bound horse is really jerking the distributor membership around.

Just wanted to remind everyone that the reason for the question, and comment, was not to stimulate discussion re: NAED as I was at another industry association meeting where the topic of value was raised … just don’t want to get the messenger shot!!

Hard to ignore an elephant in the room David.We know you have to step lightly…

That’s OK….NAED corporate shoots the messenger

It seems that in current economic times that Niche associations fare much better than others.
Why? Focus seems to be the unifying factor.

But I wouldn’t rule out an association that is plugged in with it’s membership (both manufacturer and distributor) and brings all to the table with value.