My Apologies to the Lady in the Second Seat in the Second Row

I guess I had a case of speaker rage. After doing my CAS/MAS-approved educational session for a room full of people, I asked for a show of hands as to how many in the audience were members of the regional association. Only half raised their hands.

Here comes the “poor lady” part. I asked the “poor lady” why she wasn’t a member. She then responded with a harmless and simple question, “What does the association do for me?” Perhaps because I am a senior citizen and was pumped up from my youth by President John F. Kennedy who famously declared, ”Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” the following ensued.

Somehow the poor lady’s question ignited a fuse. I retorted, “What do you mean ‘what can the association do for you?’ Shouldn’t you ask what you can do for you, your industry, your future, and your business?” I told her that right at this very moment, there are dozens of her fellow distributors who volunteered to go to Washington D.C. to lobby your congressperson and senator. They are letting your legislators know what is important to you and our industry. They are lobbying in our best interest. They are calling their attention to issues such as consumer product safety. They want to get government to stop banning our products both overtly and subtly in legislation. They are focusing on sales tax issues and on regulations that can hurt us.

They are talking about financial issues like 1099s for sales associates. I asked her if she had any sales reps. She said yes. Poor lady, I said, “Don’t you care whether you need to put them on the payroll and give them benefits and if you can afford to do that?” I added that that is right now, similar efforts are made by your regional association with your state government. About that time she seemed edgy in her seat and ready to leave.

Well, I did back off and she said, “I see your point.” Don’t give me a microphone because I pulled out my soap box and began my unrehearsed speech to half the room who did not have membership. I then reminded her, “You get financial benefits, discounts on many different goods and services, you get local trade shows put on by volunteers who don’t have the time, but they find it and that’s why you are here today. You are sitting here getting educated only because there are people in this association willing to share, willing to mentor, willing to be your friends. Yes, you get a relationship with PPAI and SAGE. Frankly, you get tremendous value.” Then I gave her my favorite line… “You get to come to events and mingle with people to whom you never have to explain what you do for a living.”

Never before has our industry been so threatened by state and federal regulations. Never before has the media been so inaccurate as to our value and contributions in the marketplace. Too many people muckrake, calling what we provide “trinkets, trash, tchotchkes,” saying our products are wasteful spending.

So, to the lady in the second seat, second row. I am sorry, but I’m also sorry you are not a member. If this is your career, your business, your living, then your membership adds to our numbers. Only those groups with the power numbers accomplish what they need to with government and others. Look at the industries with power. There is hardly a Senator or Congressperson who won’t open their doors for the AMA, ABA, ARA and hundreds of other trade and professional groups. So, it is not that we can make you smarter, make your life easier, make many things cheaper, It’s that we, with your membership, can make us all better and ensure our future.

Our regional associations are parts of our national network of trade associations. They are all sheltered in a group under PPAI called RAC. RAC brings together the grassroots power of the local and state groups to form a powerful foundation for our national association that works in the best interests of distributors and suppliers. Through your regional association you share in access to the huge deposit of information, research and benefits PPAI offers. Membership in both your regional and PPAI makes you the quintessential company that dedicates its mission to selling promotional products and its outreach to supporting the associations that make their missions possible.

It felt good to write this column. I hope it reaches the nearly 75 percent of the companies that are not regional members. I hope it convinces one or two companies to spend a whopping $100-$175 to join one. Perhaps one or two readers will step forward and give back to their chosen industry.

The takeaway: regional association membership is like insurance for your financial well-being and business vitality. Check out the list of regional trade associations, make contact. Join us.

Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds "I was a distributor." He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor Magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.