Play Meter

ventory recordkeeping , and cost
analyses. Not only do these
standards help simplify bookkeeping
and aid in keeping your methods in
line with those acceptable to tax
officials, they also aid in determining
your position in relation to the rest of
the industry .
If for example , you learn others in
your industry have a labor/ materials
cost ratio of three to one , you can
compare this to your own figures as
furnished by your accountant.
Where members within an in-
dustry are to have meaningful
information which can proVide a
comparison gauge , all the members
must speak the same language .
Trade associations help set the
standards for these accounting
techniques so that the information
has full value .
Meetings and conventions
Aside from the purely social
aspects of getting to know others in
your line of work , the meetings and
conventions your association sche-
dules give a forum to those who have
something important to say to
membership . It might be a govern-
ment official speaking about new
legislation , or a researcher discussing
a new product. Whatever the
subject, it is pertinent to you to have
a question-and-answer period to
permit active participation by mem-
bership for clarification .
Such conventions are usually
combined with trade shows where
manufacturers or suppliers display
new products . It gives you a chance
to meet with factory representatives
and ask direct questions , or to meet
with potential customers . No other
form of association actively gives
the individual member a "feel " for his
industry as does attendance at
meetings or conventions. If your
association did nothing else but bring
you and your fellow businessmen
together for a free -wheeling discus-
sion of common interests , your
membership would probably be
worth every penny .
If you are paying membership
dues , you are likely receiving most of
these basic services. Whether or not
you use them is another matter. If
you don't attend meetings , never
"swap" business tips with others, and
consider your membership check as
simply a "deductible item ," then the
chances are that you are not getting
your money's worth .
Worse yet , you are operating in a
vacuum with no way to tell whether
the conditions you face are local or
national, whether a recent sales spurt
was due to an industry-wide increase
or the result of some special sales or
advertising technique you tried .
Actually , a small businessman
PLAY METER , November, 1978
such as you needs association
membership more than does the
giant corporation. Man y large
concerns maintain research and
public relations staffs which , in part,
duplicate some of the work done by a
trade association . Yet even the
largest companies belong to trade
groups , often they support a variety
of groups which reflects the diversity
of products or services they offer.
And rather than stifling competi-
tion , the association encourages it by
assuring the business health of each
member .
Herbert Hoover , when he was
Secretary of Commerce , called the
trade associations the "safeguard of
small business ... a prevention against
the extinction of competition ."
The key to getting the most from
membership in any trade association
is active participation . It requires
much more than keeping dues
payments up to date .
A full return on your investment
requires attendance at meetings or
conventions , carefully voting on
issues, and being an active partici-
pating member to make sure the
association reflects your views .
Anything less reduces your
membership check a little more than
a tax deductible donation .
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