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Trade Association Model in Downward Spiral - Philip Voice
- 22 April 2013
If you are regular reader of my Landscape Juice blog you will already know that I'm certain the trade association model is a dying one. In the days before the internet the intellectuality property stored behind a physical and mental firewall was a commodity so highly valued. The old and wise, who had worked over many years gathering together skills, experience and business practices, would pass information down to the newbies as they entered - or should I say, allowed to enter - their hallowed halls.
It was an unchallengeable stronghold and there was no circumnavigating the route of entry. If you didn't pass muster with those in charge or your face didn't fit then you wouldn't be allowed to join, it's as simple as that.
Trade associations are allowed to operate totally unregulated. The trade-off for those who held power lead to a higher business and social standing and a few more titles to add to a CV.
Still more changes to come
There are still many people within the landscaping industry who are in denial about what has happened and what is about to happen. They either cannot see it or do not want to contemplate it. For those who are in denial, the safest route is to continue in the same vein as they've been doing forever. It's a comfort zone thing.
Just as has happened (and will continue for some time) when the internet ripped the heart out of traditional media, the same will eventually happen - in fact it's already well under way - to trade organisation. There may be, on the face of it, the same organisation on the outside but inside it will be a different story.
Recent re-organisations at the HTA (the HTA is the tail which wags the APL dog) and BALI suggest to me that both organisations are starting to struggle. The loss of Tim Briercliffe certainly appeared to come as a shock, especially has Tim had only recently been granted greater overall control over the direction of the HTA.
BALI's staff directory is at least two members lighter compared to a month ago.
Less value
Only those who subscribe to a trade association can give an honest assessment regarding the return on investment. If they say it works for them then it's difficult to argue. However, there is another way to determine if a business model is working and that by looking at the cost of entry.
I would argue that if the trade association business model is a correct and accurate one then applying any kind of incentive or discount should be unnecessary as the reasons and benefits for joining should outweigh any cost. BALI are incentivising existing members to sign up others. Now that's not a crime but surely diminishes the value of membership. The APL ran a similar exercise last year by slashing its joining fee.
One of the key aspects of an exclusive model is maintaining its exclusivity and that's where discount model fails because membership no longer feels exclusive to those who've paid top dollar.
After starting my garden maintenance and landscaping business in 1984 and running it for 21 years I decided I needed a change of direction (probably a mid life crisis, no seriously! :-0) Together with my family, wife Donna, Son Henry and Daughter Fleur (not forgetting Hector the Black Labrador) I moved to France in search of an old farmhouse to renovate. In the interim period whilst waiting for the contract to go through I started writing a blog. Initially just to keep a diary for family and friends to keep up with our progress if they wished but then it occurred to me that there isn't a real time watcher of the landscape industry in the UK. I didn't want to waste my experience and experiences so I decided I could put all of this Juice to good use so I started Landscape Juice.
Source: Landscape Juice - Trade Association Model in Downward Spiral - Philip Voice
