Great Question!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grant,
You asked a very pointed question that needs to be answered for members and non-members. I want to thank you for asking and raising the questions. First, I do not want to step on any toes by my answer. We now have a new President taking office in March, Paul Horsley, and I am sure that he will set goals and have an agenda for his presidency. Doc Reisman when he took office set his goals with involvement from the entire Board. We have used this as a road map during his tenure. I am very excited about the future goals of the PWNA and looking forward to Paul Horsley's presidency. So I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.
I would like to first talk about the landscape of the industry. We work in an industry that has very easy access and start up. There are fewer hurdles than in other professions. There are a couple of other interesting statistics to relate to, and possibly debate. I have heard a number of 40,000 pressure washers, I do not know how accurate that is but I will use that number as a reference in my answers. We also have heard the statistics that 90% of all businesses fail in their first year in business(any small business) and that 50% will fail in year two. So as we look at that it is safe to assume that 9 out of 10 people we talk to on bulletin boards and meet in our areas will not be here next year. Of the 40,000 pressure washers, how many do not visit a bulletin board? How many are actually out working in their business and family lives that do not use these bulletin boards? Of these 40,000 contractors, how many are members of the PWNA? These statistics lead to many questions and should change perspectives. Some other facts to note are that we had a membership around 300 before the bulletin board and got close to 500 in the past year. So I ask, does the bulletin board work? Some might say yes that it increased membership. Some might say this is the way to communicate to the masses. I say it is time to WAKE UP! 300, 500, even 1000 members is just a fraction of 40,000. We need to change the way we do business if we are going to grow further, communicate to others, or make a REAL impact in the industry. If we want to be THE leader in this industry then we need to take the PWNA and our programs to where they can do the most good and benefit everyone. That answer is to their doorstep, so to speak, and not trying to run a bulletin board service. Please do not take my words wrong here, the bulletin boards are an excellent resource and tool for many people. Bulletin boards have a place as a tool and not a central focal point. How do I come up with this? It is simple, I have done enough meetings and visited enough folks through Boot Camps to hear what contractors are saying. I have heard from others who have held meetings and the results are the same. I have seen other professions like plumbers, electricians, and pest control applicators do this all over the country. For those that have meetings of 25-30 people ONLY 4 or 5 are PWNA members! Most of these people would not come if we did not have a meeting in their area. We usually end up signing members once they attend. This is what they are looking for. The trades I mentioned above all have meetings locally and grow. The National Pest Management Association has local meetings in each state that are supported by the national association. You join the national and you are a member of the state association. All the states have meetings going on all the time and they have member and non-member pricing but, everyone can attend. This is what we need to do to reach our target market which is the 40,000. How many are on the bulletin boards we see everyday, 1,000? If that is the answer there are still 39,000 pressure washers to reach! For anyone who has had a meeting it isn't hard to envision having a chapter with 25 people. If we do that in the 48 contiguous states only we end up with 1200 members. This is by far a better plan that what we are currently doing. I have stated before that this is no pipe dream, it IS attainable.
Now more specifically, in speaking with Paul Horsley he wants to keep the goals specific and not a thousand goals going in many different directions. We are looking at specific goals that are completed and performed well. The Local Professional Chapters is going to be a large focus for all the previous mentioned reasons. You mentioned non-members, isn't this a great way for a non-member to learn about the PWNA and the business as a whole? I wish when I got into the business that I had an avenue open to me where I could go to an actual meeting and talk to other contractors. This is also a way to bring in Associate Members, vendors, to help us us raise the levels of professionalism, education, and networking. These members already have customer lists that they would encourage to attend and be part of as well. I have a vendor in my area who gives discounts at the meetings, for attendees only.
Talking about education, we will now have an outlet to educate contractors through the classes. We need to expand our current offerings, which we are doing at this years convention. We will also need to implement a train-the trainer program to be able to handle all the chapters. We are discussing making the courses available through other media avenues like tapes and cd's. Not every class needs to be a certification class. There can be classes where you get a cretificate for attending a class on ABC topic. The idea is to educate and find ways to help the new person getting in the business succeed. In this fashion the PWNA becomes a tool for the prospective "newbie." This also becomes a way for a veteran who wants to add on to his or her business to educate themselves. The best thing though is that we make them available locally and not have to wait for a convention.
In regards to membership, I have previously mentioned some numbers. Are these numbers realistic? Should we hold ourselves accountable to reaching these numbers and going beyond? My answer is absolutley! How do we get there? Again, part of the answer is local chapters another is other organizations. We should continue working with other organizations and associations to communicate who the PWNA is but also to gain endorsements which lead to further credibilty. Futher credibilty and exposure lead to more members.
This also leads into branding and marketing. We need to run the PWNA like we would our own businesses. We need to brand and market the PWNA through other avenues than the bulletin boards. The internet is one tool that we can utilize. There are others like getting more vendors and associate member involved who have access to almost all of that 40,000 number. To do this we need to add value to the brand and make it appealing to these vendors. We need to look at ways to add to the member benefit. If I am a vendor and you are going to hold 4-6 meetings a year for pressure washers then I think it is a no-brainer to get them to buy into the program. To add value to the contractor we need to offer programs to help them run their businesses. Local meetings have had payroll companies, state regulators, Quickbooks seminars, EPA involvement, and so on. This will attract all pressure washers to attend.
The communications committee will have it's work cut out for it though. We need to find ways to get the word out. We need the customers to know who the PWNA is. This includes more than just the Cleaner Times, the BBS, and brochures. I know that we are starting to see a lot of "out of the box" thinking when it comes to marketng and branding our product. I look forward to seeing PWNA lawn signs, customers asking about the PWNA, and so forth. Local chapters are a way to get involved with local suppliers and possibly exploring putting on classes and seminars at local outlets that reach the end users, potential customers.
The issue that faces us is that 500 members is not enough. The way we have done business is changing. The past 13 years have built a foundation. It is now time for the PWNA to go to another level. To do that we need to change the way we do business. Concentrating on the broader picture of running the organization and not one aspect of it, like a bulletin board service, we will accomplish our goals. We will take this to another level. Once we accomplish that level we can address issues like credibilty and respectability for our trade. I also have to add though that I find it interesting that when dealing with our customers that we always say "do not bad mouth the competition because it makes you look bad" then peolpe get on these public bulletin boards and "trash" each other. Even if "trash" is the wrong word, I see people type things that I can't imagine them saying face to face. I believe that if we are ever going to achieve another level of respectability it has to start at home. We need to be more professional and couteous to one another, desite our differences of opinions. I do believe our customers come to these sites. I can only imagine what goes through their minds at times? In any event, I hope I have answered some questions and hopefully raised some more. I look forward to the prosects and being part of that change. Please feel free to copy and paste this reply wherever you like.