Top five reasons why you DO NOT need to join your state or local associations:
5. Business is bad everywhere and I don’t need to pay more money in dues.”
No, it’s actually not. If you have a chance to sit down with other recyclers, vendors, core buyers, legislators and your inventory management systems you may find things to help your business. In the long run, this will make you money!
4. “Giant corporations, the internet and insurance companies can’t hurt my business. I mostly do walk-in customers.”
This will be difficult to believe but this comment actually left me speechless. As most of you know I am hardly ever speechless! Let’s just say I told him to give me a call when his walk-in customers stopped walking in.
3. “No one is going to listen to the little guy.”
This is exactly why you need to belong to an association that has a group large enough behind him or her to no longer be the “little guy”.
2. “I am too busy to leave my yard to go to meetings and trade shows.”
See #5 – if business is “bad” and you can’t leave your yard for a day or two then you probably need training, networking and some new ideas.
1. And the #1 reason you don’t need to join your associations: “I don’t understand all of that legislative mumbo-jumbo! Someone else can take care of that legal stuff.” Someone else does! That “someone” is the ARA and your state associations. “They” hire lobbyists on your behalf. “They” take off work and “they” spend money to go to meetings and trade shows. “They” visit state and federal legislators to help fight bills that would hurt your business. “They” try to get bills passed that will help your business.
Obviously, in saying DO NOT join, I am being facetious. But in reality these are things I hear every day when I am visiting yards. If you need any information on trade shows or joining a state association or ARA and can’t find what you need, please email, text or call me. Have a great month and thanks for reading.
Theresa Colbert is a public speaker who goes to state association meetings, at no charge, to give classes on cores, brokering and much more. She offers on-site support to salvage yards in many areas and has been an on-the-ground representative for Car-Part.com for five years. Prior, she worked at Nu-Parts Automotive Products for 10 years, was a manager at Winter Auto Japanese Engines in Glendale, Arizona, and at AAA Economy Auto Parts in Phoenix, Arizona. With 23 years of industry experience, Theresa has seen the auto recycling world from almost every point of view. When she is at home, she loves to spend time with her family, play with her dogs, cook and watch football.