Several days ago, I was asked the value of various association memberships and accreditations; often it's difficult to quantify the value of such if one looks at clients signed or the "bottom line".
I told a story. We recently started service for a pre-school through 5th grade charter school. In my first meeting with the principal, she mentioned that she had asked her receptionist to track down several janitorial firms to quote an annual service package. Wanting quality, receptionist logged onto the BBB. Their site includes (the last I looked) a bit over 100 janitorial firms locally. She winnowed by BBB members, then by A+ rating, then by no unresolved complaints - and had a much smaller list to deal with. Finally, she looked for those with long-term BBB memberships. We easily made the initial cut, and our 49-plus years in the BBB was unique (as is our 49 years with the Phoenix Chamber). We were assured of the call, and the meeting.
My initial meeting was with the facilities director, but the principal dropped in - "just for 5 minutes". We put in close to an hour, talking about all that CBN has to offer (see my various posts on health, indoor air quality, security and so on), and on education philosophy, on limiting the state bureaucracy's control of teaching, and her student created cookbook. Throughout the conversation, we both were trying to figure out where we knew each other from, but we both were a bit embarrassed to ask. I got it a couple days later and gave her a call; we'd served together on a Metro Phoenix Chamber Of Commerce committee, ten or fifteen years prior.
My eventual proposal was several thousand over what her board had authorized (and over, I gather, the other quotes she received). She went to bat for us partially because of our comprehensive program, but partially, I suspect, due to our earlier connection.
Likewise, several years ago, we started service for a local bank that found us at Local First Arizona.
Should a prospective client (at my nudge) want to check out the competence of my management team through Building Service Contractors Association International
(the oldest such in the industry - we've been with them 35-plus years), he'll find that only five janitorial firms in Arizona employ anyone holding either their executive or managerial certifications, and we've more than all but one other firm.
And I could relate stories about our membership in ISSA, US Green Building Council, Arizona Recycling Association, Homeland Security's IMAGE program, and others.
I added up our annual membership dues to those. A bit under $6,000.00 annually. We make that back pretty quickly in profit from clients introduced to us by those memberships.
And, even if there were no revenue at all from those memberships, it's the right thing to do.
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