"Why get involved with associations?" Part One

I'm currently writing about associations and conferences in my upcoming book, and I thought I'd share some ideas here with you.

"Why get involved with associations?"

Every vertical has professional (or trade) associations.

For example, dentists in the U.S. have the American Dental Association, roofers have the National Roofing Contractors Association, pharmaceutical companies have Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and so on.

Let's talk about 2 reasons why getting involved with a vertical or trade association is an excellent use of time and energy.

Reason #1: Getting involved with an association gives you access to influential people in the vertical. The tastemakers and opinion leaders are typically intimately connected with their associations. These are the people who others in the vertical look to for making decisions like which vendors or partners to work with. If you win the tastemakers over with your product or service, you'll enjoy instant credibility while also reducing the friction involved in the buying process.

Reason #2 two is tomorrow!