Soon after last November's Fall Board & Working Group Conference, Ed Marsh 🇺🇸 asked EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA)'s Stephen T. Sears, MBA, CEP about his perspectives on industrial trade associations in the Industrial Growth Institute podcast. Ed has done this for quite a while, and Sears appeared on Episode 44. Ed is a founder, US Army veteran, independent board director, manufacturing marketing expert, and industrial sales leader who has marketed and sold millions of dollars with of B2B manufacturing stuff world. Marsh and Sears have known each other for almost 50 years, and this podcast gathers insights, trends and best practices for B2B growth in an energetic conversation format. As advertised, Ed asked a series of very thought-provoking questions that made me think about experiences over the past several decades, and we had a lively and engaging discussion. In fact, if one is curious about Sears' philosophy regarding the role of trade associations and how members can attain maximum benefit from them, he talks about (as well as many other things) here. You can access the podcast in the comments of Ed's original post. Thanks again to Ed for providing this great opportunity, and it was great to reconnect after all of this time. #tradeassociation #manufacturing #membership #memberbenefits #nonprofit #taxexempt #roleofassociations #howmemberscanleveragemembership #EIFS #EIMA #industryperspective
Strategy & Revenue Growth Consultant for Industrial Manufacturers | Veteran | Independent Director | Podcast Host
How will trade associations create value for members in a decade? Will it be similar to today with minor adjustments? Or will there be a massive disruption? Long time industrial trade association executive Stephen T. Sears, president of EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA) offers his insights. Short version? 1. Industry associations will continue to deliver value by doing things that members can't do for themselves (e.g. advocacy) 2. There will likely be some major new elements that we can't anticipate now. Why trade associations? Because most industrial manufacturers take too passive an approach. They join, pay membership dues, attend periodic meetings, and exhibit in the industry trade show. And they end up missing significant value. Interested in more? I had a great conversation with Stephen that you can find below.