[poleman]

I am chairing the PWCA meeting tomorrow, and a lot of time is going to be given to member benefits.
 
So this would be a great opportunity, for you to have an in-put into the meeting.
 
What benefits would make a difference to your business from a trade association.   
 
Andy     

[windows_chepstow]

Andy,

Are you now the Chairman?

[poleman]

Nope hosting and chairing the meeting Tosh, what member benefits would make you join a trade association.

Andy

[windows_chepstow]

Andy,

To be honest, I don't know!  I understand where you're comming from though. 

If I was a large window cleaning companing employing five to twenty+ window cleaners; I'd love to be health and safety certified by a professional organisation.  And even better if large blue chip companies understood my certification and chose me because of it.

But, to be honest, I'm a small 'Mickey Mouse' organisation; I honestly don't think any organisation could offer me anything life-changing.

Not yet, anyway.

[windows_chepstow]

Andy,

What benefits do you think would help the sole trader or partnership?

[gaza]

HOW ABOUT SEEING OR APPROACHING LOCAL COUNCILS FOR A LICENCE.
that would buff up our image and get rid of dole cheats and winter dodgers u know the type I mean who underestimate jobs to get work for the summer.

  gaza

[poleman]

Life-changing, if I could do that, I would be God.

My view, would be the normal ones, insurnace, discount on tools, and training, whats your views!

Andy      

[rs_cleancare]

I totaly agree Andy. If we were licenced then it will keep out the people who are only looking for a bit of extra beer money.

[Sarah Sarill]

Andy,

In my humble opinion and for what its worth,  you have to offer your members something that ensures it will directly benefit their busines however large or small it may be.

Apart from offering discounts, support and training (all of which can be sourced by other methods) there must be something that will make w/c 'buy into' your association as opposed to any other.  Increasing revenues or making our companies credible would do it for me.

Opening a can of worms, again, I agree with Gaza.  Having the 'other' logo plastered on vans, stationery ment nothing to potential customers who usually had not heard of them.  If I were a consumer and wanted to employ a w/c and there WERE a licence that ment they had been vetted and approved by a fed/Ass/local council then I would use them in preference to another that had not.

The licencing scheme linked to your Ass would guarantee my application for membership if I thought I could get new clients from it and obtain credibility in the process.  Anything short of that would not be much different to any other fed/ass so why the PWCA. ?

Very contrevertial I know and we have had many discussions on this forum always resulting in very strong opinions for and against a licensing system but you need to offer something 'more'.

Just a thought and given you have two scottish members traveliing down it might be worth a bit of your Agenda.

Have a productive meeting,  Regards,

Sarah

[poleman]

The Scottish have the licensing systems, is it the way forward for British window cleaners does level open to debate.

This is more about benefits to you, I trade association should be non-profit and give the best benefits possible.  

Andy

[Justin Ruggles]

Ask the window cleaners in Scotland what they think of Licensing? Your then see it does not work and is just another stealth Tax.

Justin

[dai]

Maybe a national price guide. A guide that could be used to show clients national minimum rates for window cleaning.
 Of course you would not need to show it to well paying clients.
 It would be a help though if we could show national minium association rates.
It would serve to show clients that they are not being ripped off. DAI

[Sarah Sarill]

Andy,

I agree,

If helping grow my business via a credible licencing system then I see it as a benefit to my business.

Locally, if I had one and my competitors did not then I may get more new cleans - big benefit.

Justin,

Who said this licence had to be run by the local council/government.  All these checks can be done by the PWCA for its members benefit.  I suggest that it could be done another way and surely a new and different approach is what all these forums are for.

If its discussed and really not pheasable then no-go but what sets this Ass apart from any other in terms of benefits to me will be the deciding factor.

I still believe it is possible to do and would bring much needed credibility to the PWCA and our trade which is nutorius for fair weather cleaners giving us professional ones a bad name.

Anyway, enough of my humble opinion on this subject - it is a suggestion from me for Andy as he requested.

Hugs,

Sarah

[Morph]

Well it will all depend on funds, ie. how much is in the treasury...

But..if and when funds are available.... from members

1)  Heavily advertise in the public domain the legitamacy of window cleaners as tradesmen.  Raise awareness.

2)  Do something like "What PC" etc.  UNPREJUDICED tests on equipment setups.
Informative pros and cons, in some sort of print form.  I would buy that at the right price.  eg.  "This month we tried Fred Bloggs system for 1 day.  He uses ****system from*** we compared this to ^^^^^ and honestly didn't find it any better.  Loads of things you could do more concisely than at the moment. 
A progressive step from open forums, don't you think?

Pj

[matt]

.

[Andrew McCann]

.

OK whats this about?

I have seen you do this before Matt..  I would just like to be aware of what its intended to signify.


Andrew

[windows_chepstow]

I am chairing the PWCA meeting tomorrow, and a lot of time is going to be given to member benefits.
 
So this would be a great opportunity, for you to have an in-put into the meeting.
 
What benefits would make a difference to your business from a trade association.   
 
Andy     

Gentlemen,

Please keep to the subject matter.

Andrew asked the above. 

Personally, I'm interested in some on-topic issues here.

[JohnL]

Can I turn this post on its head and pose some basic questions.

I take it the association will be displayed on members vans, literature etc and will be the catalyst to gain the interest and implied support of the public. What trade support is the ass' going to give its members other than offering membership and how is going to get the message of the ass' over to the general public.

Generally membership to trade associations is all very well as long as the 'customer' is encouraged to use its members. That encouragement comes from knowing the members are qualified in some way in their trade. That qualification comes from either being trained, assessed as worthy ie attaining a given standard or practising the trade for a period of time eg 5 years. And if the latter, what are you going to do in the case of w/c-ers who have been in the trade for only a few years

Regretably just buying into an association is not - to my mind, a very worthy support to the tradesman.

regards  JohnL

[kingfisher]

What about a web site that potential customers could access with a data base of all members showing were they are in the country could be good advertising?

Kev

[Morph]

My post was not directed at anyone like Matt.
He took something personally a few days ago.  No need to Matt.
You have a good website and I'm sure my suggestion would help people like you.
You've helped me.  So don't get sensitive.

This topic has a few minutes of use, then it's rubbish.
Chairman has probably gone to bed now.

I just don't want the conglomerates controlling opinion

Pj