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International Karting Industry Buyer's Guide |
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| EYE
ON THE INDUSTRY
By Darrell Sitarz |
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EYE ON THE INDUSTRY “DIVIDE THE WORK TO MULTIPLY
THE BENEFITS”
Historical evidence points to the existence of associations in ancient Egypt and China. Trade associations were known to have existed during the days of the Venetian merchants, and associations as we know them today are direct descendent of the craft guilds of 16th century England. These early merchants recognized the necessity of coming together to solve mutual financial, mercantile, and political problems, even though they might have been business rivals. They established central headquarters, which enabled people in the same business to join together for communication and the sharing of ideas and experiences, just as they do today for mutual protection and advancement. Associations took root in the United States as early as 1768, but it was the movement from an agricultural to an industrial nation that truly inspired their rapid growth. By 1910, the industrial revolution had greatly complicated the operations of America business and 800 associations had been established. Today, associations – national, state, regional and local – are established to number more than 23,000* accounting for more than 178 million** members or about 70+% of the U.S. population Americans have placed a great deal of faith in the ability of groups of like-minded people to come together to accomplish what they could not do as individuals. But the mere fact that other Americans support the association concept does not answer, for each of us as individuals, the questions: “Why should I belong?” and “What’s in it for me?” Let’s approach these questions from two different perspectives. First, from the view of your own responsibility. If you’re like most people today, it takes all of your waking hours just to keep your business operating. Spare time has become a luxury that few business people can afford. Nonetheless, as a responsible member of your community, you feel certain obligations to belong to a civic club, the chamber of commerce or other organizations that work for the benefit of the community. Like the motto for the United Fund, you want to do your “fair share”. Spreading the work enables each participant to carry a load sufficient to demand some extra effort on his or her part, but not to be so burdensome as to make accomplishment impossible. One good way to put it is “Divide the work to multiply the benefits”. For the exact same reasons, you have a responsibility to support associations which directly relate to your part of the industry, whether it be fun, racing or concession. You make a living from the (karting) industry, and your investment in industry-related associations will more than provide adequate return of benefits for yourself, your family, your employees and your business. Approaching the question from the second angle - if you, as a member of an industry, have a responsibility to your association, what kind of benefit can you therefore expect in return? Of course, until you really become involved in a group, project or activity, it’s hard to estimate what the benefits will be. For example, if a local civic club is raising funds to finance a new community youth center and you are not a member of the club, it may be difficult for you to justify the cost of the project. On the other hand, if as a club member you have help in the planing of the center, you are well aware of the benefits the center will provide to young people and to their parents as well. Being on the inside has given you the criteria on which to make a decision. The same is true for the go-kart industry and related associations or organizations. If you are on the out-side, you cannot possibly know what good the association is doing for you. Or perhaps, you might have the attitude that since an association is going to do the job and you’ll get the benefits anyway, why should you bother to join? Of course, part of the answer relates to your responsibility to the industry. But more specifically, your company will be missing out on may real advantages, such as an opportunity to receive new ideas and information from the membership through an association newsletter, the pooling of resources with other members to receive special savings and more! And what happens if government tries to step in and regulate our sport? A trade association plays an important role in the political process. A trade group is, in fact, the most direct democratic and effective way to have your legitimate needs and interests brought to bear upon governmental decision making, unless you or your company are among the relative few who can bend the ear of the President, a congressman, a state legislator or even a career bureaucrat. When associations speak, government listens. This is because government knows that the collective voice of an industry is being spoken. It is a basic fact of political life that government responds best to those segments of society which have demonstrated an effective capability to organize. Think about that for a moment. If you suddenly read in the newspaper that a bill is before the legislature that would literally put you out of business, could you as a individual make a telephone call or send a fax that would effectively oppose the bill? This is not to contend that associations will succeed in every instance, but it is obvious that a disorganized effort will not. In conclusion, an association
can only be as strong and effective as the pride of its membership will
allow it to be. The ability of an association to effectively communicate
an industry’s position with government and to provide the kind and quality
of services desired by its membership, is predicated on one simple fact:
MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT. Unqualified industry support equals effectiveness;
limited supported means limited capabilities. It is up to you! Remember
that it doesn’t cost to belong to an association—it pays. And in this highly
competitive business, it doesn’t pay to stand alone.
About the author: Lloyd Milliken was one of the founding members of the Karting Industry Council (KIC) and former owner of Target Distributing, South Bend, Indiana. When not traveling, Lloyd lives with his wife in Granger, Indiana. *Gale Research
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Kart Marketing Group, Inc. Post Office Box 101 Wheaton, IL 60189 USA Telephone: 630-653-7368 Fax: 630-653-2637 Email: karting@msn.com |
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| Neatconcept, Inc | |||||||||||||
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