👥 Scaling Service x Sarah Waddington CBE: How to get the most out of membership and trade bodies
If you don't use it, you don't get those sick gains
That Peloton bike. You know, the one you got in lockdown. How’s that going for you? Use it every day, yeah? Really loving the community? Feel like they’re right there on the journey with you?
Signing up to a membership body or trade association is a lot like splashing out on fancy fitness equipment. "If you don’t use it, you don't get the benefits,” says Sarah Waddington CBE. “You don't get those sick gains!”
Running an agency is difficult, we all know that. But at its core, it’s not particularly complicated: you find staff, you find clients, and then you connect the two.
A lot of agency leaders sign up to these organisations and – when neither fall immediately into their laps – begin to question the investment.
Sarah, who has both run her own agency and served as president of the CIPR, is here to set that straight. “You need to set yourself objectives, and set time aside to make those happen. It's very individual and very subjective.”
Let’s start with the basics: what do these organisations actually do?
"A great question. They help represent the people within a sector: they drive policy, set best practice, and create codes of conduct. And I like to say that they also represent us on the national and international stage, particularly with policymakers that make decisions that affect us."
How to use membership and trade bodies to grow your talent pipeline
When it comes to hiring, the network effects of these organisations are fairly straightforward. There are dozens – often hundreds – of events per year all filled with people who could be your next hire.
But beyond the obvious access to a large volume of your target audience, there’s other strategic factors at play, too.
"What's really great about these bodies is that they can give you a bellwether of how the economy is faring, how the sector is doing, and how you'll be competing. They also provide useful stats and benchmarks: say you want to know if you're being fair on pay, they can let you know the details on a national and regional basis."
Sarah also suggests that being active in a trade body or membership organisations gives you "credibility" when it comes to hiring. "People want to work with the best people, they want to go to somebody they've been inspired by. They want to see people who are breaking down barriers and doing pioneering work, and often that's the people who are getting involved in working groups and taking people with them."
How to use membership and trade bodies to grow your client base
It can be a little disheartening to head to a trade event with a pocket full of business cards, and find the room full of other agency folk like yourself. This is one of the key criticisms levelled at these organisations when it comes to discussing growth.
But referrals are a key driver of new business for the majority of agencies and, unless you’re talking to a direct competitor, there’s still a huge value in working your way around the agency crowd. Referrals are probably one of the best examples of why sales people say you make your own luck.
Beyond that, membership and trade bodies can be hugely valuable from a reputational standpoint.
“There are all these networks, right across the UK, and all these opportunities: magazines, podcasts, local events. Speaker opportunities, sponsorship opportunities.”
These bodies are, in a sense, an amplification platform. They won’t build your profile for you, but they’ll open up doors for you to do it yourself.
"I'm working with a tech consultancy that does a huge amount of analyst relations. They identified an area where they didn't have much going on, went to the PRCA and said: can we set up a working group for others who are interested in this area? We can look at policy, best practice, situational issues. Of course the answer was a resounding yes."
You either need to go to your prospects with a direct approach, or build a profile that allows them to come to you. Being part of these bodies can help with either.
“Just have a really clear view of what your trade association or membership body is doing and decide what requires your investment."
How membership and trade bodies can help you on a personal level
Some agency founders are fortunate enough to have a ruggedly handsome and wonderfully talented business partner.
But if set out on your own, running a business can be pretty isolating. It’s lonely at the top, as the old adage goes.
“It can be very lonely as an agency founder, as a manager or director - often you can't share issues with the people you're managing or reporting to,” Sarah continued.
“A membership body or trade association offers you a network of like-minded people where you can go and share your day-to-day issues. You'll probably find more than one person who has been through the same situation, you'll realise you're not alone and then you can explore solutions."
Very few people join a membership or trade bodies body because they’re lonely. Yet ask any active PRCA or CIPR member what they value on a personal level about their membership, and they’ll almost certainly tell you about the community.
But there's a trade-off, if you'll excuse the pun. "You also have to think: what can I give? There's no point being in an association if you're not putting your time and effort in, because that's how you get more back."
These organisations want help, she points out. "There's a really clear appetite. So if you're helping to shape policy going forward, that brings you credibility, that boosts your personal brand. And often that's a great stepping stone to speaking opportunities, podcast invitations, and so on.”
As with everything else, she concludes, the overarching principle is "Be wise with your investment." Get that right, and "whatever you put in you'll get multiples back."
Ask what your industry body can do for you, yes, but also what you can do for your industry body.
