Professional associations have been a real way of networking for the businesses
. Small and medium sized business owners often thought of it as a thing for the big businesses only. They think that paying the cost is not worth the benefits and there is no use in joining a trade association. This notion is completely incorrect because by not joining trade associations they may be saving few bucks but down the lane they are not thinking that this would further slide them down against the big businesses which are already mightier in resources and yet they are still benefiting from the networking.
There are few things to remember while joining a trade association. You have to start with the search of your industry. It won't give you any benefit for joining a trade association that isn't related to your own business. This would not help at all. Focus on joining only those trade associations that are directly relate to your industry. For this first search for them through the different online as well as offline resources for trade associations. The local business journals, yellow pages, industrial resources, and local chamber of commerce can greatly help you search the most effective trade associations. It is though tempting to get networked with many trade associations. Recommended approach however is to stick to the most prestigious and respect trade associations in any industry. It is important to match the interest of the trade associations in terms of events as well as the nature of the work the companies in that particular trade association are doing. People often want to join all the trade associations in their industry; this however is more of a tempting action then the required thing. For example in textile industry there may are often different trade associations for different functions performed by the different types of players in the textile industry like thread makers have altogether a different job than the cloth manufacturers. Once you short list the most relevant trade association, look for some more traits to finalize your choice. These include the frequency with which the association meets. What are the functions of the association? How effective the association is in the industry? How can it help you in achieving the goals you associate with that particular trade association? And what extra benefits will you have by becoming a member of that particular industry trade association?