Is the Expense of NSA Membership a Waste?

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP

NSA North TX

I recently took the advice of Seth Godin (author of “Tribes,” “Purple Cow” and “Permission Marketing,” to name a few).  He recently said that right now, in order to weather the current economic storm, businesses must look at each of their expenses and cut out the wasteful ones.  So I sat down and analyzed my business, one painful expenditure at a time.  I ultimately came to the NSA and NSA North Texas expenses.  I looked at these expenses and, like Seth suggested, asked myself if this was truly a waste.  I came up with two conclusions.

 

First, I just returned from the NSA Winter Convention in Orlando, so the expenses were still fresh on my mind.  (They’ll have a little more “sting” when the bill arrives next month!)  The convention was a great opportunity to see old friends, meet new ones, bring my kids with me (my daughter celebrated her 8th birthday there.  She celebrated with Mickey; I celebrated my 8th birthday with my Uncle Mike… but that’s a different story!)  and to learn new ways to take my business to the next level.  I set a goal for myself to leave with no less than six $10,000 ideas.  I left the first day with nine, thanks to Jeff Magee, CSP!  Was this expense worth it?

 

Second, I reviewed the NSA North Texas expenses associated with the meetings and sitting on the board.  Even though I purchased a “Value Pass,” the membership and meeting expenses are high in comparison to the other associations of which I’m a member.  (But I do get to attend a special session later this year!)  I reviewed my notes from each of the presenters who have presented thus far: Michael Port, Scott Halford, Jill Konrath, Chris Clark-Epstein, etc.  What value did I receive from each that directly impacted my business bottom line?  I also looked at my time spent on the board.  This is time away from my clients, students at the university where I instruct and my family.  Was this expense worth it?

 

I had a conversation with a “prospect” or potential member of the group, which cleared up all the analysis that I was trying to perform.  She asked, “What is the best part of being a member of NSA?”  I told her the answer was simple for me, it’s a place where you can learn how to best structure your business because everybody shares!  So whether you take Seth’s advice or mine, determine if the expense of your membership is truly bringing value to your business bottom line.  If you’re like me, this is a no-brainer!

 

 

From the Membership Desk at NSA North Texas…

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP

President & Chief Influence Officer

Pathos Leadership Group – Home of the Influential Edge!

www.PathosLeadershipGroup.com