If you’re thinking about starting a retirement business, it pays to check out the educational offerings, publications and conferences sponsored by your industry association. Associations offer a smart way to quickly learn about “the business of your business” – such as how to price, package and market your services. As an example, here’s an excerpt from a recent e-mail I received from my career industry association describing an upcoming webinar:
“In this webinar, we’ll share strategies for packaging resume, LinkedIn, and other writing services AND career, job search, leadership, and interview coaching for careers industry business owners. You’ll walk away with step-by-step tools for moving prospects through your marketing funnel, communicating your services, and closing more sales, including:
- Data on how your peers are pricing their writing and coaching services so you can benchmark your existing pricing and see future possibilities.
- Worksheets to determine how pricing will impact your bottom line and guide attainable goal setting for your business.
- A checklist that walks you through considering external market forces as you adjust your pricing, helping you select a market position that fits your business…”
Fortunately, every business imaginable is connected to an industry association. To find an association in your area of interest, just Google “association” and “name of business idea or industry.” For example, if you Google “association” and “pet products” you’ll get results for AmericanPetProducts.org. Do the same drill for “chocolate” and you’ll find The Fine Chocolate Industry Association and RetailConfectioners.org, among others.
Give it a go — I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the breadth of resources offered by your industry association.