December 15, 2010
Endorsed supplier program is one benefit of LO
By Helen Hassard
Membership and Chapter Coordinator
Winter is finally here. I hope many of you are taking that well-deserved break, after a busy season. At LO, the atmosphere is quite the opposite, filled with the seminars, chapter meetings, preparations for Congress and much more, as the home office in Milton is booming.
Our membership and education team has been working diligently to get membership dues notices out and sending you your paid packages. If anyone hasn’t received their invoice, or needs a new one sent, please let me know. I’ll see that it gets to you.
I’ve found that at this time of year, when everyone is debating the value of their membership, I am asked many times, “What does my membership do for me?” As you should know, there are countless benefits. I know when a member asks that question, they are looking for an explanation that will help their bottom line. I usually put it like this: “If you pay the fee for an “active” membership, then you’ve paid $478, plus HST. If you’re an “associate” member, you paid $581, plus HST. There are other levels of membership, but I will use these two, as they are the most common.
If you use our endorsed supplier program that provides discounts on a number of services, including discounts on fuel purchases to banking charges, equipment purchases/rentals and marketing materials, you make your membership fee back tenfold. I recently heard Joe Salemi, members services manager at the CNLA, describe it as such, “Even if you only use the credit card processing discount, you will pay for your membership.” If you take advantage of our winter seminars, being a member will save you almost $80 per seminar, so if you sign up for a handful of seminars you’ve made it back again (and that’s not counting the Building Your Prosperity seminar that you receive free with membership, a value of almost $200).
Active and associate members may also receive discounts on advertising space in the magazines, discounts on trade show booths at both Expo and Congress, and free Green for Life promotional items. I hope this has explained a a bit about the financial benefits of being a member of LO. If you would like to learn more about any of the benefits listed, just check out our website at www.horttrades.com, or give me a call at 1-800-265-5656, or email helen@landscapeontario.com.
Helen Hassard may be contacted at helen@landscapeontario.com.
Membership and Chapter Coordinator
Winter is finally here. I hope many of you are taking that well-deserved break, after a busy season. At LO, the atmosphere is quite the opposite, filled with the seminars, chapter meetings, preparations for Congress and much more, as the home office in Milton is booming.Our membership and education team has been working diligently to get membership dues notices out and sending you your paid packages. If anyone hasn’t received their invoice, or needs a new one sent, please let me know. I’ll see that it gets to you.
I’ve found that at this time of year, when everyone is debating the value of their membership, I am asked many times, “What does my membership do for me?” As you should know, there are countless benefits. I know when a member asks that question, they are looking for an explanation that will help their bottom line. I usually put it like this: “If you pay the fee for an “active” membership, then you’ve paid $478, plus HST. If you’re an “associate” member, you paid $581, plus HST. There are other levels of membership, but I will use these two, as they are the most common.
If you use our endorsed supplier program that provides discounts on a number of services, including discounts on fuel purchases to banking charges, equipment purchases/rentals and marketing materials, you make your membership fee back tenfold. I recently heard Joe Salemi, members services manager at the CNLA, describe it as such, “Even if you only use the credit card processing discount, you will pay for your membership.” If you take advantage of our winter seminars, being a member will save you almost $80 per seminar, so if you sign up for a handful of seminars you’ve made it back again (and that’s not counting the Building Your Prosperity seminar that you receive free with membership, a value of almost $200).
Active and associate members may also receive discounts on advertising space in the magazines, discounts on trade show booths at both Expo and Congress, and free Green for Life promotional items. I hope this has explained a a bit about the financial benefits of being a member of LO. If you would like to learn more about any of the benefits listed, just check out our website at www.horttrades.com, or give me a call at 1-800-265-5656, or email helen@landscapeontario.com.
Helen Hassard may be contacted at helen@landscapeontario.com.