Strength in Numbers

By Linden Wicklund, AASP-MN Executive Director

If you have been to an AASP-MN event in the past year, you have probably heard me say, “Hi, I’m your Executive Director Linden Wicklund. I run the Alliance/ AASP-MN and I am an extension of your team.” No, I don’t know how to fix cars and I haven’t checked my own oil since I owned a car that was built in 1992. What this does mean is that I am actively engaged with shops, technical schools and allied organizations from across the country. I work to make sure your voice carries, you have access to industry information and critical networking connections, and most importantly, I am here on the other end of the phone line to let you know you are not alone in the challenges you face and will help you find solutions.

Membership in an association can mean different things to different people and changes with every chapter of life or business. Over the past 15 years of working with membership organizations, I’ve typically seen people fall into the following buckets of engagement. All are valid and important with different benefits. They are the transactional member, the hands-on member and the insurance policy member.

Transactional members are looking for black and white ROI in their membership. They are motivated to join because of business discounts, educational content and access to customers or suppliers.

Hands-on members are the classic “engaged member.” They tend to show up for most things, provide volunteer support as a committee or board member and actively seek out relationships with other members for business gain or social purposes. When they need to outsource work or borrow a tool, they immediately think of other members of the association.

The insurance policy member is perhaps the one that is most undervalued but is critical for the success of the mission of the association. These are the members that are little known, reliably pay their dues year after year and know the association is just a phone call away in a time of need, just like insurance should be. They are the unsung heroes that make the work of the association possible through their support in dues and by adding to the number of shops banding together. They are unlikely to rattle off exactly what they directly receive in membership, but they also know that having an association looking out for the industry in their area is deeply important.

If you have been a member for many years, you have likely cycled between all these buckets. If you aren’t a member and have resisted joining because you don’t think you will get much out of it, remember, you don’t need to be taking advantage of every benefit to know you are supporting the health of an industry you work hard in and believe in. There is strength in numbers, so join AASP-MN if you’re not already a member or encourage a shop near you to join if you are! I’m here to be an extension of your team and work on your behalf regardless of how you choose to engage with AASP-MN!

Not sure if you are a member? Over 50 percent of AASP-MN News readers are not members! Ready to take the next step and join? Fill out the membership application on page 10 or pass it to a friend or shop down the road that could do better with more support.

For the next three months, we are offering $100 off the regular price of membership dues to any new member and a $100 membership dues credit (for 2024) to any current member that recruits a new member! Offer expires November 30, 2023.