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Q&A With Ben Saltzman

You’ve probably received phone calls and e-mails from him. Maybe you’ve even seen him at World of Concrete or the Convention. Ben Saltzman, Member Communications Director, wears many hats at TCA and works to meet the needs of all members. Read on to learn more about Ben and his role with the Association.

Q: What are the most common reasons people join TCA?

A: I find the majority of companies joining TCA want to be recognized as a leading Tilt-Up professional or supplier in their market, and maintaining a professional membership in TCA is the best and most effective way of broadcasting that to the Tilt-Up industry. Over the past several years, Tilt-Up construction has continued to gain a larger footing in the overall construction market, and the presence of TCA in industry publications has expanded correspondingly. Companies realize that joining TCA goes beyond the benefits and discounts they receive as a member. Our programs, such as the Annual Convention and the Achievement Awards program, are outstanding venues in which to gain recognition in the Tilt-Up industry. For our members, being aligned with TCA becomes one of their most effective marketing tools.

Q: Why would a person not renew his or her membership?

A: Because of the recent growth of Tilt-Up in the building market, more and more companies are jumping into the market by joining TCA, with the hopes of doing more Tilt-Up. While this works out for many firms, for some, the experiment doesn’t play out as they had planned. Other firms, who have been TCA members for years, see their role in the industry changing, and some begin to phase Tilt-Up out of their overall business model. For these companies, maintaining a professional membership in TCA doesn’t make sense.

Q: What would you like TCA members to know about your job responsibilities?

A: I spend the majority of my time communicating with TCA members and other companies interested in joining TCA so we can continue to expand both the TCA membership base and the benefits we offer our members. I am always open to speaking with people who have ideas on how to increase the value of TCA membership through the benefits and programs we offer. Another major function of my job is serving as a liaison between TCA staff and the general membership, to keep everyone informed about what TCA is doing. I am the managing editor of our magazine, Tilt-Up TODAY, and our monthly eNews. Through these outlets, in addition to regular letters and e-mails to our membership, I work to keep everyone on the same page about what TCA is doing and where we are going.

Q: What are TCA’s current efforts toward recruiting new members?

A: Since membership growth is always on our mind, recruitment is an unending process. I serve as the TCA staff liaison to the TCA Membership Committee, and we meet regularly via teleconference to discuss membership recruitment and retention. Our ongoing membership campaign is intended to identify potential members, which is the biggest hurdle in member recruitment. Once you know your audience, it is a lot easier to explain to them why they should join TCA, because our benefits sell themselves. People realize the importance of being a TCA member if they perform Tilt-Up. It is just a matter of getting the information into their hands.

Q: What is the best way a TCA member can help the recruiting process?

A: There is a big difference between hearing why you should join TCA from a current member and hearing it from me. I think our current members are in a unique position to help TCA grow, because all they need to do is tell their colleagues at other companies about what TCA is and how we help our members. The strength of our person-to-person network is the keystone of our association’s strength. Our members only need to tell their colleagues why the network is so important and pass them a membership application. If every member would do that, we would see the TCA network grow exponentially.

Q: What are TCA’s efforts toward retaining current members?

A: Retention is just as important as recruitment, if not more so. It is important for a company to understand the value of membership and renew it annually to remain an active component of TCA. I spend a large portion of my time contacting companies that have let their memberships lapse, because the vast majority of them don’t realize their membership has expired. And in many cases, these companies have not seen the information passed to the correct person in their company because of personnel changes. We send out regular notices asking for personnel updates, and it is important for our members to take a few moments and let us know if there are changes so the information always gets to the right person.

I also contact companies on a regular basis whose memberships may have expired a few years ago and inform them of all of the new benefits that TCA has added since they became inactive. This is important, because TCA never sits still. We are always adding new benefits, and it is important to communicate to expired members that TCA is a better association now than it was when they expired.

Q: What are some of the biggest advantages of long-term membership in TCA?

A: There is a reason most of our members have been with us for five, 10 and even 20 years. If you have a stake in the success of the Tilt-Up industry, then you have a stake in the success of TCA. Our goal is to increase the value of doing Tilt-Up, whether it is by helping improve the industry conditions for Tilt-Up firms, or specifically by designing programs that will help our firms achieve more success within the industry. More and more people are realizing that if they are a Tilt-Up firm, they need to be a member so they can be recognized in our Member Directory and so they can market to their customers that they have the strength of TCA behind them and credentials to prove it. TCA is only as strong as our membership, and being a long-term member proves you are a major player in this ever-growing industry.

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TILT-UP TODAY, a publication of the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, is THE source for Tilt-Up industry news, market intelligence, business strategies, technical solutions, product information, and other resources for professionals in the Tilt-Up industry. A subscription to TILT-UP TODAY is included in a TCA membership. Subscriptions for potential TCA members are also available. If you would like to receive a complimentary subscription to the publication, please contact the TCA.