The Snow and Ice Management Association’s (SIMA) Symposium was just this past week in our sibling city, Minneapolis. SIMA is, in our opinion, the best organization for any snow removal contractor to join. As it turns out, however, not as many snow removal contractors are members of SIMA as you would think for this kick ass organization. We recently polled snow industry professionals in our Snow Industry Benchmark Report to find out, among other things, which organizations professionals were joining. Our survey results revealed that contractors are not really joining or members of snow associations, whether on the local level or the national level, like SIMA.
So we decided to help snow removal contractors out by providing a few reasons SIMA is kick ass and an organization snow industry professionals should be a part of.
- Education – One of SIMA’s greatest benefits is the information and education they provide their members. Knowledge is power, and having an organization that keeps you up to date on the latest trends in your industry is a huge competitive advantage.
SIMA provides many learning opportunities and events for their members like the annual symposium they just held last week. They also offer Resource 24/7, where members can access anything from documents to forms and on to training videos. - Certification – Getting into the snow industry can be a tricky process. A lot of businesses start out in the green industry and eventually work their way in to snow. Becoming certified, insured, and well educated will help any snow business to acquire just that, more business. Customers want professionals and people they can trust, and by being certified and insured, you are less of a liability.
SIMA provides you with all of the resources necessary to ensure you are a credible and professional business. They provide study guides, FAQ’s, and applications to become certified, all at your fingertips. They truly make it one of the simplest processes for one of the most important steps of setting up your snow business. And certification can be a great selling point for your business. I know I’d much rather buy snow removal services from a certified professional than some fly-by-night guy with an old truck and a blade. - Resources - SIMA truly is an organization that wants to help its members. They offer sources for many different areas of your snow removal business. Need a supplier or some snow removal software? SIMA has many options to help you find the perfect one and they even offer SIMA Savings Program to help you get the best deal possible.
The other great thing about SIMA is that they help connect potential clients to you. As long as you are a member, potential clients can search for professionals in their area. Customers will appreciate having a legitimate and professional business handle their snow and ice. Plus you will know they are valuable customers if they took the time to research professionals, instead of simply picking the first name out of the phone book. - Member Satisfaction - Members cannot stop raving about this association. HindSite recently released the results of our Snow Industry Benchmark Report, and many people recommended that those looking to either join the snow removal industry or simply looking for advice need to join SIMA. As is true in many businesses, word of mouth is one of the best forms of approval and ways to get referrals. SIMA’s members are encouraging their potential competitors to join.
If you decide to do only one thing for your snow removal business this year, join SIMA. The organization provides you with unlimited resources to become a successful business and it is filled with members willing to help out and provide guidance.
Want to learn more about the snow removal industry? Then download our Snow Industry Benchmark Report today!”