Associations Focus: Generate New Business with NSCA’s Newest L2 Certification
Jun 9, 2009 12:00 PM
Strive for excellence and stay ahead of the competition with NSCA’s EST-L2 certification. Your certified EST-L2 staff will prove to your customers the value you place on committing to professional outcomes and service at each job.
Certification is just one of many educational opportunities that NSCA offers members looking to improve their technicians, installers, and designers. Primarily targeted for technicians, designers, and installers, NSCA’s EST-L2 includes traditional audiovisual training and much more including cabling, infrastructure, and products that transport voice, video, audio, and data signals as well as control signals for mechanical and electrical apparatus.
“Obtaining your EST-L2 certification secures your future in the commercial electronic-systems industry,” says Chuck Wilson, NSCA executive director. “Receiving training motivates employees to perform well and differentiate themselves from the competition, providing for greater business opportunities.”
For more information NSCA’s the EST-L2 certification, please visit www.nsca.org/est or email [email protected].
Brand Your Business, Increase Your Sales
Because effective marketing strategies not only increase sales but also build the foundation for a successful business, NSCA has developed its Power Marketing Toolkit to help members maximize their marketing research, communications, public relations, sales, and business-development strategies.
The toolkit is composed of five modules packed with best practices to build your brand image, client relationships, and business opportunities of industry companies. Members can also subscribe to the online Power Marketing Toolkit Resource Center, which gives them access to more than 35 marketing templates, tools, checklists, and schedules.
“Marketing is one of the most misunderstood and often underutilized tools used to build business,” says Craig Park, president of Craig Park Consulting and author of the toolkit. “Communications and public relations—important parts of marketing—play key roles in building brand recognition for your company, which helps your sales staff increase sales.”
“Market once, sell often” is an overarching theme of the toolkit and its tips, methods, and strategies. Applying market research to sales strategies and client relationships and providing superb customer service based on the techniques in the toolkit will lead to long-lasting customer loyalty and consistent profits.
“A resource such as the Power Marketing Toolkit is essential during these tough economic times,” says Jodi Montgomery, NSCA senior director of member services. “We realize that our members are making tough business decisions, and we want to provide them with information to help make these decisions, but also to provide fresh, new ideas to build successful businesses.”
The complete toolkit is now available. Each module is available for $69 for NSCA members and $85 for nonmembers. NSCA members who purchase the entire toolkit will receive a 25 percent discount. Visit www.nsca.org/marketingtoolkit to learn more.
Associations Focus: Generate New Business with NSCA’s Newest L2 Certification
Jun 9, 2009 12:00 PM
Industry Leaders Support Systems Integrators
NSCA and the NSCA Education Foundation are proud to announce the sponsors supporting the various events and opportunities available at InfoComm 09. NSCA would like to thank NSCA’s ExpoJam!, Bosch Security Systems, Communications Systems Division, InfoComm International, NSCA University, Da-Lite Screen Company, WolfVision, and Shure for their generous support during InfoComm 09.
The NSCA Education Foundation is focused on preparing the next generation of system integrators, technicians, designers, and installers. By providing educational support through scholarships and support of educational initiatives, the Foundation grows its support through annual traditions such as the Industry Charity Concert featuring the Drunk Unkles and the Foundation’s Putting Challenge. The NSCA Education Foundation would like to thank the following businesses that continually support these efforts.
- Drunk Unkles Industry Concert
- AMX
- AVI-SPL
- BARCO
- Christie Digital Systems
- FSR
- NEC
- Shen Milsom & Wilke
- Stewart Filmscreen
- Putting Challenge
- Herman Procurement & Logistics
Related Links
Associations Focus: NSCA University Certificate Adds Value to Résumé
Obtaining your NSCA Certificate of Completion (CCP) through NSCA University will be even easier this year with the exclusive new opportunity to earn all 24 learning units (LU) required for the designation during InfoComm 09…
NSCA University Introduces New Peer Panel Discussions at InfoComm 09
Listen to your peers discuss how to handle the upcoming DTV transition and manage the convergence between AV and IT through NSCA University at InfoComm 09…
Protecting Your Business
With the change in political parties in Washington, D.C., and in individual states, public policy is at the forefront of many business owners’ concerns. The cost of running a business continues to rise with changes in tax policies, project labor agreements, prevailing wage, state licensing requirements, and proposed changes to labor organizations.
Traditionally focused on state licensing concerns and prevailing wage changes, NSCA realized public policy efforts that are increasingly gaining momentum at the state house and within Congress are threatening NSCA business owners, especially in these challenging economic times.
Legislation such as the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), also referred to as “card check,” would mean harmful changes that would drive up the costs of doing business, which could lead to layoffs in order to cover these costs and could even put some smaller companies out of business. NSCA’s board of directors has created new position statements on issues such as EFCA, project labor agreements, and updated its position on prevailing wage and labor organizations. These position statements will be introduced at the 2009 Member Meeting and Industry Forum.
NSCA is working with member companies to communicate the message to prevent the EFCA due to three main concerns:
- Employees would lose the ability to a secret ballot vote for participation in union organizations.
- Business owners could see harmful financial repercussions due to new binding arbitration contracts if there is a delay in benefits negotiations. Owners would lose control of business decisions, from salaries to vacation time. These decisions would be made by the union or by the federal government in a dispute.
- Employers would also see financial penalties during negotiations with labor unions or the federal government and harsh penalties on back-pay violations.
Additionally, NSCA has joined the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace and other organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to further educate Congress and to stop this harmful legislation.
NSCA’s Grassroots Action Center provides a way to communicate to both state and federal legislators on these issues, and has developed a website, www.nsca.org/cardcheck, to inform system integrators of additional legislative efforts threatening their businesses.
