Retail Observer

DECEMBER 2019 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 57 "On top of the great prices and rebate programs our members get," explains Nationwide RentDirect past Director Bruce Manning, "we also add into that equation digital, video, and print marketing, either free or at a dramatically reduced rate. We can build and manage member websites, create social media ads, produce handouts or inserts. We can even create customized streaming video content for their stores – and for less than they pay for cable. Because what good is the great deal you got on products if no one comes into your store? You've got to market to turn that inventory into sales." TRADE ASSOCIATIONS APRO When Benjamin Franklin said an investment in knowledge pays the best interest, he might have been talking about trade associations. Today, there are currently more than 8,000 such organizations in the U.S., and involvement in them is an investment in your personal knowledge, your professional career, and your chosen industry. APRO, founded in 1980, is the national nonprofit trade association and official voice of the rent-to-own industry; the organization also coordinates with dozens of regional and state associations across the country to support, represent, and protect RTO. APRO'S MAIN MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS INCLUDE: • Advocacy: "Our focus, first and foremost, is keeping the rent-to- own industry safe and guarding the transaction," McClure asserts. "We're dedicated to protecting the transaction and promoting the needs of our members through our legislative efforts – the only organization that does so on both the state and federal levels." APRO's legislative team continuously monitors Congressional and State legislative activity for measures that might affect RTO; each year, they're joined by concerned members at the association's annual Dave Egan Legislative Conference. "I attended my first Legislative Conference this year, and it was about the most impressive affair I've seen in my career," Manning effuses. "My first day, I had seven meetings with Congressional representatives and senators, and I can tell you, they know our story, and they appreciate us wanting to talk with them before there's a crucial issue at hand, before we're asking them to do something for us. Buying groups cannot do that work; it has to be an organization that represents all the good we have to offer. That's the story that has to be told." • Education: Continuing education and development is essential to reaching the top of any industry, and to staying there. APRO provides its members with a wide variety of education throughout the year. That includes legal expertise and legislative updates shared across the country at various state association meetings, to convention sessions with leading dealers sharing homeruns or peer-to-peer learning breakouts to share best practices. The breakneck pace of today's technology and market competition means industry best practices are continually updating and of the utmost importance for business success. APRO develops educational content on business topics such as human resources, accounting, taxes, the latest legal advice which it publishes in the RTOHQ magazine, and through its digital channels. • News and research: Through its award-winning magazine, regular e-newsletters, and active social-media presence, APRO provides timely access to industry news or developments with the power to affect rent-to-own businesses. "We have deep, rich, and well established communications channels that our members use to share and receive information," notes McClure. "And we are actively seeking and finding content that can help them out day-to-day in their businesses." Additionally, APRO gauges the well-being of the RTO industry as a whole through research and its insightful Industry Health Survey. • Public relations: Belonging to APRO benefits your business while also projecting a positive image of your company to both internal and external audiences. Your investment and involvement show your commitment to doing business legally, ethically, and following best practices. It also helps APRO boost rent-to-own's reputation. "We share the positive story of our industry," McClure says. "We tell people the truth about what we do and how we do it, rather than letting them depend on inaccurate perceptions. We continuously put the information out there to help people better understand our business, and how the RTO industry is positively impacting not only employees and customers, but also their communities." So it seems there's no need for a coin toss when deciding which type of industry organization to join – trade association or buying group – because it's not an either/or proposition. While there's some crossover in terms of information sharing and networking opportunities, trade association and buying group activities complement each other, and serve clearly different purposes – which are valuable to this industry and its individuals. "The better we as organizations understand our roles in RTO, the more we can support each other," concludes McClure. "And we can continue to help each other get better at what we do." "I think we're kind of like first cousins," adds TRIB Group Executive Director Dennis Shields. "We come from different places, but we're all part of the same extended family. Realistically, our groups function for two different reasons, but they both need to exist for the betterment of rent-to-own." RO Content provided by APRO contributing writer Kristen Card

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