The Power of Hospitality
Hello again and thanks for stopping by. Thank you to the St. Louis Chapter of ASHI for their hospitality in February. I enjoyed talking to all the inspectors at their annual training seminar and, once again, they did an excellent job in educating home inspectors. This month, I have been invited to visit the Ohio Chapter of ASHI and Arizona ASHI and look forward to those visits as well. Chapters are critical to our success and these chapters have done a great job promoting their members and ASHI. Which brings me to my topic for this month.
Listened and learned
ASHI’s Executive Director Rob Paterkiewicz and I recently had the opportunity to exhibit for ASHI at a conference being put on by a major home inspection franchise company. We spent two days meeting and talking with about 500 fine home inspectors, much like yourself, answering questions, correcting misinformation and putting to rest some “myths” about ASHI and the membership process. We talked to lots of inspectors, many of whom were members of ASHI. Without exception, they expressed support for our society and encouraged us to keep up the good work.
Not welcome?
Another story we heard, too often, was from those inspectors who were members or had contemplated membership in our society. Members spoke about their decision to join the national society but not their local chapter while others, after visiting an ASHI chapter, decided not to join at all. In both situations, they didn’t feel welcomed at that chapter.
In too many cases, the story was the same. “I came to check out the chapter and the people were, at best, indifferent and, at worst, unfriendly.” It was interesting to me to note that those individuals who were most supportive of ASHI were also those members who had been welcomed by chapter members, joined, and were an active part of the chapter working hard to build their business, ASHI and their chapter.
Turned away but not gone
The point of my story is to illustrate the importance each one of us plays at a chapter level. As a chapter member, we each have a choice. We can welcome new inspectors and offer them the opportunity to learn and grow with us. By becoming a member, they become better inspectors. Or we can turn away, not support, educate or mentor them, and they will leave. But they won’t go away. They will join some other association whose members will welcome them. They will still be around competing with you AND they will be promoting some other “me, too” organization. For those of you who have been members for a long time, you’ll remember a time when ASHI was the only game in town. If you wanted to belong to a professional society, network with other home inspectors and increase your knowledge, ASHI was your only choice. That is no longer true. Regardless of what you might think of those competing associations, they are growing. Their members are inspectors who could have been ASHI members and, for whatever reason, didn’t join our society.
You are the difference
ASHI is nothing without you, our members. ASHI doesn’t exist without you. You are the difference and what makes ASHI the greatest society in our profession. It is through you that we continue to grow and are able to promote our members to consumers, real estate professionals and attorneys through the various media. It is you who believe standards, ethics and education still matter. Our society’s growth and success is up to each one of you. Take the time and effort to make a difference with a new inspector. It will benefit your society and, more importantly, it will benefit you.
Have a great month.
To Read the Full Article
ASHI offers its members unparalleled resources to advance their careers. ASHI offers training for inspectors at all levels of knowledge and experience, including resources about all major home systems. Members benefit from a vast network of experienced professionals, providing a community for mentorship and knowledge sharing..
In this Issue
FIND A HOME
INSPECTOR
Professional Networking
Grow your professional network, find a mentor, network with the best, and best part of the community that’s making home inspection better every day.
