Services of aBusiness Association

for its Members

Objectives

Contents

Structures

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The chamber's and its employees’ tasks

• To help the SME in the– foundation– development– modernization– expansionof his enterprise

• To offer support in his day-to-day activities

The structure of services

Inform ation T ra ining

Ind ividualC onsulting

G roupC onsulting

C onsulting S upport

S ervic es

Objective of the Service “Information”

• To facilitate members’ access to information to everything what is important for business decisions (laws, market developments, suppliers, staff, technologies, management techniques etc.)

• Key question: which information isrelevant for the businessmen?

Task of the business association

• Collect, filter and select relevant information

– Negative example: distribution of the consumer rights law

– Positive example: focus on the important subjects of the law to each given branch (bakeries, joiners, etc.)

Information

Members

Information spreading: Instruments

• Letters, brochures, newspapers, and magazines of the association

• Publications in newspapers, radio, TV• Speeches and seminars• Personal contacts of ACI employees and

member businessmen(telephone, meeting, company visit)

Training and Counselling Objectives

• Stimulate thinking and learning processes of the entrepreneur to– benchmark his performance– develop new ideas– identify alternative solutions

• Key question:What to change / improve?

Training and Counselling Objectives

• To help the businessmento introduce changesin his enterprise

• Key question:How to do it?

Individual Counselling : Characteristics

• Meeting of two persons:Businessmen + Consultant

• Focal point:The relationship between them

• Instrument:Psychology

Individual Counsellor: Tasks

• Create a trustful environment• Start up a discussion,

i. e.: using “Wh-”type questions• Identify the problems

– subjectively, seen by the businessmen– not objectively, seen by the consultant

• Adapt the “language” of the entrepreneur

Individual Counsellor: Tasks

• Search / elaborate alternative solutions together with the entrepreneur

• Eventually search on the market for the for new know how sources

• In the best case, the entrepreneurfinds the solution on his own

• The decision is made by the entrepreneur

Group Counselling: Characteristics

• Meeting of some persons:Group of SMEs + Consultant =“ Nucleus”

• Focal point: Knowledge and experience exchange amongst entrepreneurs

• Instrument: Methodologies forworking groups:- Action Learning- Metaplan - GUT and many more

Group Counselling : Tasks

• Initiate and manage a communication process amongst SMEs = Moderation

• Focal point: the group dynamic• Objective:

– identify common problems together – organize the activities defined by the Nucleus

(courses, visits to suppliers, fairs, etc.)

Group Counsellor: Tasks

Strategy:• Steer the discussion to

problems which the SMEs can solve on their own (internal causes -great chance of success)

• Avoid those problems the SMEs can not solve by themselves(external causes - poor chance of success)

Group Counsellor: Tasks

• At the “right” moment– actively take part in the discussion– contribute with

- questions, - ideas,- experiences,- comparisons,- proposals

= Consultancy

Group Counsellor: Tasks

Observation:• The group dynamic and the action learning

/ experience sharing process have priority• Moderation without

consultancy is ineffective forthe SMEs / the group

Group - Individual Counselling: Effects

Individual Counselling Group Counselling

High Costs Low Costs

Limited credibility (consultant)

High credibility (businessman)

Low quantitativ effects

High quanittativ effects

Treatment of specific problems

Treatment of common problems

Characteristics of Training

• Carry out courses and seminars on key subjects for the development of the affiliated members’ enterprises

Characteristics of Support

• Support SMEs by services which help to save time and money

• Take advantage of the groups’ strong bargaining power to get advantages and discounts on purchases and services for the individual SME (e.g. health insurance plan)

Final Conclusion: an ACI is a Service Enterprise

• So it needs:– Orientation on members’ needs = Marketing– Business leadership and management– Qualified staff = professionals– Employees familiar with the affiliated

members’ enterprises– Chairs with nails!

The difference between ...

• A “club” of businessmen– spends 70% of its budget

into social activities

• A “business association”– invests 70% of its

resources into its service area (staff)

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