TMSA Models Sound Business Practice With Its Research-Based Approach To Strategy Development

By Scott Grady, Senior Vice President, Landstar System, Inc.

The Transportation Marketing and Sales Association (TMSA) has undergone a series of changes over the past three years and your Board of Directors is refreshing its strategy to deliver member value. With many questions to ponder, and decisions to be make, our Board sought input and insights from TMSA members. The process undertaken in collaboration with The Dunvegan Group (an Affiliate Member of TMSA) in designing the study, capturing and analyzing member responses, summarizing and interpreting the findings, models best practice in creating the foundation for strategy development.

Methodology
There were a number of components to the methodology to formulate this research. These components included:

• Round table discussions with Board Champions, and focus groups conducted at TMSA’s Annual Conference, provided insights for developing a questionnaire to be sent to all TMSA members.
• An on-line, self-completion questionnaire was emailed to every active TMSA member in early August 2015. The Dunvegan Group monitored responses and sent reminders to encourage participation. Participation was also encouraged through TMSA communications.

As a result, by mid-September 2015, one-third of our members responded. Members were asked the following questions: What you value most about TMSA? What you wished we would change or improve? How interested you are in various options for programming as well as growth opportunities?

In addition, the strength of the bond TMSA has with our members was assessed and how the Association is delivering on the "7 Business Essentials" that Anne Miner, President of The Dunvegan Group, presented at our 2015 conference.

What did we learn?
TMSA has many opportunities to provide members with enhanced value.

Member interests, along with the demographic data, were used to identify three distinct segments within TMSA’s membership; this information will help us tailor communications and programming to focus on delivering relevant value to each segment.

We learned that virtually all of our members are using LinkedIn, most are using Facebook and/or Twitter, confirming that social media is a viable communication channel for TMSA. However, nearly all members prefer communicating with TMSA via email so this will continue to be the primary communication medium.

What’s Next?
You will soon see more local programming targeted at specific member segments, more specific content in communications, enhanced content at the Annual Conference, including thought leaders from other sectors, greater visibility for our Compass Award recipients and more. Working with a solid foundation upon which to base decisions, your TMSA Board is poised to announce its 2016 plan with confidence that we will meet our members’ expectations.

Conclusion
With the expert guidance of The Dunvegan Group, led by TMSA board member Anne Miner, and the participation of our membership, TMSA is in a much stronger position to make decisions that will serve our current and prospective members. As you can see, employing best practices leads to sound business decisions!