As a member of the home building community, you likely work with a number of professionals on a daily basis that include builders, trade partners, suppliers, and associate members. However, if you want to make more connections, expand your reach within the home building industry and be seen as an authority in your field, there are ways to use your HBA membership to get you there.

Growing your network of contacts slowly will help you build a strong foundation, add more value to your brand, and attract more customers. Here are four steps to grow your business organically with your Home Builders Association membership:

1. Navigate Your Membership with Care

Since the HBA offers so many member benefits, you’ll want to start by navigating the organization to see how it will work best for you. From there you can develop a strategy that takes all of the member benefits, as well as your strengths and weaknesses, into account.

 2. Establish Yourself as an Authority

It takes time to earn trust and develop relationships, but by the time you take this step, you’re off to a good start toward building a reputation as an expert in your field. By volunteering to serve on an HBA committee or council, you take being informed to another level, which will prove invaluable for you and other members.

3. Increase Your Visibility

At this point, you’re already on the map and seen as an authority in your field who has high standards and is a dedicated member of the community. Perhaps you’ve already received some referrals and

converted them into customers. Don’t stop now - remember that you have to maintain or expand the level of visibility you’ve already reached. To increase your visibility, you’ll need to multiply your efforts and get more involved. Continue learning by using as many of the valuable HBA education resources or volunteer in other ways to see where that takes you. 

4. Widen Your Reach

You’ve gained a strong foothold in the community as an HBA member, but you’ve only just begun. One of the benefits of the HBA membership is that you are also a member of the CAHB (Colorado Association of Home Builders) and the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders). Explore these associations as well to reach more members and more people who need your services.Although patience is a virtue when growing your business, here are a couple of ways the HBA membership can bring you customers sooner than later:

Member Directory: Potential customers can easily search the HBA member online data base by specialization and find your business on the HBA website in seconds.

Instant Credibility: Members can add the HBA, CAHB, and NAHB logos to all of their marketing literature, gaining instant credibility as upstanding professionals. 

Host: Raising your visibility might include setting up a trade show booth, offering to host a workshop or teach a course.

There are also many sponsorship and advertising opportunities through the HBA that members should consider using to attract new customers.  

But don’t simply rely on the direct-marketing benefits that the HBA has to offer. If you take the steps as indicated above, you’ll make the most out of your membership and soon be on your way to becoming an influential member of the community. 

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