Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1381388
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION JUNE 9, 2021 Page 2 Continued on page 4 Got the Message?…continued from page 1 The earned media coverage associated with these stories is worth millions of dollars. It was free because what is happening with our industry is news. More importantly, the nature of the story is forcing people to reckon with the value of what the portable sanitation industry provides and the consequences of not having it easily attainable. This is a golden opportunity for our industry to tip the scales in favor of portable sanitation as a respected alternative. Now, we must work together to make the most of it. Currently, there is a lot of interest in shortages and how they are affecting local events. Cost is frequently a topic of conversation. For example, the reporter from New Hampshire became interested in covering the story because of the significant difference in cost for portable equipment and service in the past versus 2021. But this will not always be the case. The long game for portable sanitation is to reposition our industry as a respected alternative, regardless of the reason for the story. How does that happen? • We need to educate customers—and end users—about our industry. It is especially important that the public begins to see that portable toilets are, first and foremost, toilets. If the restrooms at their favorite big box store or fuel station are wiped down and restocked multiple times a day, why wouldn't portables need the same care? We need to connect the dots so customers and users see that portable equipment should be kept up in a similar fashion. The recent memory of COVID-19 precautions makes this a little easier. During the pandemic, cleaning and pumping happened more often, and customers often wiped down the insides of units multiple times a day. Not surprisingly, the units were much more pleasant to use, vandalism was reduced, and everyone's job was easier. Most importantly, people learned that using a portable unit can be pleasant. • We need to resist the urge to race to the bottom. Nobody can tell a company what they should charge for their services, and the PSAI rigorously avoids coaching anyone on pricing strategy. We do encourage members to know their costs and develop a pricing scheme that makes sense for growing and sustaining their business in their market. Remember, only one company can be the cheapest. Understand the pros and cons if you are engaging with your competitors mainly on price. More importantly, recognize that if everyone is cutting their prices, quality will likely be affected. Users will continue to think poorly of our industry, and the overall impact on portable sanitation will be harmful. So whatever your pricing decisions, make sure that you can provide enough units and enough service with the fees you charge to provide an acceptable experience for users. Our industry Code of Excellence says we respectfully walk away from business if we can't do that. =