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Being a good corporate citizen carries with it the satisfaction in knowing that BBB members are helping to support an organization that is making a daily difference in the lives of thousands of people. The BBB's free strategic public services are available through the support of selective firms in the business community. In addition, legitimate firms benefit through the BBB's self-regulating efforts. By tracking unscrupulous businesses and exposing them, the BBB helps legitimate businesses by putting a stop to unfair and/or illegal practices that otherwise lure away potential customers. Therefore the BBB helps to channel the market dollar away from scams and toward the legitimate business community. In addition to these types of intangible benefits, there are also many tangible ones. The average membership dues is approximately $400 annually. In some cases it is less and depending on the size of the applicant firm, the dues structure may be higher. BBB members can take advantage of benefits and services designed to help a business enhance their image, increase revenue and cut costs. The BBB receives thousands of phone calls and web site "hits" from consumers and businesses every day. These folks are doing their due diligence and checking on the reliability of a firm before they do business with them. When a potential customer contacts the BBB for information about a given firm, the BBB reports the fact that a given firm is a member. Reporting membership is a positive message to relay about qualified firms and it is something that customers want and look for when making buying decisions. In other cases people contact the BBB to obtain a list of members in a particular industry category. And, people who are in need of a product or service can request a quote/bid and members in the given industry category will be provided information as it relates to the customer. BBB members can obtain competitive discounts on reliable shipping services, local or long-distance telephone services, and merchant credit card processing. Members can also take advantage of an electronic NSF recovery program. When the normal conciliation efforts have been exhausted, BBB members can have customer disputes resolved through arbitration services. In addition, members can use the BBB Arbitration Clause in their customer contracts. BBB arbitration is a great way to retain valuable customers, cut legal costs and is a valid alternative to court. BBB members can display a BBB plaque and/or sticker decal in their place of business. Members who participate in the Customer Care/Member Id Program can use a specially designed logo for use in advertising and promotional material. Members who participate in the BBBonline program can utilize a BBBonline seal on their web site. Members receive a bimonthly newsletter publication. The newsletter has breaking marketplace alerts and news, educational articles and other valuable membership updates. BBB members can gain added value image advertising through co-op TV Commercials. The TV Commercials air locally on major networks and reach hundreds of thousands of people. In addition, members can sponsor pages of the BBB web-site. With each click on the web-site, participating members rotate on a banner-type ad. An opportunity also exists to obtain exposure by having a members logo prominently displayed on the BBB newsletter that is mailed to other business members. |