Managing the Membership Experience

Five Keys to Increasing Member Value

1. Make Your Organization Member-Centric

It’s not about YOU. It’s not about the ORGANIZATION.

It’s about MEMBERS and PROSPECTS.

The number of “touches” isn’t the point any more. The point is to be sure that all of the touches are POSITIVE.

You do NOT have to treat all members THE SAME.

The key is to treat each of them the way they WANT TO BE TREATED.

MILLENNIALS are now the new majority. What have you done/what are you doing to get to know them better?

-have programs designed to develop talent-create an “emerging leaders” advisory Board-adapt recruitment materials to millennials-allow them to customize their membership

experience-use social media as a tool not a solution-get testimonials from millennials already

getting value-get them while they are still in college-keep meetings fun – millennials are event-

driven

Cracking the Millennial CodeJason Dorsey, Center for Generational Kinetics

You have to be constantly trying to move

membership from a TRANSACTION to an

EXPERIENCE!

The PRIVATE SECTOR is WAY ahead of us. It’s time to catch up

We are in an new erawhere the customer

has all the powerTechnology has put information in the

hands of the customer

The new differentiator in business has become the customer experience

From a retail outlet to an experience center

Learn, play, have fun

1. Sold Commodities

2. Branded Products

3. Delivering A Service

4. Staging Experiences

Now in the‘Age of The Customer’ Power

comes from engaging with empowered customers

Nothing is left to chanceThe sound of the car indicator is important

Higher experience ratings meanthe customer is…

Less likely to switch to a competitor I Retention

More likely to recommend I Recruitment

More willing to buy again I Retention

It all starts with the way we find our PROSPECTS, or, more importantly, how they FIND

US.

Exercise1. Assume you are a prospective

member for a different organization2. Find out what they do for a living and

write down what key words they might Google to help them do their jobs.

3. If possible, find the organization using those words and then join.

4. If you can’t fine the organization using those words, just go to their website and join.

2. Focus Your VALUE MESSAGE Clearly

A Simple Value Proposition Statement Builder Template

For

who want or need the prime benefit or outcome they require or the problem that needs solving

membership to the name of your association

provides the solution – the highest value your association provides for them.

We do this by supporting information.

Unlike the competition or “others”

we the uniqueness you provide

as shown by supporting information.

© Sue Froggatt, Training & Consulting, 2013 www.suefroggatt.com

For Professionals just graduating from electrical engineering schools

A brief description of who the potential member is

who want or need to jump-start their professional careers the prime benefit or outcome they require or the problem that needs solving

membership toThe Electrical Engineering Society

(EES)the name of your association

provides a one-stop source professional development.

the solution – the highest value your association provides for them.

We do this by supplying employment opportunities,

access to continuing education, and ongoing professional recognition.

supporting information.

Unlike other engineering societies that focus solely on research-based efforts the competition or “others”

we Have a 30-year track record of helping electrical engineers move into the top

levels of the professionthe uniqueness you provide

as shown by

compensation studies that reveal EES members earn an average 13% more

than non-members in the same i l i

supporting information.

3. Have a PLAN, Not a PRAYER to Meet Member

Needs

Use MembershipMappingtechniques to anticipate

HASSLES and manage the Membership Experience.

Welcoming Connecting Engaging Reviewing

New member-recent graduate-career builder

-Sponsor-Joining incentive

-”special” treatment-easy access-guidance

-quick response-low effort-best ever service

-Membership -Finance-Communications

4. Lower Member EFFORT. It’s the Key - to everything

else.

The emotional effort is more important than the physical effort

2/3rds vs. 1/3rd

LOWER the EFFORT to join.

Saw a 70% increase in membershipwhen it changed it application process

Advice: Go through the process yourself and step into your potential members’ shoes and see what it’s like to go

through your application process

…it’s easy to sit in a meeting and come up with a form for application without realizing its implications.

…by actually going through the action of what your potential members are going to go through, you gain some empathy

for the process and adjust it if needed.“We don’t want to make our application process a barrier to entry.”

LOWER the EFFORT to renew.

LOWER the EFFORT to get ENGAGED.

Put a lot of time and effort into improving your organization’s

WEBSITE

Re-evaluate your website based on its

USER FRIENDLINESS.

You’ve only got 2-3“clicks” to ENGAGEthe website visitor.

5. Build the Future on Targeted Engagement

How do you DEFINE member engagement?

Identify your 3 most-used programs, products, or services

– push them!!

Of 12 Benefits…

Average Number of Services Used

2.5

1.00.7

All ElectedVolunteers

Renewed Lapsed

Use technology to attract YOUNGER MEMBERS

We’ve got to do a better job of CUSTOMIZING our member

interactions.

Add targeted e - Newsletters to your general ones

Personalize and Customize Your Retention

Communications, too.

1. Make Your Organization Member-Centric

2. Focus Your Value Message Clearly

3. Have a Plan, Not a Prayer, to Meet Member Needs

4. Lower Membership Effort-It’s The Ke

5. Build the Future on TargetedEngagement

Managing the Membership Experience

Five Keys to Increasing Member Value