The Importance of Regional Participation in Personal Selling Your Association Membership and a Way to
Approach It
February 2013
Or…
Selling Membership doesn’t mean having to say “You’re Sorry”
Erik SchonherVice President
Marketing General Incorporated(703) 706-0358
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A Quick Note from Erik Schonher…
This presentation is an adaptation of one being made to a client’s regional leadership. Mostly volunteer, these individual’s struggle with the responsibility of “new member sales” for the association. As not all of them are “out-going” by nature, this is obviously a challenge.
However, I hope that this presentation will help by showing how important their personal experience is and that the process is really based upon having a little fun and talking about something they feel has benefit to them…their membership.
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TO GROW MEMBERSHIP
What is our goal..?
It’s a Process.
Five Activities
Awareness
Recruitment
Engagement
Renewal
Reinstatement
The Membership Lifecycle
What are the most effective recruitment marketing channels you have used? (Top 10 listed)
Word-of-mouth recommendations
Direct mail
Association website
Cross-sell to non-members who buy your products or attend your conferences
Chapters
Association-sponsored events
Promotion to/at your own conferences/conventions
Local events/meetings
Exhibiting at other conferences
58%
40%
35%
35%
20%
18%
15%
14%
10%
8%
45%
33%
35%
43%
20%
20%
13%
18%
10%
10%
Less than 80% (n=168)
80% or above (n=192)
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“WORD OF MOUTH”
What’s the best way
TO GROW MEMBERSHIP?
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What is the number one reason “Why People Join an Association?”
What do you believe is the ONE TOP reason members JOIN your organization? (Top 10 only)
Networking with others in the field
Continuing education
Access to specialized and/or current information
Accredidation or certification
Advocacy
Association publications
Learning best practices in their profession
Advancing in their position
Prestige of belonging to the association
Access to career resources
18%
16%
10%
8%
8%
6%
6%
4%
4%
3%
20%
6%
13%
5%
10%
5%
8%
2%
5%
1%
Less than 80% (n=168)
80% or above (n=192)
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PERSONAL INTERACTIONWhat is common between “Word of Mouth” and “Networking”?
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Has anyone ever told you their story as to why they became a
member?
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Why did you became a member?
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WHAT IS KEY TO THE STORY?
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WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
What the member received, or…
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Features
Benefit
Value
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SHARE…THE BENEFITS
COMPARE…THE VALUE
BECOME MORE AWARE
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Value Message: What does the research show that members value?
Presented here was confidential data obtained through a comprehensive research project of the
associations membership.
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DISCUSSION
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THANK YOU
Erik SchonherVice President
Marketing General Incorporated(703) 706-0358
