10 mistakes associations make when selling

10 MISTAKES Associations Make When Selling

WebLink International 3905 W. Vincennes Road Suite 210 Indianapolis, IN 46268 P 317-872-3909 | 1-877-231-4970 | F 317-872-3929 www.weblinkinternational.com

Tao Stadler Sr. Membership Management Executive

• Former Chamber Executive • 15 years in Association Industry

Far more than member management software

About WebLink

• SaaS Company (Software as a Service) • Leading Software Provider to 600 + Chambers of

Commerce and Business Associations • Established in 1996 • 60 Employees • Based in Indianapolis, Indiana • 94% Customer Retention Rate

Far more than member management software

About WebLink

• Membership Management Software

• Website Design & Development

• Non-Dues Revenue Programs

Far more than member management software

Association Clients

Far more than member management software

Chamber Clients

Far more than member management software

Pre-Webinar Question

66%

25%

9%

How well do you understand ROI from your sales efforts?

Our data and reportingcould use some work

We have a very difficulttime understanding ROI

Very well. We have greatdata and reporting

Far more than member management software

Pre-Webinar Question

52%

22%

12%

3% 11%

What area of sales most needs to be improved within your organization?

New Member Sales

Retention

Sponsorships

Events

Other

Far more than member management software

Pre-Webinar Question

47%

20%

14%

14% 6%

What is your top new member acquisition challenge

Difficult to demonstratemember valueNot enough staff

Not sure how to attractyoung membersOther

Don't have right tools

10 MISTAKES Associations Make When Selling

Chickening Out

Far more than member management software

Mistake 1: Chickening Out

• You never have to like prospecting, you just have to do it

• Don’t alienate potential prospects • Make sure everyone knows about the

opportunities/value you provide

• Pro Tip: Restricted content for sales materials so you know who looked at it

Barfing On Your Prospect

Far more than member management software

Mistake 2: Barfing on your Prospect

• Spilling your candy (don’t show too early, before you understand the prospect)

• Add flexibility to your packages so that you can tailor them to your prospect

• Have components like visibility, access, data, notoriety, etc… Think about what your prospects want

• Pro Tip: Name your tiers around members’ goals: Visibility Package; Influencer Package; Industry Supporter Package

Adding Seagulls To Their Painting

Far more than member management software

Mistake #3: Adding Seagulls to their painting

• Selling what you have, not what they need • Just because you think it’s great, doesn’t mean

your prospects will • Once you get agreement, stop adding things

• Pro Tip: Use your membership application and surveys to

allow people to identify their top 3 membership priorities

Trying To Use Telepathy

Far more than member management software

Mistake #4: Telepathy

• Sales process is a Process! Follow it! • No mind reading allowed—you will get burned. • No guessing based on experience • Asking questions is the only way to know... And

knowing is half the battle! Budget, decision, reasons why and why not?

• Pro Tip: Use Outlook appointments with prospects—set an agenda for each meeting

The Blabbermouth

Far more than member management software

Mistake #5: The Blabbermouth

• A prospect who is listening is no prospect at all • Consider your first appointment an interview • Count how long you talk; try to avoid talking for

more than 30 seconds at a time.

• Pro Tip: Recap your conversation in an email, confirm next steps

Ignoring The Story

Far more than member management software

Mistake #6: Ignoring the story

• Learn to tell a story about a successful member or sponsor.

• Features and benefits alone are not enough. • Help the client visualize themselves in the future.

• Pro Tip: Feature > Benefit > Pain > Story

Far more than member management software

Name a feature you have

What benefit does this feature

provide?

What pain would that benefit

address?

Tell a story about a member that used

that feature to receive a benefit

that addressed that pain

Renewing At The Renewal Date

Far more than member management software

Mistake #7: Renewing at the Renewal Date

• Revisit the relationship before it renews. Ensure everyone is happy before the renewal date.

• Work to renew the relationship should start at least a month before it ends. (earlier is better) – For membership, revisit the benefits and reasons why

they joined. – For sponsorship, recap on paper how they benefitted.

• Pro Tip: Use Retention Project Template/Plans

Forgetting To “Stalk” Prospects

Far more than member management software

Mistake #8: Forgetting to stalk your prospects

• Have profiles for your prospects in your CRM system

• Track details about them so you can run comparisons to successful members

• Track all activities they do with you • Friend, Follow and Connect • Let them subscribe them to Groups of Interest Pro Tip: Send “If you were a Member” emails

Keeping Secrets

Far more than member management software

Mistake #9: Keeping Secrets

• From Prospects: Share stories about successful members • From Members: Remind them of the value they receive • From staff: Info and interactions with prospects • Secrets will only come back to haunt you!

• Pro Tip: All benefit milestones can, and should, be

recorded in your CRM.

Delivering What You Promise

Far more than member management software

Mistake #10: Delivering what you promised

• Give more than you promised • Always exceed expectations • Connect them to other members • Pass along interesting news

• Pro Tip: Track benefits you didn’t advertise

The Lone Ranger Bonus Mistake #1

Far more than member management software

Bonus Mistake #1: The Lone Ranger

• Prospecting is an organization-wide endeavor • Lead generation comes from many places: Social

networks, events, webinars, blogging, website, etc… • Organization must create content that is valuable to

your members (and prospects) • Members tell their friends • Staff connects with prospects

Wrong Number Bonus Mistake #2

Far more than member management software

Bonus Mistake #2: Wrong Number

• Find the decision maker early • In organizational memberships, people who

answer the phone don’t generally sign checks • For individual memberships, find out if there is a

second layer of approval needed

Far more than member management software

Recap of the Mistakes

Prospecting • Chickening Out • Barfing • Adding

Seagulls • Blabbermouth • No Story • Stalking • Lone Ranger

Retaining • Telepathy • Stalking • No Story • Renewing

Late

• Closing • Keeping

Secrets • Stalking • Wrong #

Far more than member management software

Webinar Recap

• We will email copy of presentation to attendees

• Link to video recording of webinar

• Please let us know if you have any questions

Far more than member management software

WebLink Recap: An Integrated Solution

• ONE web-based centralized database

• Prospects, members, non-members and all reps in same system

• Financials, events, email, committees, website, reporting

Central DB

Financial System

Website

Email Marketing

Members

Events

Prospects

Far more than member management software

Association & Chamber Websites

• 500+ client websites • WebLink Local business

directory drives 67% increase in traffic from organic searches

• Adds value for members

• Non-dues revenue

Far more than member management software

Go To Webinar Question/Poll

10 MISTAKES Associations Make When Selling

WebLink International 3905 W. Vincennes Road Suite 210 Indianapolis, IN 46268 P 317-872-3909 | 1-877-231-4970 | F 317-872-3929 www.weblinkinternational.com

Tao Stadler Membership Management Executive tao.stadler@weblinkinternational.com