What’s New, What’s Not, What’s Working

Membership Recruitment

Kyle J. SextonThursday, November 17, 2005

Western Association of Chamber Executives

Participation vs. Partnership

•Membership does not require participation

•Your investment of TIME will have a return; your investment of MONEY will have a return. These are NOT related!

•Prevent drops due to “no time to participate”

•Confessional: “It’s been 6 months since my last chamber meeting”

Digging for GoldProspecting… Referrals, referrals, referrals!

•Leads Groups

•Daily Shopping

•Vendors & Customers

•Elevator Pitches

The Wrong Elevator Pitch

Wrong: The chamber is a private non-profit membership organization that works to ensure a healthy local economy.

Wrong: The chamber is a group of businesses that share common community goals.

Wrong: The chamber of commerce does the things that most people think “just happen.”

The Right Elevator Pitch

Right: The Chamber solves common business problems like not having enough time to lobby the government for less regulations and taxes.

Right: The Chamber makes connections for businesses and consumers who are tired of doing business out of a phone book.

Right: The Chamber cuts through the bureaucracy that prevents business investments in our community, so we can have more ribbon cuttings and less red tape.

Testimonials

Ask your members, and get them started

•As a mature business (or retailer, home-based business, etc.) membership in the Chamber is especially valuable because …

•The Chamber helps me…

•The Chamber works for me by…

Testimonials

Segment Messages Based On…

•Start-up, Emerging, Mature, or Sunsetting

•Retailer, Restaurant, Manufacturer, Service, Professional

•Match prospects with corresponding testimonials

Gold MiningSelling…•Focus on the relationship, not the information

•Invite Prospects as Guests to Events

•Provide ongoing incentives for referrals instead of “drives”

•Develop Volunteer Recruiters

•Use Technology – Web Sites

Quantify the Benefits•Viva Las Vegas!

•Values based on actual mathematical equations

•Sales figures must be conservative, and published

•Add to the value with media partners, giveaways, or tiers

Customer Service > Retention

•Member-Focused

•Needs-Based

•NOT based on “showing up”

•The Right “Touch” for the Right Contacts

Summary

•Perfect your Elevator Pitch

•Take “Participation” out of your sales lingo

•Use testimonials to hit emotional hot-buttons

•Quantify the value of your membership