By Ed Rigsbee, CAE, CS
"I'll renew my membership if my company will pay for it." How many times have you heard this one? Unfortunately, what people are really stating is something like this: "I don't see enough personal value to pay for membership out of my own pocket." Fortunately, this buying objection can be overcome.
Understand the Two Basic Features of Membership Categories
Most, if not all, of your organization's (member-only) features of membership fall under one of two general categories—professional/career development or business solutions. For business owners and professionals, both categories deliver high value, and they will easily renew if the perceived ROI of membership is reasonable. Yet many employees believe their company should pay for business solutions.
It is the career development that employees are most likely to open their wallets to receive. Add to the formula the member-only versus industry benefit wildcard and complexity increases. If others can get the value for free, then why would employees pay out of their own pockets to join to only receive the same value? Take a close look at your career development offerings.
Sell the Benefit of Career Development
This is where it gets tricky. You need to explain the what's-in-it-for-them as opposed to simply listing the (members-only) features of membership and expecting the employee to make the personal value translation.
For every (members-only) feature of membership your association offers, explains, lists or promotes—it needs to be presented with a bodyguard of benefits—the what's in it for me?
Make the benefit translation for your employee members or prospects. Help them to satiate their buying motive of profit/gain with a clear explanation of how your organization's career development features of membership will help them to advance in their job title and paycheck. This will be the key to your member recruitment and retention success.
Tools to Sell Membership to One's Company
In the situation where the employee member or prospect sees some value in membership but is still not willing to pay for it out of their own pocket, you will need to help them sell the idea of sponsoring membership to their company. When these people approach their boss, or their boss' boss, they need hard numbers to prove that their membership would be in the best interest of their company. You will need to clearly communicate which (member-only) features of membership deliver business solutions, and how those solutions will help the company to gain customers or increase sales, avoid costly mistakes, and overall improve their financial situation. Do not expect the company decision makers to make their own translations. Your marketing materials must do this clearly and succinctly.
How To Improve Perception of Member ROI
Price everything. If your organization provides products, services, and events for members at no charge—congratulations. You are doing an excellent job. Now put a non-member price on all of those things. Create a shopping cart system like ASAE does where members have to check out to get the publication download, registration, or other service. The member price is zero, but there is a non-member price showing. The member then realizes the value of what they just got for free. If you do not tell them, they will not realize the value.
While there are clearly many more things that you can do, the above ideas are easy to implement and are the low hanging fruit of improvement. Never forget, if companies are not paying, you are not doing an adequate job of communicating your value. If employees of said companies are not paying, ditto!
Copyright © 2015 Ed Rigsbee. Ed Rigsbee is President at Rigsbee Research. He can be reached through his website at www.rigsbee.com.