By Steve Charles, The Membership Doctor, founder of Member Boost
In this article we will look at one of the key reasons why achieving membership objectives can be so challenging. The fact is that a lack of teamwork between the organisation and delivery team can be very damaging. This is because the organisation needs to have a fully effective team delivering the service, but this team needs an organisation that provides the support, technology and investment needed to enable them to succeed. Both sides need each other!
I find that most membership organisations have the same objectives when it comes to membership. They aim for better member engagement, to improve member retention, to increase new member acquisition and also raise revenues. It sounds so straightforward.
The Start
The process of developing membership will normally start with the Board, Senior Management Team or Membership Director(let’s call them The Organisation) pulling together an exciting and often ambitious plan to achieve the membership objectives. The overall target may be broken down, some new messages may be recommended and some new processes may be introduced. Investment in technology or additional resource may also be made, as “The Organisation” believes that this will guarantee success.
Following the development of the new plan and overall strategy a directive is issued from above to those involved in the delivery of membership, or marketing, activity (let’s call them The Delivery Team). The Organisation is very confident in the quality of their decisions and expect a return on any investments made. The Delivery Team may well be enthusiastic and optimistic, based on the confidence of their managers, so off they go!
The Symptoms
However, it is often not long before the feel-good factor dissipates. The desired results for member retention and new member acquisition are hard to achieve and targets are not being hit. What looks simple on paper, is far more complex in real life. As a result, The Organisation is annoyed and ramp up the pressure on those charged with delivering this task. The finger-pointing and the blame-game is off and running. How could this fail? It must be the fault of the Delivery Team! The Delivery Teams lose confidence and tend to revert, if they can, to their old, more familiar ways of working. They have worked hard, but the new directives have not generated the right outcomes…and nobody really knows why.
The Diagnosis
These symptoms are caused because the link between The Organisation and the team tasked with delivering membership or marketing activity is not working. The Organisation has not provided the platform the team needs and this team does not have the skills or experience to overcome the problems caused. As a result,progress is painfully slow and target achievement can be impossible. The whole organisation sinks into frustration and its headaches and high blood pressure all-round.
The questionis – how can you avoid this malaise?
The Remedy
The remedy to this common problem is TEAMWORK and an acceptance by The Organisation that it’s best not to bully the Delivery Team into achieving successful delivery, but to understand that education and encouragement are far more effective remedies.
To achieve objectives, it needs both sides to work in harmony.
The Organisation needs to:
Set clear objectives that enthuse everyone
Set SMART targets – especially realistic ones
Budget / allow for staff training and skills development
Have a communication plan
Have a lead generation plan
Not presume that all others lower down in the organisation understand the product or services as well as they do themselves.
Provide the required technology
Provide the required human resource
The Delivery Team need to be hard working and passionate about what they do, but also knowledgeable and fully trained in all aspects of the task in hand
The features of the product / services / member benefits
The benefits to members
The issues that members face and how to help them
Basic sales / influencer skills
It is important to remember that growing membership is a “sales function”. New member acquisition requires good sales skills, but even member retention is an influencer-sales role. In many organisations those tasked with member retention (and often recruitment as well) are not natural sales people. Their role may be multi-faceted and they will have some excellent skills, but “sales” may not be one of them. And for those in this position, sales can be very scary!
In summary
Without the knowledge, skills, technology or a plan to work to the Delivery Team cannot deliver the expected results, no matter how much pressure is applied from above.
Confidence is key, so you must ensure all aspects of their role, as listed above, are focused on and delivered. Knowledge breeds confidence…and confidence breeds results.
So, to achieve success The Organisation needs a confident and knowledgeable delivery team and the Delivery Team need the organisation to provide the platform, notably training, technology, investment and resources. So, as we said at the start, each side needs each other!
The key is to have a whole-company approach, work together so as a team you will be able to succeed
The Membership Doctor says -
This is a problem I have seen (and experienced) many times, but it is something that can be overcome. It is one obstacle to membership growth, but unfortunately, it’s just one of many.
Any organisation that wants to understand the complexities of membership development and find a bespoke solution, can contact me on the number below for a free Member Boost Consultation.
Steve Charles
07831 499990
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