An Association Sales Crisis – Association Hustle Podcast Episode 233
We're getting ready to see an association sales crisis like we've never seen before. For those associations that adapt and get into it will be the ones that survive. It's not too late. Listen to this episode for a plan on how to ramp up sales when it comes to membership recruitment, membership renewal, and sponsorships. P.S. We're doing a giveaway! Listen to the end of the episode for the details or check out the show notes below. Hello and welcome to JP Moery’s Association Hustle Podcast. President of The Moery Company, JP’s mission is to arm today’s associations with insight and strategy to thrive and a progressively complex and competitive business landscape. 21st century associations must move forward with a little bit of hustle and revenue development at their core. Here’s JP. I've been in this association business for almost 30 years and I've heard a lot of conversations about membership sales. And let me tell, you, I've heard it all! "We’re just a nonprofit, we don't really like selling that much." "You know, we really don't need membership recruitment help. We've got 90% of the market!" "Oh, we’ve got an 89% renewal rate! We just send out the invoices, no need for an intentional retention program." And my favorite, "You guys just take orders for sponsorships, ads, and exhibits. Doesn't really take any selling. We just send out the prospectus and get the orders in so we don't really need any sales help or strategy." Where are those people now? I guarantee you that they're probably in the corner of the room in a fetal position because everything around them is falling apart or they're sitting there wondering when things are going to “return to normal” and hoping that they do. Hope is not a strategy. We're getting ready to see an association sales crisis like we've never seen before. For those associations that adapt and get into it will be the ones that survive. So, I've got a plan with a number of steps to ramp up sales when it comes to membership recruitment, membership renewal, and sponsorships. And will share tips on leveraging communications that might be helpful to you. Membership Renewal You're going to need a membership sales renewal process during this billing cycle more than ever. Sending out emails and invoices in the ninth month of membership will require more outbound work. In addition to the billing cycle you're likely going to add additional calls and direct engagement especially if you're extending deferrals, payment plans, and any kind of adjustment to your regular membership. My guess is to expect a 25% reduction in membership renewal rates from your average in 2021, depending upon when your billing cycle lands in a calendar year. You're going to need outbound folks calling your members to talk to them about the renewal process. It's going to be very critical if you have any kind of expectations to return to the renewal rates of the past. Membership Recruitment Associations are doing unbelievable work in the area of membership recruitment and the role of communication has enhanced. We're stretching our communications teams thin! There are more Monday briefings than ever before with newsletters and videos coming out from CEOs. Associations are increasing content output by sending information to the entire industry about what's happening, how to reopen their businesses, and how to adapt to a new era within their industries. It's very good stuff. However, here's the trick, every single outbound communication should be tracked for opens, clicks, and turned over immediately to the sales team to start developing a membership recruitment dialogue. My sense is that you have more prospects looking at your stuff but the recruitment team doesn’t have all of the necessary information. Capture the contact information from webinars, Zoom calls, and any other kind of virtual programming and be intentional about converting the attend...
