The 4 R’s To Achieving Your Membership Goals A Training Module By PI Membership Task Force Members Rhona Baca Espinoza and JoAnn Akers Retaining current members and building their loyalty Recruiting new members and keeping them Renewing your members efficiently and successfully We will look at the 4 R’s to achieving your membership goals The purpose of this training module is to assist clubs in achieving membership goals Reactivating lost members through effective ‘win back’ programs

Retaining Current Members & Building Loyalty To serve your members well, and build their loyalty Take a good look at the age group of your membership Try to work your way down or up on your average age to balance the ages as a long-term goal. Although, we need to reach out to all age groups, genders and cultures. We can appreciate and value the contribution of each group.

To serve members well and build their loyalty Age group of your club Follow up Free pass Feel connected Follow up if someone misses a meeting. Maybe something is wrong. Let them know that they were missed. Once club tries to make membership as guilt free as possible by issuing every member one card at the beginning of the year that says, Free Pass.” Free pass cards can be redeemed, no questions asked, once per year. When being asked to chair a project, work a shift at a club function or some other event, a member may use her free pass without having to make any excuses about being too busy and feeling guilty about letting their club members down. Make sure members feel connected to the purpose and the larger international organization. Understand every time volunteers say “yes” to you, they are saying “no” to many other options. Make sure you present potential members with an experience they want to repeat. Present a positive attitude about the work at hand. No one has extra time to devote to a negative experience. Conducting worthwhile community service projects is the number one reason members give for joining Pilot but friendship is a very close second Mentor your new members-Let’s talk a little more on this

To Serve Members Well And Build Their Loyalty A Good Experience Positive Attitude Mentor

Mentor Your New Members At least for the first six months, a mentor should be assigned to a new member Should be a seasoned member Should be in addition to the sponsor of the new member Mentoring your new members will keep them excited and motivated to renew year after year

Mentor Your New Members The new member will then have two members to look to for guidance and encouragement Should check on the new member through the month with phone call or email

Mentor Your New Members Offer any assistance with any Pilot subject or term Pick up and take the new member to the meetings for the first six months if possible or at least wait at the door prior to the meeting and sit with them

Mentor Your New Members Introduce the new member to other members on a monthly basis Assist the new member with the assigned projects of the club Ensure that the new member is involved in the club’s activities

Recruiting New Members And Keeping Them Get The Entire Membership Involved Study The Local News Know Your Product The Second R we will discuss is Recruiting new members and keeping them

Recruiting New Members And Keeping Them Skills Quality Responses

Get The Entire Membership Involved Everyone Is Responsible Build A Dream Do It Yourself Included In Your Strategic Plan Everyone assumes responsibility How do you motivate your members to recruit? Build a dream-once your members understand that successful recruitment can lead to achieving a great dream that matters to them, they’ll get motivated to involve others Do it yourself-The more time you spend trying to motivate members to recruit, the less time you have to get out and recruit new people into Pilot. Include specific growth goals in your club’s three and five year strategic plan

Study The Local News Local Newspaper Interesting People Interesting Programs Read the local newspaper regularly and look for the mention of interesting people and programs whose names are new to you. This works particularly well in a small community, not so well in a large metropolis.

Know Your Product Know Benefits - Not Features Be Prepared How Pilot Will Make Their Lives Better Know The Different Types Of Memberships Offered Know your product- Know benefits, not features Be prepared to share how Pilot will benefit a potential member and how it will make their lives better Know the different membership categories offered and which best fits your prospective member, for example, e-membership.

Quality Responses Prepare Quality Responses Based On Your Positive Experiences The Feel - Felt - Found Technique Quality responses- Inevitably, potential members are going to have some concerns about joining. You must prepare quality responses based on your positive experiences with Pilot. The Feel~Felt~Found Sales Technique works well- I know how you feel, I felt the same way, but here’s what I found…. And then provide a quality response

SKILLS Develop Interpersonal Skills Shake Hands Their Name Their Needs Remember The Magic Number SeveN Skills- Develop interpersonal skills such as make physical contact (shake hands and maintaining eye contact) Get the most important word in the person’s vocabulary: his or her name Find out about their needs and don’t be afraid to ask them to join Remember the magic number seven- the average number of times it takes asking to finally get a person to join Pilot. Keep asking.

Renewing Your Members Efficiently & Successfully Formal Renewal Process Renew your members efficiently and successfully is the third R. A formal renewal process should be implemented. Current members are too valuable to lose. 1st renewal letter sent out by May 1st by Club President; Should include the member’s positive impact on the club the past year. 2nd renewal letter sent out immediately prior to July 1st as a friendly reminder letter 3rd renewal letter sent out four weeks after July 1st to include the amount of dues owed Phone calls made immediately following 3rd letter Seek regular feedback from members to identify reasons for renewals or attrition

Reactivating Lost Members ‘Win Back’ Programs Exit Interviews A Member Reactivation Checklist Reactivating lost members through effective win back programs is the final R in our discussion Not everyone renews year after year –so what do you do about those who don’t renew? Win ‘em back or at least find out why they won’t come back and look at improvements you can make, based on non-renewing member feedback. A member reactivation checklist: Set objectives, contact non-renewing members with a purpose-do you have new benefits to offer? More value? Improved conditions? What can you do to win this member back on the spot? Coupled with the above, steer away from the same old ‘blah, blah’ formula, letter 1, letter 2, letter 3 format. What do I mean by that? What did you achieve last year? Can you set a benchmark from last year’s results that will give you targets for this year? A direct mail renewal/reactivation notice is fine, as long as it contains real renewal benefits and value. Make your final renewal notice time specific, and then follow with a phone call if they miss the date. Yep-the phone call. A tightly scripted telemarketing campaign can increase your renewals by 40%. For those of you looking horrified at the use of the word ‘telemarketing, bye for now-for the rest of you, a telemarketing campaign can be conducted by your members. At renewals time everyone in your club should live and breathe renewals-it is a shared responsibility Gain research and feedback from non-renewing members or conduct a long member interview. Why not gain something even if they don’t renew? Keep non-renewing members in the know as to your club’s events and happenings by retaining them on the email distribution list and task a member in the club to make a few follow up calls through the year to each non-renewing member.

A Successful Membership Campaign More Relevant More Indispensable Improve The Value And Benefit Sell, Sell, Sell… In summary, a successful membership campaign will require a commitment of leadership and members. We need to become more relevant, no INDISPENSABLE to our members or the majority of them anyway. How? Look at how to (a) improve the value and benefits Pilot offers them and (b) let them know what Pilot is currently doing for them. Train your members on how to sell Pilot. Re-look how you communicate and engage with your members If you have ever heard a member say ‘you only contact me at renewal time’-make major changes. NOW.

More Benefits for Your Hometown! Thank You! More Members = More Benefits for Your Hometown!