Delivering a “Wow” Membership Experience Laurie McIntosh, SHRM-SCP, CAE Director, Membership Chantal Rotondo Manager, Segment Marketing

What is Wow? “To WOW, you must differentiate yourself, which means doing something a little unconventional and innovative. You must do something that’s above and beyond what’s expected. And whatever you do you must have an emotional impact on the receiver.” Zappos.com

Wow Experience 2017 Top 10 Companies with the Best Customer Service, TrendingTopMost.com

Why We Love Brands Dedication to Quality Understand Their Target Audience Rooted in Core Values Committed to CSR Add Value to our Lives Provide an Experience

Membership Reality Check Who woke up today and said “I really need to join a chapter?”

Telling the Story This is what people are looking for. Everyone is busy, everyone wants to be more efficient. Your offerings should be a support for HR professionals in your area. What other words may reflect that and how you are emotionally connecting what you offer in the story?

Telling the Story And how can you make your members feeling like this? Accomplished, successful, confident. What member stories end with people feeling like this that you can share with prospective members or current members to reinforce how valuable your membership offerings are?

Be Personal Large organizations delivering on the WOW experience are often delivering personalized content or services based on their members or customers’ past behaviors or desired wants. How can you better do that at the chapter or state council level?

Be Relevant Great organizations are also delivering relevant. information When emailing, are you following up with information relevant to what they came to before? Are your meeting topics relevant to various segments of the membership, etc? How can you be more relevant?

Be Consistent Consistency is another key characteristic of delivering a WOW experience. If you go into a McDonalds anywhere, you know what your burger and fries will taste like. It’s not enough to have one great meeting or one great membership networking event, there should be a consistent level of service, of membership emails, etc that people can rely on.

Telling the Story It’s helpful for all the Board and representatives of the chapter be clear on what the value is, so everyone has an easy elevator speech. And make sure that what you think the value is matches what the chapter members actually believe is the value. And then how and where do you tell and reinforce that story… Email, website, in person, video on youtube, social, etc…

Value is a Perception

What is Your Value Proposition? How to present value: FEATURES, BENEFIT Make a list of the features you provide – Newsletters, lunches, meet-ups, etc. Translate these into benefits people receive – Saves money, saves time, keeps company compliant, etc. Understand how you help people avoid pain – job security, incorrect information, wasting too much time Consider how the membership/program addresses emotional drivers – advances their professional development, establishes them as thought leader, makes them a better boss/colleague

FEATURE Continuing Education Programs Certification Programs Members-Only Discounts Newsletter or eNewsletters Monthly Magazine/Journal Webinars Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings

Benefits What People Gain from the Feature

FEATURE BENEFITS Continuing Education Programs Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional Certification Programs Validates your capabilities Members-Only Discounts Saves you $$$$$$$ Newsletter or eNewsletters Easy access to timely information Monthly Magazine/Journal Covers the hottest topics and trends around <your profession> in your area Webinars Convenient learning at your fingertips Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems

What People Don’t Want to Experience Avoidance Avoidance: What People Don’t Want to Experience

Continuing Education Programs FEATURE BENEFITS AVOIDANCE Continuing Education Programs Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional Missing out on essential knowledge for professionals Certification Programs Validates your capabilities Getting passed over for a higher position Members-Only Discounts Saves you $$$$$$$ Paying too much somewhere else! Newsletter or eNewsletters Easy access to timely information Wasting time searching for critical information Monthly Magazine/Journal Covers the hottest topics and trends around <your profession> in your area Not being on top of major employer concerns Webinars Convenient learning at your fingertips Costs of travel, room and board for educational needs Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems Working in isolation on key issues that would benefit from multiple viewpoints

Speaking to Aspirations Emotional Drivers: Speaking to Aspirations

Value Chart Example FEATURE BENEFITS AVOIDANCE EMOTIONAL DRIVERS Continuing Education Programs Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional Missing out on essential knowledge for professionals Gain confidence in your abilities Certification Programs Validates your capabilities Getting passed over for a higher position Becoming an authority in my field Members-Only Discounts Saves you $$$$$$$ Paying too much somewhere else! Good steward of organization’s money Newsletter or eNewsletters Ongoing access to timely information Wasting time searching for critical information Allows you more time to spend on the things that really matter Monthly Magazine/Journal Covers the hottest topics and trends around <your profession> in your area Not being on top of major employer concerns Being on the cutting edge of the profession Webinars Convenient learning at your fingertips Costs of travel, room and board for educational needs You can become an expert in a specific area Face-to-face lunches/meetings Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems Working in isolation on key issues that would benefit from multiple viewpoints Making professional friendships that last a lifetime Nice exercise to do with boards/people so you have an idea how to communicate these things. How do you test if something works – do you focus on emotional drivers? Avoidance – don’t be left out.

Putting It All Together Monthly Face-to-Face Meetings- Expand your network, gain new skills, learn about trends that could impact you so you can stay competitive, confident and compliant (and not get sued!) Members Only Discounts – Exclusive savings on all your local professional networking and professional development needs, saving your company money and making you look good. When talking about what your chapter offers, it’s not only the monthly meeting. They are a part of a community.

Surprise and Delight What are some ways you can surprise and delight first time attendees at your meetings?

Surprise and Delight What are some ways you can surprise and delight current members who aren’t coming to your meetings?

Surprise and Delight What ways can you deliver a “WOW” experience to members who have not renewed?

“The message . . . is that no company can succeed today by trying to be all things to all people. It must instead find the unique value it alone can deliver to a chosen market.” Treacy and Wiersema, The Discipline of Market Leaders, page xiv

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