Gerry Doyle Chambers Ireland

 Chamber Strategic Planning  Identifying the critical issues facing your chamber  Effective Chamber Branding  Membership Recruitment  Membership Retention  Communications

 Who are we?  What capacity do we have/what can we do?  What problems are we addressing?  What difference do we want to make?  Which critical issues must we respond to?  Where should we allocate our resources?  What should our priorities be?

 What should our immediate objective be?  How should we organise ourselves to achieve this objective?  Who will do what, when? (Action Plan)

There are two important tasks that need to be done before a strategic planning process:  A review of your chambers work; and  A review of your chambers internal functioning. Preparatory Work Questionnaire

A critical issue is one that meets most or all of the following criteria:  Is related to a core problem  Affects a significant number of members either directly or indirectly  Can be addressed through the competencies and resources of the Chamber  Needs to be addressed if the Chamber is to be able to progress in its work  Builds on the strengths of the Chamber and/or the opportunities available to it  Addresses weaknesses in the Chamber and/or assists the organisation to deal with threats to its work or existence.

 What makes an Effective Brand?

 Its central organising thought – defining it for internal & stakeholder use in one sentence  Its slogan - defining it for use with customers in one sentence  Its personality – what would it be like if it were a human being?  Its values – what does it stand for/against?

 Its appearance - what does it look like? What does it sound like? What does it like and dislike?   Its stories - what are the stories you tell about how it all came about/what sort of brand it is?  Its emotional benefits – how it avoids/reduces pain or increases pleasure  Its hard benefits – the “pencil sell”

 Measurement of statistical performance, using statistical process control tools  Measurement vs. objectives, which may require statistical analysis as well as a straight assessment of whether the target has been achieved or not  Assessing performance in relation to best practice. This is softer, and behavioural.

 Every time you ask your members for some time, or you ask a new member to join a sale takes place.  You are selling an opportunity for their time or their commitment. But…They Don’t Care About what you are selling….  They want to know - what's in it for me (WIIFM)?  The more WIIFM YOU include in everything the more active your members will be.  Hot buttons are switches in our head that say this is a good opportunity for ME!  Your members' hot buttons reflect the reasons that they joined your chamber, contributing to greater good or that sense of belonging.  WIIFM and hitting hot buttons is a must for announcements as well as written materials.  Why should your member help you out?  The more WIIFM you include in everything you do, the more members you will have and the more active your members will be.

 “Joining” no longer popular  Members demanding more, and better quality services, at the same price  Chambers must be seen by members as a business in their own right  Must continue to re-package existing services

 Business development services becoming more important (brokering training, management development) - helping members become more profitable  We must be closer to the  Economies of scale are important - collaboration with other organisations

 Preparation  Target Strategy  The Message  Recruitment Tools  Recruitment Strategies  Making Contact  The First Impression

 Identify why existing members joined in the first place (Survey)  Why have members left in the past  Identify what are the important issues for local business (Survey)  Identify your own strengths  List the Unique Selling Points of your Chamber

 Match the message to the target group  Simple (maximum of 3 concepts)  Show what you have already achieved  Show you are well established, efficient, etc  Include testimonials from existing members

 Recruitment Leaflet – brochure  Application Form (Savannah)  Annual Report – Brochures  Newsletters  Website

 Integrate into on-going operations Use existing staff and volunteers  Launch Recruitment drive - Use existing staff and volunteers - Hire Recruitment Professional (full-time or on a contract-commission) - Executive loaned from a member company

 Variable Subscription Rates - Corporate members - Full Members - Associate members  Phased Increase in Subscriptions years  Subscriptions based on Turnover (not number of employees)

1. Direct Mail ( - Telemarketing)  Get the information correct  Address letters to a named individual  Letters should be invitation - personal  Letters signed by the President  Must be followed-up in 6-8 days

2. New Member Evening  Name badges - personal greeting  Short (1 hour)  Have an interesting speaker/location/gimmick  Mix existing members with new members  ASK the new member to join

3. Referrals  Existing members are the best source of new members  Monitor phone/letter contacts from non- members - follow-up with invitation to join

4. Offer Incentives  Special discounts for joining by a certain date  Money-back guarantee  Plaque - Decals - Certificate of Membership  New member benefits - Manhattan  Introductory Gifts

5. Target Invitations  Identify specific non-members and invite them as your guest to special events  Soft sell approach  Follow-up with invitation letter 1-2 weeks later

6. Advertising and Public Relations  Include information on how to join in all advertising and website  Use Press Statements and public events to emphasise that new members are always welcome

7. Web Site  Use Chamber Web site as a recruitment tool  Design the site to appeal to new members  Make it easy to join (simple form - e mail hyperlink)

 Response to application should be fast, personal and warm  New Members should receive an information pack  Letter of welcome - identifying upcoming events  Invitation to call to Chamber offices, meet staff, officers

1. 7 Steps to Membership Retention 2. Communications 3. Publications 4. Information 5. Appreciation 6. Feel Good Factor 7. Value for Money 8. Involvement

1. Product Clear Goals and Objectives and a Programme of Work 2. Credibility Delivering the Programme of Work 3. Communication Announcing benefits, celebrating success

4. Relevance Spending money on what members see as important 5. Staff Attitudes 6. Volunteer Leadership and Commitment 7. Good Management Practices

TO the members about what the Chamber is doing  Newsletter  Press/Radio/TV  Events  Personal contact FROM the members about what they  think - feel -  saying - doing re the Chamber business, politics, etc

Newsletters - Website  Headlines that GRAB  Graphics and photographs  No jargon - simple - clear  Sell the Chamber  Inform - relevant information for business  targeted at the right audience

 Membership Records (MIS-CRM-Database)  Record every contact with the member, phone, personal, letter, e mail,  Record attendance at all events  Identify members who have not been in contact with the chamber for 6 months call them and say hello!

Thank members  for attending events  for sending in their subscriptions  for giving their opinions  for replying to queries  for giving their time to committees  for supporting their Chamber

 Identifying with success  Chambers gets good media coverage  Chamber projects a professional image  Chamber runs efficient, well organised events  Chamber has important people at its functions

Good business contacts Reduced cost training Unique products (member directory) Discount schemes Local, relevant, up-to-date information Quasi legal – Advocacy services

Discount Schemes - Customer Loyalty  Group Insurance (Business, Home, car, health)  Group Discounts (national or local) - computer equipment, internet package, car rental, hotels, travel, major events, shopping

 Consulted through regular surveys  Involved in electronic response groups  Involved in Committees  Met and spoken to by staff/officers at chamber events

 Are they cohesive  Do they communicate  Do they promote  Do they inform  Are they cost effective  Are they directed at the right audience

CORE PRINCIPLES  Regularity - Consistency  Simple - Clear message  Relevant, up-to-date, information  Promote the Chamber - Praise the members  It’s all about people - Include Names  Professional Presentation

CORE PRINCIPLES  Actively Seek Feedback - Reward Responses  Report Actions on member feedback

 Monitor all contacts (Personal, Phone, Letters, Fax, E Mail) – CRM/MIS system  Enter RELEVANT information in Database  Surveys  Focus Groups  Fax-back  Blogs - Wikis

Integrate Feedback into everything everybody does Consistently record, analyse, and act on relevant feedback

Good Information in Good Time to enable them to make Good Decisions

 Listen and Hear  Personal Contacts  Fax-back on specific queries  Officer specific E Mail loops

 Listen and Hear  Staff meetings include issues, not solely operational matters  Encourage staff comments  Reward staff involvement

At the Beginning  Identify their up-front and “hidden” agenda  Build a relationship During and at the end of the process  Formal and informal reviews  Ask what they think

 Send them everything !  Short - simple - issue specific communications by FAX or E Mail  Have a constant presence in the media  Invite policy makers to events (social)  Build relationships with key players  Create Blogs and communities of interest

 Monitor the media  Be informed about what key people and key organisations are doing - recognise, appreciate, congratulate.

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN  Agree key objectives every 3-6 months: Who do we want to reach, what message do we want to get across  2-3 target groups messages  Plan weekly action (Press Release, Events, Newsletter, Letters, Meetings)

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN  Go to events, meetings, etc  Participate and Contribute  Monitor developments (Amend Plan)

 Determine your media targets  Info - deadlines, reporters, editors  Meet the media people  Create news - press statements, publish research, comment, press conferences  Piggy-back on topical stories  Chamber Press Kit

 Regular column/radio program  Letters to the Editor  Soft News - Chamber helps unemployed group  Hard news - Substance and controversy

Crisis Control  negative story pending - take the initiative early  One spokesperson only  Get ALL the facts before speaking  Never lie or mislead  Don’t take it personally - maintain relationships with the press

 Always correct factual errors for the reporters but don’t always insist on a retraction  Don’t make bad news worse by - losing your temper threaten management or threaten to withhold advertising file a legal action