Download pdf - 10 Mistakes Associations Make When Selling

10 MISTAKES Associations Make When Selling

WebLink International 3905 W. Vincennes Road Suite 210 Indianapolis, IN 46268 P 317-872-3909 | 1-877-231-4970 | F 317-872-3929 www.weblinkinternational.com

Tao Stadler Sr. Membership Management Executive

• Former Chamber Executive • 15 years in Association Industry

http://www.weblinkinternational.com/

Far more than member management software

About WebLink

• SaaS Company (Software as a Service) • Leading Software Provider to 600 + Chambers of

Commerce and Business Associations • Established in 1996 • 60 Employees • Based in Indianapolis, Indiana • 94% Customer Retention Rate


About WebLink

• Membership Management Software

• Website Design & Development

• Non-Dues Revenue Programs


Association Clients


Chamber Clients


Pre-Webinar Question

66%

25%

9%

How well do you understand ROI from your sales efforts?

Our data and reportingcould use some work

We have a very difficulttime understanding ROI

Very well. We have greatdata and reporting



52%

22%

12%

3% 11%

What area of sales most needs to be improved within your organization?

New Member Sales

Retention

Sponsorships

Events

Other



47%

20%

14%

14% 6%

What is your top new member acquisition challenge

Difficult to demonstratemember valueNot enough staff

Not sure how to attractyoung membersOther

Don't have right tools


Chickening Out


Mistake 1: Chickening Out

• You never have to like prospecting, you just have to do it

• Don’t alienate potential prospects • Make sure everyone knows about the

opportunities/value you provide

• Pro Tip: Restricted content for sales materials so you know who looked at it

Barfing On Your Prospect


Mistake 2: Barfing on your Prospect

• Spilling your candy (don’t show too early, before you understand the prospect)

• Add flexibility to your packages so that you can tailor them to your prospect

• Have components like visibility, access, data, notoriety, etc… Think about what your prospects want

• Pro Tip: Name your tiers around members’ goals: Visibility Package; Influencer Package; Industry Supporter Package

Adding Seagulls To Their Painting


Mistake #3: Adding Seagulls to their painting

• Selling what you have, not what they need • Just because you think it’s great, doesn’t mean

your prospects will • Once you get agreement, stop adding things

• Pro Tip: Use your membership application and surveys to

allow people to identify their top 3 membership priorities

Trying To Use Telepathy


Mistake #4: Telepathy

• Sales process is a Process! Follow it! • No mind reading allowed—you will get burned. • No guessing based on experience • Asking questions is the only way to know... And

knowing is half the battle! Budget, decision, reasons why and why not?

• Pro Tip: Use Outlook appointments with prospects—set an agenda for each meeting

The Blabbermouth


Mistake #5: The Blabbermouth

• A prospect who is listening is no prospect at all • Consider your first appointment an interview • Count how long you talk; try to avoid talking for

more than 30 seconds at a time.

• Pro Tip: Recap your conversation in an email, confirm next steps

Ignoring The Story


Mistake #6: Ignoring the story

• Learn to tell a story about a successful member or sponsor.

• Features and benefits alone are not enough. • Help the client visualize themselves in the future.

• Pro Tip: Feature > Benefit > Pain > Story


Name a feature you have

What benefit does this feature

provide?

What pain would that benefit

address?

Tell a story about a member that used

that feature to receive a benefit

that addressed that pain

Renewing At The Renewal Date


Mistake #7: Renewing at the Renewal Date

• Revisit the relationship before it renews. Ensure everyone is happy before the renewal date.

• Work to renew the relationship should start at least a month before it ends. (earlier is better) – For membership, revisit the benefits and reasons why

they joined. – For sponsorship, recap on paper how they benefitted.

• Pro Tip: Use Retention Project Template/Plans

Forgetting To “Stalk” Prospects


Mistake #8: Forgetting to stalk your prospects

• Have profiles for your prospects in your CRM system

• Track details about them so you can run comparisons to successful members

• Track all activities they do with you • Friend, Follow and Connect • Let them subscribe them to Groups of Interest Pro Tip: Send “If you were a Member” emails

Keeping Secrets


Mistake #9: Keeping Secrets

• From Prospects: Share stories about successful members • From Members: Remind them of the value they receive • From staff: Info and interactions with prospects • Secrets will only come back to haunt you!

• Pro Tip: All benefit milestones can, and should, be

recorded in your CRM.

Delivering What You Promise


Mistake #10: Delivering what you promised

• Give more than you promised • Always exceed expectations • Connect them to other members • Pass along interesting news

• Pro Tip: Track benefits you didn’t advertise

The Lone Ranger Bonus Mistake #1


Bonus Mistake #1: The Lone Ranger

• Prospecting is an organization-wide endeavor • Lead generation comes from many places: Social

networks, events, webinars, blogging, website, etc… • Organization must create content that is valuable to

your members (and prospects) • Members tell their friends • Staff connects with prospects

Wrong Number Bonus Mistake #2


Bonus Mistake #2: Wrong Number

• Find the decision maker early • In organizational memberships, people who

answer the phone don’t generally sign checks • For individual memberships, find out if there is a

second layer of approval needed


Recap of the Mistakes

Prospecting • Chickening Out • Barfing • Adding

Seagulls • Blabbermouth • No Story • Stalking • Lone Ranger

Retaining • Telepathy • Stalking • No Story • Renewing

Late

• Closing • Keeping

Secrets • Stalking • Wrong #


Webinar Recap

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WebLink Recap: An Integrated Solution

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WebLink International 3905 W. Vincennes Road Suite 210 Indianapolis, IN 46268 P 317-872-3909 | 1-877-231-4970 | F 317-872-3929 www.weblinkinternational.com

Tao Stadler Membership Management Executive [email protected]

http://www.weblinkinternational.com/