TheDemandPerspective

By Anna Caraveli

Do you know where most association executives stumbled in our on-going interviews for our book? It was on the simple question of how they would describe the business their association is in—the primary value they deliver to members. Most of the answers were recitations of mission statements or lists of benefits.  It is not that these associations had no value to their members, but rather that they were not accustomed to looking at themselves through their members’ eyes and, as a result,  could not pinpoint where this value resided.  Most association websites reflect this “provider vs. customer” perspective: “We are the largest scientific association in X field;”  “We have existed for X years and are held in high esteem…”  “We provide the highest quality products and information….” “We strive to be the leading voice of X.”

Now take a look at successful for-profit service providers, known for customer orientation. Their focus is on customer solutions rather than the importance of their companies.

Monitor helps organizations grow. We work with leading corporations, governments and social sector organizations around the world on the growth issues that are most important to them. (The Monitor Group)

Challenges We Solve Together: How Will You and Your Team Tackle the Year Ahead?

• Assessing Key Performance Trends and Risks
• Establishing Innovative Operating Approaches
• Navigating Leadership Transitions

(The Corporate Executive Board)

Helping government leaders take on complex issues

• Prepare for what’s next
• Transform your technology
• Engineer your program

(Booz Allen Hamilton)

And here is your five-step retooling kit for your own  website

1. Focus on solutions to member problems:  unless you can operate without customers, your products and messages are not about you. Members do not hang on the edge of their seats, hoping to get a better understanding of your history, governance or achievements.  What is uppermost in their minds is the set of challenges they are dealing with that stand in the way of their success.  Begin by changing your thinking and conversation with members from what you do to what you can do for them.
2.  Acknowledge member problems: Do you know the specifics of your members’ business and the way they frame and experience problems in the course of the day?  List some of the issues and challenges that “keep them up at night” in ways that are credible and meaningful to them, for example:  Are you worried about how to replace your current generation of leaders?  We know that holding on to your customers during a recession is uppermost in your minds right now. Maintain continuous, in-depth conversation with members to understand how they define, prioritize and frame key issues. No messages will convey your understanding of, and empathy with, members than an accurate reading and acknowledgment of the problems that matter to them the most. Be specific to the problems and needs of various member subgroups, and use separate pages to focus on various segments, if needed.
3. Focus on solutions that will help members succeed: Show members how you can help them and what type of solutions you can offer in ways that are distinctive to your association.  This should flow out of your value proposition.  Why is this solution effective and why you vs. another provider? To be credible you have to be specific. Instead of “networking,”  say– “our moderated online forums (or blog or post conference get-togethers etc.) give you opportunities to interact with potential customers.”  Instead of “information” — “our extensive research data base has been designed to bring together important research in real time, and has unique search engine capabilities to bring you updated information when and where you need it.”
4. Establish credibility through outcomes vs. descriptions of benefits or accolades:  Start tracking how your benefits helped members achieve results like job promotion, better decision-making, more confident management of boards etc. If you can demonstrate outcomes through any type of quantitative data (75% of member companies increased sales or customer or staff satisfaction), include this information. However, a few phone calls to key members could get you immediate credibility through testimonials you can put on your website.  No amount of marketing hype could come close to persuading members of your value better than the proof of actual outcomes.
5. Think of your website as a destination with value unto itself, rather than as a bulletin board.  Include gateways into your interactive, online forums, for example.  In general, think of what tools, references or information members can quickly find and use when first entering your website: streaming news headlines; a special calculator designed for a particular field; a menu of helpful links, etc.

While these steps can be pieces of an extensive organizational re-orientation, I guarantee that they can also be used to quickly re-focus what you already have.  In my consulting experience, I find that all these elements are there but may be dispersed throughout your website or exist through nuggets of knowledge and experiences the staff possesses.  They key is to re-think your value and products in terms of how they can help members succeed rather than how great you can convince them you are. Pretty simple, right?

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Today I just glanced at a great post by Jamie Notter — You Are Not the Center of the Universe—in which he makes similar points and gives a different example of the self-focused perspective of many associations. http://www.getmejamienotter.com/2011/08/you-are-not-the-center-of-the-universe/