Members Don't Join for Dollar Value
Source: remoteok
There has been an idea rolling around the association space that members sign up for economic reasons. The gist of it is that you need to look at all your benefits and calculate a market price for each to present as the value of membership in your offer.
For Example:
- Advocacy is worth $a because a lobbyist costs $b
- Our benefits program offers potential savings of $c
- Our help line is worth $d
After This Analysis, You Pitch Membership As:
"Membership is worth $5,700 and it only costs $300 a year. You'd be crazy not to join up!"
There Are a Couple Serious Errors With This Approach:
First off, people do not value things the same one person to the next. They will immediately discount all that they don't value and put a question mark about worth next to the items they do. "I don't go to the conference so who cares that you're offering a 20% discount for members... and I wouldn't pay $500 to a lobbyist if I weren't a member."
Secondly, people are not rational. Even if they did believe your calculations and had your same perception of value they still won't buy based on that. Human beings don't marry the person who "makes sense," they want to fall in love.
What Part of "You" Chooses?
People buy because of emotions: pain, desire, fear. When we talk to each other, we sound like Spock from Star Trek, intelligent and logical. But inside of us it's, Days of Our Lives.
A 2008 experiment using brain scanning technology found that people's brains made a decision up to a full 7 seconds before they consciously decided. The unconscious part of you that wants and fears is driving the car. Spock is just sitting in the passenger seat, glaring at his GPS, and trying to make sense of where you're going.
Persuading Benefits vs. Rationalizing Benefits
Does all this mean that you shouldn't list the potential economic value of membership? No. You just need to understand the difference between a persuading benefit and a rationalizing benefit.
- A persuading benefit is any benefit that makes people want or fear. It drives behavior.
- A rationalizing benefit is anything that makes them feel good about their decision to take a risk. It's how they explain why it was a good choice.
Always lead with and emphasize persuading benefits and, if possible, follow with rationalizing ones.
For Example:
- Persuading: Book Yourself Solid With APSA's Business Mastermind
- Rationalizing: Membership Makes Sense! Therapists Get Access to More Than $2,100 Worth Of Representation, Discounts, and Benefits.
People buy for the first reason and justify it using the second. In general, just remember to speak to the stomach before you speak to the mind.
John Hooley President, Steward
John is a graduate of 10,000 Small Businesses, a certified Customer Acquisition Specialist, and a Zend Certified Engineer. He speaks and writes on connecting digital strategy to association goals. Outside of work he's an avid traveler, climber, diver, and a burgeoning sailor. He also volunteers with Rotary and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Topics
- Engagement
- Recruitment
- Management
- Data
- Conferences
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