Why Joe won’t renew with ASAE in 2011

There is only one thing to add here:

"There is no squabbling so violent as that between people who accepted an idea yesterday and those who will accept it tomorrow" - Christopher Morley, American writer.

@Dennis: I don't think ASAE is alone in this; most if not all professional associations are having struggles like this.

@Frank: I agree with you on the pricing issue. My husband's a chef, and he winces every time he hears about a restaurant bragging that they've cut prices. "They're lowering their perceived value, and they'll never be able to raise their prices again."

As @Lara says, it's about finding out what the members (and potential members) value, and providing that. For some of the associations I'm a member of, the value is in being able to list my membership on my C.V. Even if I do nothing else with the association that year, the dues have provided value for me.

@Maddie:

Thanks, now I see more where you're coming from and wholeheartedly agree. A good lesson to be learned. Lurking is great, but if individuals don't engage on behalf/as ambassadors of the organization, the organization can come across as an uninterested monolith ... even if the external conversations are being monitored and responded to internally. Makes me think what the leadership is going (board, staff, committees, etc.) should be shared more regularly and less formally. I'm trying to think if I've ever even seen minutes of an ASAE board meeting. Off to the web site to see if they are easily found.

Sadly, this discussion sounds like 2007 or 2008 all over again. Is ASAE unique or all ALL professional associations still in the same boat?

I agree that it's not all about the price point, it could also be about educating the members on the benefits of membership. I always use the AAA analogy. I didn't join AAA because I'm enchanted by the art of driving, I joined it because it saves me money and gives me peace of mind and convenience. I pay dues every year to AAA because I know the myriad of things that the organization gives me (i.e. I still get tons of discounts from hotels, all you have to do is ask for them). What if I didn't know about the hotel discounts? I might not renew. Has ASAE done a good job of educating the "Average Joe" (Okay, pun intended ;) of their value proposition? Of not only being the stewards of the industry, but also a provider of value for those who simply want to receive member benefits?

Garry

@Maddie: You're absolutely right; I was making my point clumsily (not the first time :-/). Joe certainly does matter, but lower prices won't win him back. If he doesn't see value for $100, I doubt he would pay $50, $25, or even $1. And even if he would, that can't be the strategy to attract him and people like him, because the inevitable ending of that game is insolvency.

The only sustainable option for ASAE and the rest of our associations is to add new value to its services and programs, perhaps by trying some of the things I suggested above.

But this is not just a question for ASAE. State medical societies like mine are trying to develop a new value proposition for a world when the vast majority of doctors are employed by a hospital, medical group, ACO, or some other big entity. Right now, we're still playing out the model of serving the independent doctor in a small practice, and that world is ending. If we don't do it, someone else will, because there is a need.

I also like your point about wanting to see ASAE step into this conversation publicly. How cool would it be if people like us who care about its vitality could hear what they're saying and mix it up with them? And not just in committee or council meetings. I hope they understand that you, me, and many, many others like us *want* ASAE to thrive for a long time.

Hi Maddie,

Great post and a topic I feel quite passionate about. I wrote a post back in October stating that the association model needs to change:

"...I've been a member of a number of industry associations and they all hung their hat on Networking and Education. Here's the problem with that value model. I can now network with more people, across the globe, without ever leaving my office. Instead of being in a room with a handful of people – many of them not my potential customers – I can now use keywords online to find the right prospects for my business, find out about their fears & frustrations, needs & desires, contact them, build a relationship and offer a solution all before I ever meet them in person. Oh, and as for education, well at the click of a mouse I can find the answer to virtually any question I have. I can sign up for a growing list of webinars, read industry blogs, participate in wikis, converse in Twitter chats, and the list goes on. Associations need to revisit their business model."
More: http://www.ready2spark.com/2010/10/why-people-feel...

When people pay money for a product or service they are looking for value. What ever 'value' means to them. Every association needs to go back to the basics and reassess their members' biggest problems and how they can provide a unique and meaningful solution. The key is to understand that the realm of competition has expanded beyond 'other industry associations' and that the target customer and their environment has changed dramatically over the past few years.

My thoughts...

Lara

I love this conversation. It cuts to the core of many issues facing associations. I'm feeling a little like Switzerland and see points on both sides. I do have a few questions, what has ASAE done about Joe's post? Have they reached out to him? He is a customer/member very publically stating his lack of percieved value with the organization. Any social media program worth its salt would be all over that post and Joe, I would think. Beuller... Beuller... Anyone? I'd love to see a "Bring Joe Back" campaign aimed at all of the Joe Flowers out there who are on the edge or never joined and figure out a way to get them energized, see the value, and join. I don't think that people like Joe are the long tail of memberships, I think their voice, amplified greatly is worth pursuing and bringing back into the fold.

Garry

@Jeffrey I hear what you're saying - but maybe part of my post is the frustration that if things are changing based on what members have been asking for directly and indirectly for a long time, we're not seeing it or hearing about it from the horse's mouth. ASAE (and yes I am speaking to many specific people there, not a nebulous entity) is great at staying in the background and not interjecting any official voices into any member conversations - but maybe it would be nice to actually hear what they are thinking directly every once in a while. One-on-one in person conversations are great and happen every day in my own experience, but meanwhile, posts like Joe's make me think none of those conversations are going anywhere.

@Frank I have to disagree with you on the point about not chasing the "low margin possible member like Joe" - I think there was a time when such members (or potential members) didn't matter but now those times have changed. I think there are hundreds more people like that where Joe is coming from, who are pondering the same value proposition and the "WIIFM" factor, only this time they are seeing and hearing and reading other people who feel the same, and there could easily be as snowball effect. And I'm not just talking about online conversations - if ASAE's not able to re-clarify what the value is in belonging, it may not be long before none of us can do that for them.

What it comes down to is that Joe's virtual connections are enough for him. I get it, but it's not enough for me. I crave the face to face connections, and I'm willing to pay for it. I love seeing my ASAE friends at conferences.

What can ASAE do, that it's not doing already? Take care not to chase the low-margin possible member, like Joe, for whom it's not worth $100. That's an endless downward spiral.

But there could be some work done on the conferences to make them as amazing as possible, such as: Skew the target age for general sessions a little lower; consider cutting prices a little so the small associations priced out; crowdsource more activities; make sessions shorter to provide more time slots and less of the "wish I'd gone to that" kind of regret.

You know I am with you in spirit, but I'd like to gently push back against you posing the question to "ASAE" as if it is some omnipotent body (my take on how you wrote it I admit). WE are ASAE and if there are changes we believe need to be made, we need to suggest, cajole, request, push, prod, lobby, protest, and more.

Now I know you do all that and more on some days, but I feel like sometimes these conversations are happening in those sound-proof booths they used to use on quiz shows: members are in one, some ASAE leadership is in the other, and neither can hear what the other party is saying.

I'm wondering how many members have gone directly to ASAE staff and volunteer leadership with specific ideas, picked up the phone to talk with someone about why they were considering not renewing and what it would take for them to perceive more value, called or written a board member and asked for time on the board agenda, etc. In other words, are we all using the existing channels to exploit the opportunities for change that exist and then raising heck in other ways when results aren't forthcoming. Just thinking out loud here with you (and eventually probably with others in the comments).