1. Delivering a “Wow” Membership Experience
Laurie McIntosh, SHRM-SCP, CAE
Director, Membership
Chantal Rotondo
Manager, Segment Marketing

2. What is Wow?
“To WOW, you must differentiate yourself, which means doing something a little unconventional and innovative. You must do something that’s above and beyond what’s expected. And whatever you do you must have an emotional impact on the receiver.”
Zappos.com

3. Wow Experience
2017 Top 10 Companies with the Best Customer Service, TrendingTopMost.com

4. Why We Love Brands Dedication to Quality
Understand Their Target Audience
Rooted in Core Values
Committed to CSR
Add Value to our Lives
Provide an Experience

5. Membership Reality Check
Who woke up today and said
“I really need to join a chapter?”

6. Telling the Story
This is what people are looking for. Everyone is busy, everyone wants to be more efficient. Your offerings should be a support for HR professionals in your area. What other words may reflect that and how you are emotionally connecting what you offer in the story?

7. Telling the Story
And how can you make your members feeling like this? Accomplished, successful, confident. What member stories end with people feeling like this that you can share with prospective members or current members to reinforce how valuable your membership offerings are?

8. Be Personal
Large organizations delivering on the WOW experience are often delivering personalized content or services based on their members or customers’ past behaviors or desired wants. How can you better do that at the chapter or state council level?

9. Be Relevant
Great organizations are also delivering relevant. information When ing, are you following up with information relevant to what they came to before? Are your meeting topics relevant to various segments of the membership, etc?
How can you be more relevant?

10. Be Consistent
Consistency is another key characteristic of delivering a WOW experience. If you go into a McDonalds anywhere, you know what your burger and fries will taste like. It’s not enough to have one great meeting or one great membership networking event, there should be a consistent level of service, of membership s, etc that people can rely on.

11. Telling the Story
It’s helpful for all the Board and representatives of the chapter be clear on what the value is, so everyone has an easy elevator speech. And make sure that what you think the value is matches what the chapter members actually believe is the value.
And then how and where do you tell and reinforce that story… , website, in person, video on youtube, social, etc…

12. Value is a
Perception

13. What is Your Value Proposition?
How to present value: FEATURES, BENEFIT
Make a list of the features you provide – Newsletters, lunches, meet-ups, etc.
Translate these into benefits people receive – Saves money, saves time, keeps company compliant, etc.
Understand how you help people avoid pain – job security, incorrect information, wasting too much time
Consider how the membership/program addresses emotional drivers – advances their professional development, establishes them as thought leader, makes them a better boss/colleague

14. FEATURE
Continuing Education Programs
Certification Programs
Members-Only Discounts
Newsletter or eNewsletters
Monthly Magazine/Journal
Webinars
Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings

15. Benefits
What People
Gain from the Feature

16. FEATURE
BENEFITS
Continuing Education Programs
Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional
Certification Programs
Validates your capabilities
Members-Only Discounts
Saves you $$$$$$$
Newsletter or eNewsletters
Easy access to timely information
Monthly Magazine/Journal
Covers the hottest topics and trends around <your profession> in your area
Webinars
Convenient learning at your fingertips
Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings
Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems

17. What People Don’t Want to Experience
Avoidance
Avoidance:
What People Don’t Want to Experience

18. Continuing Education Programs
FEATURE
BENEFITS
AVOIDANCE
Continuing Education Programs
Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional
Missing out on essential knowledge for professionals
Certification Programs
Validates your capabilities
Getting passed over for a higher position
Members-Only Discounts
Saves you $$$$$$$
Paying too much somewhere else!
Newsletter or eNewsletters
Easy access to timely information
Wasting time searching for critical information
Monthly Magazine/Journal
Covers the hottest topics and trends around <your profession> in your area
Not being on top of major employer concerns
Webinars
Convenient learning at your fingertips
Costs of travel, room and board for educational needs
Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings
Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems
Working in isolation on key issues that would benefit from multiple viewpoints

19. Speaking to Aspirations
Emotional Drivers:
Speaking to Aspirations

20. Value Chart Example FEATURE BENEFITS AVOIDANCE EMOTIONAL DRIVERS
Continuing Education Programs
Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional
Missing out on essential knowledge for professionals
Gain confidence in your abilities
Certification Programs
Validates your capabilities
Getting passed over for a higher position
Becoming an authority in my field
Members-Only Discounts
Saves you $$$$$$$
Paying too much somewhere else!
Good steward of organization’s money
Newsletter or eNewsletters
Ongoing access to timely information
Wasting time searching for critical information
Allows you more time to spend on the things that really matter
Monthly Magazine/Journal
Covers the hottest topics and trends around <your profession> in your area
Not being on top of major employer concerns
Being on the cutting edge of the profession
Webinars
Convenient learning at your fingertips
Costs of travel, room and board for educational needs
You can become an expert in a specific area
Face-to-face lunches/meetings
Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems
Working in isolation on key issues that would benefit from multiple viewpoints
Making professional friendships that last a lifetime
Nice exercise to do with boards/people so you have an idea how to communicate these things.
How do you test if something works – do you focus on emotional drivers? Avoidance – don’t be left out.

21. Putting It All Together
Monthly Face-to-Face Meetings- Expand your network, gain new skills, learn about trends that could impact you so you can stay competitive, confident and compliant (and not get sued!)
Members Only Discounts – Exclusive savings on all your local professional networking and professional development needs, saving your company money and making you look good.
When talking about what your chapter offers, it’s not only the monthly meeting. They are a part of a community.

22. Surprise and Delight
What are some ways you can surprise and delight first time attendees at your meetings?

23. Surprise and Delight
What are some ways you can surprise and delight current members who aren’t coming to your meetings?

24. Surprise and Delight
What ways can you deliver a “WOW” experience to members who have not renewed?

25. “The message is that no company can succeed today by trying to be all things to all people. It must instead find the unique value it alone can deliver to a chosen market.”
Treacy and Wiersema, The Discipline of Market Leaders, page xiv

26. Bring it Home
TAKE
ACTION
NOW!