CEX is about community; it’s about building relationships,
embracing change, and coming out stronger on the other side.
Can’t believe it’s been 2 months since CEX2024! Have you had time to digest all the ideas/advice you got? What’s the top takeaway you took back to the office and have you used it? Have you followed up with any of the new friends you made? Attending a conference is only the 1st step … it’s what you do after that truly counts.
As noted in our last post on CEX2024, both dates offered a bonus session from two of our favorite people – Carrie McIntyre of Navigate and Elizabeth Engel of Spark Consulting – who guided us through interactive sessions that expanded on their webinars from earlier this year (Check out Carrie’s here and Elizabeth’s here). Below are two points to think about from each of our primo speakers:
MAY 7, CHICAGO: Carrie McIntyre on how to help your components up their — and your — non-dues revenue:
➡ Don’t assume prospective sponsors think about associations the same way as you. They know what their needs are and are looking to see if your association can fulfill those needs. Use the customer journey model when developing your strategy to increase non-dues revenues. Think carefully about the 1st two stages: awareness and consideration. Your prospects have a problem to solve; make it clear how you can solve it.
➡ Think of your website as an ecosystem. Someone in the organization will look to your website to see what you can do for them. Don’t send them on a scavenger hunt to find what they need. Scan your website to see if your prospects can easily find the right information to determine if your association is the right one for their investment. Make it clear who the audience is and how your association can help their business goals.
*Visit Carrie on her website to learn more.*
MAY 10, WASHINGTON DC: Elizabeth Engel on building a strong national-chapter relationship:
➡ Your assumptions about your components – or your members – may not be what you think they are. Yes, we know people choose to join your organization based on your member value proposition (the programs, products and services that will help them achieve their goals) – as they see it. When we’re messaging it, we too often focus on what we offer the member not what the member wants. Instead, gear your member recruitment/retention/engagement efforts towards a member-centric mindset, taking the emphasis off the association and placing it on the member. (Read her popular white paper on this.)
➡ The secret to reconciling these and other assumptions that may be affecting your success is to ask better questions and hold out for more alternative possibilities. The right questions allow you to dig deeper into what is going on. Think about adopting a scientific method to discover what you need to know: ask concrete questions, provide additional research, form several hypotheses, and test…test…test. Be prepared to loop back through the process until you find the answers you need. (Learn more about collecting evidence-based data). When testing your hypotheses, consider doing so at the component level. This can help ease the level of risks for HQ and for other components that may not be in the position — or be willing — to do so.
*Visit Elizabeth on her website to learn more.*
As promised, here are more takeaways from our attendees (paraphrased for clarity)
➡ Failing to change leaves opportunities on the table. Try to promote change; don’t focus on the pain of change.
➡ Change management: people don’t resist change; they resist being changed.
➡ Change needs people in different ways; know what each believes, feels, etc.
*CEX is hosted by Billhighway, Impexium, and Mariner Management
p.s. yes … that’s our fearless leader Peggy Hoffman at the controls as our featured image!