Joe Grant's Blog

Responding to RFPs What AMS Vendors Should Be Doing!

Every time I consult with an association to help them strategically select the right AMS (association management software) solution, I am amazed at the diversity and mediocrity of vendor responses.

Here is how I like to categorize the various groups:

• Relationship Builders - These are the cream of the crop vendors.  They want the association's business and understand what it takes to make it happen. They invest the time and energy required to earn the business. They clearly demonstrate how their software will solve the association's problems.


• We're So Wonderfuls - These are the self proclaimed cream of the crop. They believe they're so wonderful that the association should just bypass all due diligence and buy their software. These are the companies who "don't respond" to RFPs. (buyers beware)


• Brochurposals - These companies ignore the RFP requests and instead send a proposal that reads more like a brochure. If prospects want this kind of information, they can visit your website. The proposal shouldn't be an advertorial about your product's bells and whistles, it should be a way for you to communicate how your company will solve the association's specific problems.


• Whiners - "Not enough time...", "too much information..." and the list goes on and on. Don't waste time and energy whining, instead funnel this energy into creating a high quality proposal that wins the business. If you don't want the business, save face and decline.

The following are some tips for AMS vendors as they reply to RFPs. Incorporate these ideas into your business processes and your proposals will rise to the top of the pile.

• Read through the entire RFP. Understand the problems the association is currently facing and learn why they're on the hunt for a new software product.


• Make sure you understand the association's expectations and required deliverables. If they provided a checklist, use it as guideline when writing the proposal. If not, make your own checklist of all the items that must be addressed in the proposal so you don't forget something.


• Always, Always, Always pick up the phone and call the RFP contact person. It adds a personal touch and shows that you are more than an assembly line churning out proposals. Ask many different questions about the problems the association is experiencing. Learn more about the association needs. Learn more about the personalities on the review team. Knowledge is power.


• Don't whine. Doing so immediately casts a negative shadow on your company. Be a professional, step up to the plate and get the job done. If you feel the urge to whine, then you probably don't want the business.


• Make the investment and create a high quality proposal. AMS companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on print ads that most people will ignore, but when they have a hungry client standing in front of them with checkbook in hand, they balk at the time and financial investment required to write a quality proposal. Where's the logic? 


• Don't submit a product brochure in place of a proposal. The body of your proposal should tell a story about the association's problems and how your company will solve those problems.


• Drop the technical jargon and speak like a human being. Technospeak is fine when you're chatting with a colleague at lunch but can become a communication barrier when speaking to the average association executive. Speak their language. If the buyer understands what you're saying your proposal will rise to the top of the pile. If they need a decoder, the power of you story is diminished.


• With the ever growing number of AMS providers, you need to stop peddling commodities and focus on building relationships and solving problems.


• Use spell check before sending the proposal. With the technology we have available today, there's no excuse for blatant and multiple misspelled words. When this happens, the professionalism and credibility of your company is severely diminished.


• Have someone proofread the proposal for grammatical errors or "cut an pastes" gone bad.


• It's okay to create a shell for your proposals, but make sure you personalize every proposal by weaving in the association's story. The find and replace proposals are easy to spot. They're cold and boring.


• If you've written an article or white paper on a topic that is relevant to the association's problem, include it as an attachment or proposal. This will boost your credibility.


• Make sure your website works. This is especially true for web solution providers. I have visited websites for AMS companies who offer web solutions and there web pages are littered with errors and broken links. Actions speak louder than words.


• Deliver the proposal before the due date. You will definitely stand out.


• After you send the proposal, follow up with a telephone courtesy call to verify that it has been received. You never know when a good email has been sent to the spam folder. Meanwhile the association exec thinks you've missed the deadline. Here is another opportunity to make an positive impression on the RFP contact.

I assure you that if you follow the above points, you will stand out in the sea of mediocrity!

Association executives - as you prepare to make that huge investment in a new AMS software product (time, energy, learning curve, opportunity costs, etc.), don't settle for mediocrity. Do your homework and select a vendor who is in the relationship business.

What if the Skeptics are Wrong?

You're faced with an amazing opportunity to try something new and different. Something that's never been done before. An idea that will take you or the organization to a whole new level.

You know there are risks but those risks may lead to great rewards. You know there are a million "what if" reasons why you shouldn't pursue the idea, but for every negative "what if," there are ten other positives that follow.

There will always be skeptics waiting in the wings to crush your enthusiasm and talk you out of your ideas.

My question is -- What if the skeptics are wrong?

"Everything that can be invented has been invented," -- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, US Office of Patents, 1899.

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"I don't know what use any one could find for a machine that would make copies of documents. It certainly couldn't be a feasible business by itself." -- the head of IBM, refusing to back the idea, forcing the inventor to found Xerox.

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"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" -- David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.

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"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible," -- A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

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"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us," -- Western Union internal memo, 1876.

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"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." -- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

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"There is no need for any individual to have a computer in their home." -- Ken Olson, 1977, President, Digital Equipment Corp.

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"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." -- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

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"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't lastout the year." -- The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957.

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"But what ... is it good for?" -- Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.

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“The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon.” –- Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873

If you have an idea for something amazing - an idea that with enough passion and perserverence will lead to something great, then don't give up. Hear the skeptics out and take their thoughts into consideration, then roll up your sleaves and get to work!

Happy Beginnings (Building on Ben's Post)

Fellow Blogger Ben Martin posted a comment on his Blog about Community Guy's unfortunate experience with the American Marketing Association. I have to say, I understand his frustration. When I joined a few years ago, I had a similar experience. 

In a word, my experience was underwhelming. From the day I received my welcome package (a bent up folder stuffed with papers) to the lack of any personal communication outside of email blasts, it just wasn't what I was expected from an association representing the marketing profession.

As someone who has worked for associations for many years, I agree with Ben's point about the need for emails. Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast (at least for now). Without the ability to market events and offerings via email, associations would suffer.

So what can associations do to avoid a similar situation:

• Map out your member's experience from the day they become a prospect to the day they renew their membership. The experience map will serve as a guide for staff and will help them deliver a consistent and quality member experience.
• If you must send a welcome folder (can you sense my sarcasm) - make sure it has real value inside and that it looks like it came from a professional organization. Unfortunately, many associations stuff their welcome folder with everything but the kitchen sink. The result: a forced attempt to show value. This is the first tangible piece from your association. If it's torn, frayed or packed with useless content, so much for first impressions.
• Create an email communication schedule that is based on strategy. In other words, prioritize your email communications and spread them out. Alternate between marketing messages and free member tools. Mix in or attach value to your messages - i.e. free articles, downloads, etc. If all you do is bombard your members with marketing messages on a daily basis, you will become invisible.
• Pick up the phone and talk with members. Develop a system where each staff member calls X number of members every week. Maybe include some of your board members or volunteers. Create a script to guide each caller. Thank members for joining and find out if there's anything the association can do to improve the member experience. Imagine the insight your team will gather from these phone calls.
• Attend industry events that your members are attending and schedule a free breakfast or cocktail hour.  Mingle with them, introduce new members to longstanding members, thank them for joining and soak up the qualitative research. 
• Constantly improve your value proposition and begin to weave in the of use social media tools to help communicate more effectively with members.
• Ensure that new members have a happy beginning!

As the AMA and many other associations are finding out, "business as usual" is no longer enough. When members are unhappy, they tell the world.

I noticed the AMA contacted Community Guy and they are working with him to correct the situation. I'm happy to see the AMA step up and do the right thing. I just hope the changes take place culture wide and that it stimulates some positive change throughout the association. Now that would be a Happy Ending. Who knows...I might even give them a second chance.

What are members saying about your association in the Blogosphere, and what are you doing to take the association to the next level?

Thoughts on Benchmarking

"I hate benchmarking. Benchmarking is Stupid. Why is it stupid? Because we pick the current industry leader, and then we launch a five-year program, the goal of which is to be as good as whoever was best five years ago five years from now. Which to me is not an Olympian aspiration"
~~ Tom Peters ~~

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"To grow, companies need to break out of a vicious cycle of competitive benchmarking and imitation."
~~W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne ~~

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"You cannot be remarkable by following someone else who's remarkable." ~~Seth Godin ~~

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"The reason it's so hard to follow the leader is this: the leader is the leader precisely because he did something remarkable. And that remarkable thing is now taken - so it's no longer remarkable when you decide to do it."
~~ Seth Godin ~~

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Being a Purple Cow Pays Off!

I finally had a chance to read Seth Godin's Purple Cow.  It's been sitting on my bookshelf for awhile now and I just couldn't resist the eye catching purple spotted cover any longer.  In Purple Cow, Seth Godin argues that focusing on the traditional 4 p's of marketing - product, price, promotion, and place (distribution) is no longer enough to achieve success.  He introduces a fifth "p" that he so cleverly refers to as the purple cow.

So where did the purple cow idea come from?  Godin describes a scenario where he and his family are driving through France's countryside gazing at its natural beauty. One thing that stood out was the picture perfect cows grazing in the field. Then something interesting happened. Within a relatively short period of time, the cows became boring. They all looked the same and eventually became invisible.

Godin then contemplates the following question. What would happen if while driving past the same pasture, you saw a purple cow? This cow would be so different and so special that you would probably stop to get a closer look and maybe even take pictures? You would probably tell your friends and family and they in turn would tell their friends and family. The cow would be so remarkable, it would be worth talking about and the idea would spread to hundreds maybe even thousands within a short period of time and with very little effort.

My Take: Why should association's be interested in this purple cow metaphor?  Because members (and non members) are faced with so many more choices today than ever before and they have less time to choose. This means that if you're not remarkable you eventually become invisible to your members and prospects.

The definition for remarkable is "being different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion." The templates you've used for the last 10 years for your communications, meetings, and member experience are no longer remarkable.  They have become ordinary, outdated, and boring. 

When you're not remarkable, you're mediocre and when this happens, the only thing that matters is your price tag. How many times have you heard at renewal time "dues are too expensive?"  Translation: "Your association is no longer special to me and I no longer see the value in joining your organization."  You've become the invisible black and white cow.

Unfortunately, many association's have settled for mediocrity and are learning the hard way that tired old strategies won't convince the hundreds or thousands of non members to join the association, they won't fix the association's membership retention problem, and they won't create an environment where value innovation becomes embedded in the association's culture.

Is your association worth talking about?

The Future of Professional Associations - My Thoughts on Shel's posting

Shel Holtz's blog posting (The Future of Professional Associations ) generated some interesting buzz on ASAE's Listserve.

He makes some interesting points about how social media is becoming more and more of a major threat to associations.

I agree with Shel's points.  I also agree with Ben's comments that this is not the first threat associations will face nor will it be the last. I remember back in the early 90's at the first Digital Now conference - the buzz was that if you didn't change your association's business model by lunch break or have an instantaneous “paradigm shift” you were toast : )

Phew...we made it.

Fast forward to the latest buzz...social media is a serious threat to associations. Without a doubt, social media needs to become a high priority item on the strategic agenda; however, there are others (some interrelated) that are just as important.  For example.

How do you compete with time? I believe this is a huge threat to associations. People have less and less time to volunteer or participate in the traditional offerings. When members ask for a different experience, they’re criticized for rocking the boat. How will associations provide volunteer opportunities and programs that are compelling enough to make the calendar?

Who's really serving your members? Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia and many others have transformed information into a commodity. If your members can find better information about YOUR industry on Google, Yahoo, or any other third party website for that matter, you're in trouble.

Can anyone say information overload? Somewhere in your office or home you have a growing pile of ASAE magazines, newsletters, industry publications, articles, books, newspapers, etc.  A little overwhelming isn't it? You keep saying you're going to read them someday, but that someday never seems to come.  How will associations and other information providers deliver content in bite sized chunks that can be digested on the fly and be compelling enough to avoid joining the pile?

Forgive me for this much overused cliché but associations need to start thinking outside of the box and find ways to turn these threats into opportunities. They need to become more innovative, more creative, act faster, take more risks, invite younger members to the table, start delivering value to these members, synthesize the old with the new, collaborate with other associations and organizations, and communicate the value proposition more effectively.

The biggest threat to associations in my opinion is their own fear of change. It reminds me of the simple but compelling book Who Moved My Cheese.  Sure membership numbers are down, but things are going okay... so let’s keep doing what we've always done. As the story illustrates, this strategy (or lack thereof) will only work for so long.

Happy Endings

Are happy endings part of your association's strategy? They should be. People remember happy endings. They also remember unhappy endings. The difference between the two are raving fans vs. harsh critics.  When mapping out your member experience don't focus solely on the first impression. Even the most elaborate first impression can be spoiled by a weak or negative closing.

Consider the following examples.

Association Meetings: How would your members describe your last conference - exciting, memorable, amazing or would they use words like boring, forgettable and anticlimactic? Does this surprise you? Map out your member's experience like a story or movie with a beginning, middle and end.  Did your meeting start with a great kick off and then fade into a mediocre ending? If attendees leave on a low note, you've missed an opportunity for a happy ending.

Membership Renewal: When members approach their anniversary date, how do you help them see the value in renewing?  Do you send a cold impersonal form letter and invoice or do you strategically deliver the value proposition year round paying particular attention to the months before you ask them to renew?  Again, evaluate your membership experience from a beginning, middle and end perspective. If members view your association as just another vendor and don't quite understand what they're getting for their membership, you've missed an opportunity for a happy ending.

Member Service: When members call association headquarters, are staff ready and willing to serve or do they all play the waiting game to see who will answer first?  How about If they call at 4:50 on a Friday afternoon? Do staff pretend not to be in the office and use (or should I say abuse) the voice mail services? Management is responsible for reminding staff that members are the reason for the association's existence. If members are not being helped in their time of need, you've missed an opportunity for a happy ending.

Member Followup: There's no shame in admitting you don't have an immediate answer to a question or inquiry; however, if you tell the member you will followup...make sure you do.  If members are forced to contact you because you didn't follow through or keep them in the loop, you've missed an opportunity for a happy ending.

Website Experience: Can members visit your website and find timely and relevant information within a few clicks or is it more like a game of "find waldo?"  Is your website accurate and up to date? If Yahoo can provide better information about YOUR industry for free, you've missed an opportunity for a happy ending.

Fixing Mistakes: Mistakes are inevitable. The important thing is how you handle those mistakes.  If you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize and make it right. Remember that ole saying "pick your battles?" When a member calls and is upset, this is not the time to start playing the blame game.  Instead your job is to fix the member's problem and eliminate their pain. If you fail to transform a negative situation into a positive one for the member, once again - you've missed an opportunity for a happy ending.

Think about everyday examples where happy endings influence our moods an attitudes. People like happy endings in movies and books.  How many times have you heard "don't go see that movie, it has an awful ending."  How about when a hotel leaves something special in your room at the end of a long day.

If you're a golfer you will appreciate this next example.  Have you ever played a round of golf and by the 17th hole you're ready to throw your clubs into the nearest pond and declare you'll never step foot on the course again...and then a miracle takes place...the 18th hole.  It's like the storm clouds break open and the angels reach down to hand you a golden club. You hit that ball farther and straighter than you've ever hit the ball before. Everyone stops and stares in wonderment. Suddenly your love of the game returns, the previous 17 holes become a distant memory and you're ready to play some golf. The end becomes the defining moment.

Create happy endings and you will create happy members.

How does your association incorporate happy endings into its strategic discussions?

Share your happy ending stories here?