I was inspired by a recent post on the Marc and Angel Hack Life blog on becoming irresistibly attractive. This post isn’t a Cosmo magazine fluff piece about pouty smiles and the like. It focuses on attracting people in the sense of being more enjoyable to be around. The ideas presented work very well for member-based organizations as well. I’ve listed some of the concepts below with an application to member-based organizations.
1. Do the right thing. No matter what your mission doing what’s right, not necessarily what’s popular, will help attract members. One of the most popular reasons to join an association, chamber or nonprofit is knowing that there is an organization larger than you that has your professional, local or heart’s concerns protected.
2. Stop the gossip and superficial judgments. Nothing tears an organization apart quicker than infighting. This does not mean disagreements on how things should be run or innovative ideas; this is the senseless bickering and assignment of personal blame. Disagree with an idea. Don’t take down a person because of it.
3. Lift others up. Member organizations are in a unique position to be able to provide a platform from which they can brag about their members and showcase their accomplishments. If you’re not currently using your website or social media profiles as a stage for member success stories, you’re leaving a lot of loyalty-creating opportunities on the table.
4. Give words of encouragement to those in need. This idea stands on its own.
5. Be positive. Maybe a member’s idea seems a little off-the-wall. Hear him out. Even if you can’t support the idea, realize that the fact your member brought it to you shows he cares about your organization and thinks about you. Take the positive from this interaction and give it back to him in another way such as asking him to head up a committee to further explore similar suggestions.
6. Embrace your uniqueness. Few long to join an organization that’s vanilla or just like every other organization out there. Our time is too valuable of a commodity. Show potential and current members the personality behind your group. When they are describing your organization to friends and colleagues what do they say? Pick something to define yourself and your interactions. Be known for it.
7. Drop the need to always be right. Whether it’s innovation or customer service, let your members win on occasion. Don’t ask their opinions, receive an overwhelming amount of similar responses and then choose to go a different direction because you married that idea long before you asked their opinion. If you ask, listen and when you listen, follow-through and ask more.
This is only the first half of Marc’s list. There’s a lot of value in the other points too.
How do you stay irresistibly attractive to your members?
