April 27, 2008
What Do Your Members Really DO?
Posted by Kevin | Print This Article
I always talk a lot about knowing your market, serving your market, not trying to be too broad for fear of losing your market, etc. But Tony Rossell’s comment on my last post made me think that I want to make sure I’m not sending the wrong message here.
When I say you should know who your core market is, fundamental to that is that you should know what it is they REALLY “DO” … perhaps better than some of them even know it.
To use a silly example, if there had been a Horse & Buggy Association way back in the day, and if they’d paid close attention to what their market really DOES, then they’d still be around today … even though horse-and-buggys certainly aren’t.
Similarly, if railroads had believed that they were in the business of moving freight rather than in the business of running railroads, then the trucking industry would look very different today. (I know, I know, there are lots of intricacies involved in the history of interstate commerce and the regulation thereof, but allow me this one simplistic example.)
Anyway … believing fervently in your market and your ability to serve it requires that you understand what it really DOES. It’s key for the success of your association, but even more importantly, pretty darn key for the success of your members.
I have benefited by all of your comments on focusing on your market over the months. It is so important. Thanks for the clarification. And remember that not only the product application will change, like buggies to cars, but also the scope. The car business use to be much more US focused, but now if you do not inlcude Japan, Korea, Germany, Sweden, etc. you are missing the market. Tony
Kevin, your and Tony’s comments are very good advice. Everyone needs to know who are their members and customers, and what they need and want (now and down the road).
Building on these comments, I recommend that associations serious about being “market focused”, and forward-looking, conduct an organized “voice of the customer” (VOC) process, in which key segments of existing member and customer segments (or, perish the thought, desired new member and customer segments) are interviewed and asked “what’s a day in your life like”, and “what would be a valuable contribution that would make your day more successful, productive, enjoyable?
Forget asking “what could our association do for you” questions. Focus on what they need and want in their day’s life and work. That’s what’s important to them. And that’s what associations should know and execute on.
We are completing a global VOC process and gaining a tremendous insight as to what our key member and customer segments would like in their personal and work lives. We expect that it will provide a knowledge-based foundation for our innovation efforts in future years. Renewed periodically, it should enable us to be much better aware of what are market segments have on their minds. Stay tuned.
Virgil, AMEN. I would love to know more about how your VOC process goes and what you learn and think a lot of associations could learn from it. We do a very similar thing in a much more informal way — bring a member in and ask them to describe their typical day, then after they’re gone, discuss how we might make their life easier. (Just as you suggest, I think we should never ask, “How can our association help you?” because it skews their responses.) I would be very interested to learn how your organization is integrating such a process into everyday decision-making in a more systematic way, and its results.