April 13 , 2005

A thousand good reasons to avoid complacency.

I’m as much of an optimist as the next guy. Yet listening to a couple people on my staff speculate recently as to what method of recognition The Chamber would employ when our 1,000 th member was welcomed into the fold made me just a little bit nervous.

First of all, we still have a considerable distance to travel in reaching that milestone. We entered April with 950 members. It’s satisfying to realize that with every rung of the membership ladder that we climb, we eclipse the previous all-time high. For an organization that has been around for more than a century, that is saying something.

What concerns me most isn’t our ability to sustain the momentum of new member recruitment. We’ve spent countless hours making ourselves attractive to businesses that previously found us easy to ignore. The concern is that we’ll become sidetracked from the far more important aspect of member retention. I’ve seen it happen at other member-based organizations. Everyone smiles and holds open the front door, not aware that people are scurrying out the back.

So the day before each meeting of our Board of Directors, while others are marveling at the list of new members, I’m the one poring-over the list of non-renewals. I like that it’s a shorter list. But at the bottom of the page is a description of why the member decided to go-it-alone and often those reasons are illuminating. They also have a tendency to impact my mood for a longer period of time than is probably healthy.

Under the category of fairly acceptable reasons for discontinuing membership in The Chamber is “lack of time to participate in Chamber programs and events.” It’s fairly acceptable because it recognizes that we are offering something tangible to the members but it fails to acknowledge that even if a member can’t personally take part, they are still reaping the benefits of business advocacy, legislative representation, customer referrals and a whole host of other benefits that are too often overlooked.

The other reason for non-renewal that is accepted for its finality is, “went out of business.” In my mind, however, that one has moved into a category all its own. Eight years ago when I started at The Chamber, I felt a huge sigh of relief whenever a member dropped due to a business closing. At the time it meant nothing more to me than that it wasn’t my fault they were dropping.

Three years later, for no apparent reason, I went completely to the other extreme. I convinced myself that if a member-business closed down, went bankrupt, moved away – even burned down, it was all my fault. These were my members. I had a responsibility to keep them safe, secure and solvent.

I’m happy to say that I’ve found middle-ground on that issue. I understand that businesses, from time-to-time, experience challenges that overwhelm them. Sometimes The Chamber can help right the ship. Sometimes it’s too late. That knowledge alone has helped us to initiate support measures that take affect before a business has reached the crisis stage. We chart the pitfalls and educate on how to avoid them.

Lastly, the one reason why businesses drop their Chamber memberships that is hardest to take is, “We see no value in it.” I understand that a high percentage of the time that is just a convenient excuse to hide the fact that the member never did explore what that value would have been for his or her business. I also understand that unrealistic expectations or member-to-member conflicts lead to disenchantment that has nothing to do with value.

What bothers me is when a member who taken the time to know The Chamber, who has attended programs and events and who has no apparent agenda comes to that same conclusion.

While it bothers me, you should know that it motivates me as well. And I’m fortunate to have a staff that rises to the occasion in much the same manner. Having a thousand members will be great. Making them feel that they’ve invested wisely will be even greater.

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