KURR
I just got a letter from an association welcoming me as a member—all the great benefits I can now enjoy, the interesting meetings I can attend, the great publications I’m going to start receiving. Problem is, I’ve been a member for at least 6 months. We’ll blame the postal service publicly but privately my reaction is, you cashed my check, the least you could do is remember who I am. I’ve already been to a conference and read 3 issues of the magazine, for Pete’s sake.
Imagination once had a client who had an acronym I liked for what organizations should do with their customers: KURR. Know me. Understand me. Remember me. Reward me. This was a financial services client who, as we all know from dealing with banks and credit card companies and insurers, had a lot of information about its clients, a whole lot. Name, address, Social Security number, credit report, family members &hellips; on and on and on. Yet each time they contacted a customer, they asked for the same information, information they already had.
You know a lot about your members, know as many as possible face to face. But do you act like it? Or do you send them things that are so off base or after the fact that it seems to them that you’re not paying any attention?
Know Me. You know I’m a nurse so don’t send me stuff intended for doctors. You know I have my professional credential so stop asking me to sign up for the seminars. You know I’m signed up for the annual convention so stop bombarding me with emails.
Understand Me. Understand where I am in my career or at my organization and help me with relevant programming and content. Understand the competitive pressure I face and give me research data to work with.
Remember Me. If I’ve been a member for a while, been to meetings, belong to a committee, don’t send me information meant for newcomers. Remember the comments I made about last year’s keynote speaker and tell me why this year’s will be better.
Reward Me. Thank you notes are very nice but what would a real reward look like to your best members? Discounts are nice too but a real reward is special. Surprise a long-time member with a room upgrade at your annual convention. Give a member who’s been downsized out of a job a free post on your job board.
Members see this as a personal relationship. Treat them that way.
