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5 Ways Your Members Benefit from a Sales and Marketing Expert Speaker

As the driver of association membership, you’re well aware that retaining current members is preferable to recruiting new members plus regaining ones you’ve lost during the past membership drive timeframe. It’s very related to how businesses think about retaining current clients: according to Gartner, it costs 5x as much to acquire a new customer as it takes to keep an existing one satisfied.

learning is important for association membersWith that in mind, keeping your current members engaged in their membership is just as important, or more, than acquiring new members. One way to do that is by hosting helpful, educational speakers at members-only events. Here’s how your membership numbers benefit from having an expert sales and marketing focused speaker at your next event.

1. Lead generation and closing sales are pain points your members are struggling with; an expert can help.

Business leaders who are members of your association, whether they’re large or small businesses, struggle with generating enough qualified leads for their businesses. Others struggle with the best ways to close the leads they do have. A sales and marketing expert who is focused on helping business leaders in your association’ industry can help you members solve these important business issues, bringing immediate value with actionable advice.

2. Expert speakers increase community engagement.

One of the top reasons people have joined your association is because of a desire to network with peers in their industry. Events, such as a speaking engagement, are a chance to build community through pre- and post-event social media engagement, in-person attendance, and networking time before and after the event. Hosting a speaker who addresses common pain points opens the door for community members to engage with each other about the problems they’re facing.

3. Your members hear about success from other industries and how it can apply to their business - without their own trial and error.

An expert sales and marketing speaker brings with them the experience they’ve gained from not only industries like yours, but dozens or even hundreds of others they’ve worked with. Business problems facing an attorney may not seem like the same as those facing a contractor; however, inspiration for creative problem-solving can spark during any discussion. In addition, the expert speaker has knowledge of what’s already worked (and what really hasn’t) that he or she can share with your members, regardless of industry type.

4. Members get a chance to network with a sales and marketing expert in a no-pressure, learning environment.

learn in a group environmentAccording to the 2016 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, 25% of members join to continue learning in their field or business. What better way to pave a path for that learning than through an event hosted by your association that addresses a business pain point and discusses their goals related to growth? A growth-focused sales and marketing expert can do that for you.

In addition, group learning is an efficient way to learn a new skill in a shorter timeframe, which saves your members time. Ask the speaker about time during the presentation to allow members to learn interactively, increasing their knowledge retention.

5. Your members may learn about a better, new, or more measurable way to do something they’re already doing.

According to the 2016 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, 24% of members join to gain access to specialized and/or current information about their business. What better way to solidify the return on their membership dollars than through a knowledgeable expert speaker who can help show them a better way to do marketing and sales?

Look into bringing a sales and marketing expert speaker to your association’s next meeting. Address the actual needs of your members with a subject that will be able to help them immediately. Learn more here.

Watch this testimonial video for an association speaker with actionable topics.

Topics: association membership