Most membership marketers ignore the people around their member. What does the husband say to his wife about her monthly subscription box credit card charge? What does a wife say when her husband of 50 years, a retired engineer, buys a $2,000.00 subscription trading service on stock options when his past stock picks include Lucent Technologies, Enron, and General Motors? … Continued
They’re Not Buying Your Membership, They’re Buying Your Promo
Membership subscription businesses are a Utopian business model where your revenue grows every month, we all get fat bonuses, and everyone lives happily ever after. Of course, this is crap, but that’s what some appear to promise and many believe. I had a long conversation with a company analyst and business newspaper reporter about a number of subscription businesses and … Continued
How 24-Hour News, Social Media, and Our Culture Cause Retention Deficit Disorder, and How You Can Become Part of the Cure
No amount of acceleration will get you to your destination when you are headed in the wrong direction. And, you can’t change direction until you recognize you are following the wrong path. There are three important ways we create Retention Deficit Disorder within our membership and subscription programs. But it’s not your fault; our culture is leading us astray, creating … Continued
The $651,958.00 Email Series
Can you imagine a series of emails generating $651,958.00? It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? This is the power of retention. And if it’ll work this well with this example, it’ll work for you too. Bradford Tax Institute delivers tax-saving strategies to members of the Tax Reduction Letter. How much do you enjoy working on your taxes? Exactly! This is … Continued
Lessons Learned from an Email Series that Generated $651,958.00
I’m coming to you this month from seat 6E in the first-class cabin of flight AA1229 from San Diego to Dallas where I’ll catch a flight home to Tallahassee. I’ve been traveling a lot this summer. There’s a lot of Retention Deficit Disorder out there, and I’m the guy subscription membership programs call to treat it.. We’ve had a tumultuous … Continued
Connect Your Members to Dramatically Increase your Retention Rates
Every Tuesday morning, my wife and I participate in an interval training group at the running track. The group is led by a Hall of Fame track coach who will help you become a faster runner by running fast-paced intervals once or twice a week. But my wife goes to chitchat with her friends in the group. I started going … Continued
There’s a Lot More to Retention Than Value, and That’s Good News for You
It’s expensive to deliver value. Solutions to your members’ problems are expensive to conceive, test, and produce on a regular basis. It should be good news that members are looking for a mix of benefits and aren’t focused solely on value. Members want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Memberships that are about having a greater impact have … Continued
Lots and Lots of Value May Retain Members, But It’s Not a Business Plan
It didn’t take long for the Movie Pass bubble to bust. It offered unlimited movies for $9.95 a month. Movie Pass paid theaters full-price admissions for the tickets, and Movie Pass members took full advantage. Now Movie Pass is out of cash and dying. They attracted the wrong crowd of members. They attracted takers — those who love taking advantage … Continued
Retention Deficit Disorder and How to Cure It
Does your membership attract as many new members as it should? Do you retain at least 70% of your new members for more than six months? Are your membership numbers growing to meet your goals? You are suffering from Retention Deficit Disorder. I’ll explain the treatment in detail, but first let me tell you how I came to discover this … Continued
Changing Your Member’s Mental Picture of Your Membership
Wow, that cartoon. What happens from the first image to the second? Does the guy get killed? Can you see the ax swing in your mind’s eye? Where does the ax hit? In this illustration, you did the killing, not the cartoonist. In your mind, you moved the ax. And, everyone I’ve shown this to has told me a different … Continued