The document discusses innovative member recruitment strategies for the Design Business Association, focusing on transitioning from push marketing to pull strategies through community engagement, content creation, and meaningful conversations. It highlights the importance of emotional connections, the shift in communication methods, and provides actionable steps for building relationships and increasing engagement. The results show an increase in income, energy, and a stronger public profile for the association.

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Membership Director
Innovative member recruitment:
Techniques for successful recruitment initiatives
JOHN SCARROTT
Design Business Association
© Associations Network 2015

2. Creating
conversations
that sell

3. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
The idea
• More than benefits.
• Genuine community.
• Pull not push.

4. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
What I am going to talk about:
• The problem: commoditisation.
• The change: from push to pull.
• The actions: Community, Content and Conversations.
• The results: what happened.
• What I learnt: what is useful.

5. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Problem No. 1
• Focus on the „stuff‟.
• Wrong conversation.
• What really matters?

6. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
The good news
• Emotional connection.
• Creates action.
• Motivates change.
• Working together.

7. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Problem No. 2
• Relationships built on
conversations.
• Email not enough.
• Need to change how
conversations happen.

8. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
The new route
• HBR: Product push is
dead.
• Engage your community.
• Simon Sinek: Start with
Why.

9. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Eureka!
• Our why = ABC.
• Make marketing the
product.
• Trust our community.

10. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
The story
• Push to pull.
• Media engagement.
• Launched new
resources.
• Shifted opinion.

11. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Step 1: Community- How Ideas Spread
The
• Innovators and early adopters = Influencers.
• Identify by behaviour.
• Engage with a mission.
*Everett Rogers 1962

12. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Step 2: Content
• Members are heroes.
• Sell them.
• Lights on the runway.

13. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Step 2: Content
• Small steps.
• Stories “all around me”.
• Blog and media
partnerships.

14. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Step 3: Conversations
• Email = broken medium.
• No community.
• Place to share
experiences.

15. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Step 3: Online conversations
• Story + Question =
Conversation.
• Influencers to kick start.
• Increased light and heat.
• More people calling me.

16. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Step 3: One to one conversations
• Identify the „wavers‟.
• Invite them to a
conversation.
• Useful conversations.

17. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
The pull effect
• In the garden, looking.
• Stay or wander off.
• Take a look and come in.
• Goal = the right path.

18. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
The results
• Income increased
• Increased light, heat and energy
• Moved push to pull
• Connect on cause/belief
• Higher public profile for DBA

19. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Some things I learnt along the way
• Community- Data and Why
• Content- Just start and edit
• Conversations- Nudge and
Track
• Generally
• Give it time and keep going
• Adapt and apply for
engagement

20. Design Business Association
Creating conversations that sell.
Thanks for listening and tell me your stories
Email me:
john.scarrott@dba.org.uk
Follow me: @DBAScarrott
Find me on LinkedIn

21. Find out more at
www.dba.org.uk

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