Member Service vs. Staff Productivity

My latest guest post is up at SmartBlog Insights. A random tweet got me thinking about how we balance good member service with our own productivity needs.

I saw a tweet recently from a Twitter friend Jan Dobson (@j8nd) who was attending Tallahassee SAE’s Education Day. She was tweeting sound bites from a session by Dr. Jerry Osteryoung on time management. One said, “Telephone is a business tool. Let calls go to vm, schedule set time to return calls. Get on and off biz call asap. @TallySAE #EdDay09.”

Jan later told me that Dr. Osteryoung advises having a precise voice mail greeting that says you’ll return calls within four hours. Sound reasonable?

You can read the rest at SmartBlog Insights. Considering my very infrequent blogging lately, I need to get inspired by random tweets more often!

Sometimes You Know More Than You Think You Do

A few months ago Scott Oser asked me if I’d like to be a presenter for a webinar series for association staff who want to learn how to implement social media tools at their organization. I don’t consider myself a social media “expert” but I do know that since immersing myself in social media over the last year and a half, I do have a lot to share with others in my profession. Since I have never presented via a webinar before, and never even presented on social media in any format, I was tempted (for just a second) to pass, but I wanted to stretch myself, so I accepted.

I’m sharing the presentation duties with my new friend Ted LaBarbera. Ted’s the web editor at the American Association of Advertising Agencies in New York. Typical of social media relationships, Ted and I have never met in real life, but I’m sure we’ll enjoy sharing a beer together one day. We’re taking turns on presenting — I’m the lead for two of the webinars (the intro and LinkedIn) and Ted is for the other two (Facebook and Twitter). When we’re not leading, we act as color commentator for each other.

Last week I took the lead on our first webinar — Social Media 101 for Associations. It took a while for me to get the content nailed down. I wanted to focus on the big picture — how social media efforts must align with an association’s strategic plan, the mindset (or culture) required to be successful and the first steps to take. It was way too much content for 50 minutes but we managed to fit it all in, barely.

I posted my PowerPoint presentation and a PDF with session notes on Slideshare in the hopes that my approach will help somebody’s organization or business.

It’s a strange feeling to talk into a phone to an audience that you can’t see and that can’t talk back. But I did enjoy the experience, not as much as speaking to real people in front of you, but hopefully what I had to say made a difference to them. And like speaking in real life, I was wired for about three hours after!

If you are ever offered the chance to do something out of your supposed comfort zone and you know that deep inside you have what it takes, or, with a little work, could have what it takes to do the job, than do it. That’s my advice for the day!

Upcoming Social Media Webinars for Associations

I’ll be presenting a series of social media webinars for associations with Ted LaBarbera and Scott Oser for the College of Association Marketing. I’m leading two of them — Social Media 101 and LinkedIn 101 for Associations, and Ted will lead the ones on Facebook and Twitter.

Here’s the schedule. They’re 50 minutes long, beginning at 12:00 pm Eastern.

• October 20 – Social Media 101
• November 3 – Facebook 101 for Associations
• November 12 – Twitter 101 for Associations
• December 2 – LinkedIn 101 for Associations

They’re not free but I promise you they will be worth the minimal expense. Please pass the word to those you know in the association industry who really need the basics.

A Shift in Focus: Our Members’ Customers

My latest guest post for the SmartBrief Insights blog was just published. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about providing real member value — “sticky” value, the kind that of value that a member couldn’t find elsewhere. And I’ve been thinking about revenue, how critical it is to have a diverse revenue stream — considering my recent experience, this is no surprise. This post touches on some ideas to ensure both member value and revenue.

As I was studying for the Certified Associate Executive (CAE) exam, I came across some ideas by Bruce Butterfield in Professional Practices in Association Management about defining the future. He says that by studying the customers of our members, we can better anticipate the emerging needs of our members and be in a position to provide true value to them. He lays out the steps of this process:

• Examine the trends and emerging issues that will change the kind of customers the association’s members will face.
• Identify new demands that these customers will place on the association’s members.
• Identify the new skills, services and partners our members will need to meet these new demands.
• Recommend new functions, products and services that the association will need to help its members meet these new needs.
• Define a new position and revenue models for the association based on the new mission.

Read the rest of my post at SmartBlog Insights.

Get Your Committees Off Life-Support

SmartBlog Insights asked me to be a monthly contributor. Here is an excerpt from my latest post, Get Your Committees Off Life-Support.

On my flights to ASAE09 I read Cynthia D’Amour’s book “Lazy Leader’s Guide to Outrageous Results.” If you know Cynthia’s blog, you’ll recognize her bullet point style. This easy-reading format makes her book a perfect read for traveling.

She says that it’s not about you, the volunteer leader, it’s about others, so stop being a martyr and empower others to become leaders too. It’s a shift in attitude and behavior.

• Develop others rather than doing all the work.
• Invite people to have a fun and meaningful experience.
• Celebrate the work of others.

As I read I remembered a chapter whose membership committee meetings were sadly predictable. The same old small crowd always showed up. New faces came and never returned. There was a lot of familiar banter but no energy or excitement. Members volunteered for tasks but nothing ever seemed to happen. Chairs were hard to get and usually appointed for political reasons. They served but didn’t lead. Why would anyone spend their precious time with this group? Sound familiar?

Read the rest of my guest post on SmartBlog Insights.

My Bookmarks for the ASAE Annual Meeting

In my preparation for attending the American Society of Association Executive’s conference in Toronto, I’ve discovered a lot of handy web sites.

Main conference site

Toronto Metro Convention Centre – 255 Front Street West (Union subway)

The Hub browser version and The Hub mobile version – ASAE describes The Hub as “designed for any mobile device and can also be accessed by a computer’s web browser. The new platform aggregates our existing social web tools into one convenient place you can access anywhere. The Hub pulls content from Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare, the Daily Now, and our Engage Your Career Video Blog. You can use the Hub to microblog your thoughts and take-aways from education sessions. The web version also has a notes wiki for taking notes to share with your fellow attendees and your colleagues back at the office.”

Twitter roll for ASAE09

Blog roll for ASAE09

Education session handouts and conference attendee list (excel and pdf)

Association Jam’s resource list

Toronto weather and Celsius to Fahrenheit converter

Canadian dollar to American dollar currency converter

Kilometers to miles converter

All kinds of Canadian trivia

Restaurants and bars that have great beer lists (my preferences in bold font):

• The Pub at The Strathcona Hotel (where I’m staying) – 60 York St (off Front, .3 miles from the convention center)
• The Loose Moose Bar & Grill – 146 Front St West (.2 miles) Not for the beer but the proximity.
• Smoke’s Poutinerie – 218 Adelaide St (off Simcoe, .4 miles) Must try poutine before leaving Toronto!
• Smokeless Joe – 125 John St (at Adelaide, .4 miles) closed Sundays
• The Keg Steakhouse & Bar (chain) – 165 York St (off Adelaide, .6 miles)
• Beer Bistro – 18 King St East (at Yonge, .8 miles)
• Esplanade Bier Markt – 58 The Esplanade (near Yonge & Front, 1.1 miles)
• C’est What – 67 Front St East (at Church, 1.2 miles)
• Cafe Volo – 587 Yonge St (1.9 miles) closed Sundays
• Orbit Room – 580 College St (2.1 miles) Not a beer bar, but I was told that on some Saturday nights you might get to see co-owner and Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson sit in with the house band, The Dexters.

Breweries

• Steamwhistle Brewing – 255 Bremner Blvd (.7 miles) Tours Mon-Sat every 30 minutes beginning at 1pm, last tour at 5pm. Tours Sun every 30 minutes beginning at 1pm, last tour at 4pm.
• Mill Street Brewery (and restaurant) – 55 Mill St (1.5 miles)
• Granite Brewery (and restaurant) – 245 Eglinton Avenue East (5.3 miles)

Bar Towel’s pub walks

Chowhound forum on Toronto dining

Hockey Hall of Fame – 30 Yonge St (.6 miles)

Toronto public transit

The Globe & Mail (Toronto newspaper)

What other resources have you found? Please share them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.

Preparing For A Conference

I’ve made my to-do list to prepare for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Toronto starting this weekend, and decided to share it with all of you. I did many of these things long ago, but wanted to give you some ideas about what to do before leaving for ASAE09.

Laptop – Download Tweetdeck. Create search column for #asae09 (official Twitter hashtag). Follow association tweeps who are also attending.

Blackberry – Download UberTwitter. Create bookmark for ASAE’s Hub and authorize my Twitter account on the My Contributions page.

ASAE resources

• Add myself to the Twitter and Bloggers page in the Engage section. Add the ASAE badge to my blog.
• Send my blog feed URL to Scott Briscoe at ASAE. I’ll be tagging any conference blog posts with ASAE09 so they’ll show up in the Hub’s Newsfeed.
• Save the attendee list to my laptop. Search for those attending from North Carolina as I’m new to the state and want to meet my fellow NC attendees. Upload to Gmail and then Twitter so I can follow them.
• Review handouts for sessions – this helps me make some decisions on which to attend. Save and print the ones that interest me. What do I want to learn about or explore?

Schedule

• Enter my “must do” events into my Blackberry Calendar.
• Create a Word doc of “must do” and possible events for my binder.
• Think about issues and questions related to sessions I might attend.
• Create list of booths that I definitely want to visit.

LinkedIn – Add travel dates using TripIt app. Update status while I’m there.

Research and find a few nearby brewpubs (or places with local beer), coffee shops and moderately-priced restaurants.

Call Verizon to activate my SIMS card, Global Data Feature and Nationwide+Canada for the time I’m in Canada – will cost less than $10 for this temporary addition to my regular plan. Will call *228 (option 2) before leaving the US on Saturday morning.

Call my bank and credit card company to notify them that I’ll be in Toronto so they won’t deny any debit or credit card transactions originating there. Stop my mail using the USPS web site.

Back up my laptop C drive to my external hard drive.

Items on my packing list

• Laptop and cable, extension cord, power strip, Ethernet cable (just in case)
• Blackberry and charger
• Business cards
• Binder with program guide, conference badge/express check-in doc, travel docs (itinerary, flight boarding pass and coach e-ticket, Southwest schedule between Buffalo and Raleigh/phone number, Coach Canada schedule between Toronto and Buffalo/phone number), miscellaneous docs, my schedule
• Passport

Figure out my transportation options from Coach Canada terminal to hotel. Print out my Southwest boarding pass 24 hours ahead. Weigh my bag so I avoid any fees for excess weight.

This short period of time will bring many opportunities to connect with old friends, meet online friends in real life and make new friends. It’s a time to learn together and share crazy ideas, thoughts and challenges. It’s a time to be a sponge and absorb as much as you can from both the sessions and social gatherings. Get into conference mode as soon as you start traveling there – you may meet some fellow attendees on the way!

And remember, wear comfortable shoes, try to eat somewhat healthy, talk to strangers, don’t drink too much and get a decent amount of sleep each night. Oh, and have fun!

What did I miss? Please let me know in the comments. What are you doing this week to prepare for ASAE09? Let’s help each other make this the best experience possible.

Are Online Communities A Threat To Associations?

Last month SmartBlog Insights published a guest post by me — Are online communities a threat to associations?

My short answer — no, they don’t have to be unless your association doesn’t make the changes required to remain relevant to your members, and “relevant” is the very minimum you should aspire to.