Build a stronger, more sustainable non-dues revenue program

Many associations inadvertently stifle non-dues revenue success. In this module, we're going to cover the mindset and approach that makes selling sponsorships, exhibits, and advertising less challenging and more productive.

Module 01 Highlights:

• We'll start with a non-dues revenue readiness assessment and benchmarking to clarify your starting point and your goals.
• We'll set the stage for improved messaging and more efficient use of time by defining your ideal customer profile.
• We'll get a draft value proposition started to help you speak the language of your best prospects.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• ICP & Value Prop Workshop
• Industry Partner Guidelines
• Know Your Competition

Understandably, sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers are not an association's primary audience, but to increase non-dues revenue, companies interested in reaching your audience need a starting point to quickly understand who you help them reach and how you deliver results. In this module, we'll start fixing the experience for your industry supplier audience with a new landing page.

Module 02 Highlights:

• First we'll look at your website from the perspective of a corporate prospect to better appreciate their current challenges.
• No time to make major website changes? No worries, we're all about bite-sized changes and this process will be easy to implement and update.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Landing Page Workshop
• Product-Specific Landing Pages
• Selling Brand New Products

You've got a shiny new landing page after our last module, so now we need to make sure industry suppliers/partners can find it! Website changes often aren't made lightly, so in this session will cover different options for getting prospects to the right place.

Module 03 Highlights:

• We'll review options for navigation and help you decide what makes the most sense for your site.
• We'll explore the difference between transactional and consultative sales to help you reduce friction in the buying process.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Website Navigation Workshop
• Building Internal Support
• Success Tactics for Industry Partners

We all want to know what's worked for others with similar needs to our own and nothing you can say to prospects is as powerful as what your existing customers say about you, so in this module we'll collect testimonials and stories for your landing page, collateral, and sales conversations.

Module 04 Highlights:

• We'll walk through a process to gather testimonials that also strengthens your customer relationships.
• Next, we'll review how to make it easier to get testimonials written and finalized.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Testimonials & Stories Workshop
• Customer Experience Tips
• Industry Partner Committees

Stories are great because they appeal to the emotional side of the buying process, and combining stories with data is even better. In this module, we'll gather the kind of data that can shorten your sales cycle, increase renewals and expansions, and justify price increases.

Module 05 Highlights:

• We'll review a list of the 'must have' stats customers expect you to know.
• Then we'll get you a set of stats most associations never collect, but are incredibly compelling to have.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Data Workshop
• Infographics & One-Pagers
• Industry Partner Account Reviews

Your advertising collateral is multi-functional in ways other types of collateral are not. You need your media kit to convey not only your value and options, but also function as a technical reference for buyers to follow your specs. In this module, we'll use templates to create a sophisticated-looking media kit with testimonials, visuals, and clear specifications.

Module 06 Highlights:

• We'll review how much detail is enough and how much you should cross-reference other opportunities outside advertising.
• We'll also take a sneak peek at operational changes you can make to streamline ad copy collection.

Related Office Hour Topic:

• Advertising Collateral Workshop
  
  

An exhibitor prospectus isn't just about conveying options and prices, it is also about how companies can maximize results at your event. In this module we'll use templates to create event collateral that emphasizes outcomes vs. price points.

Module 07 Highlights:

• First, we'll review the types of product options available and how to present them.
• Next, we'll cover the amount of information you should include about each opportunity to help them make decisions.
• Finally, we'll talk about creative ways to encourage higher spending.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Exhibitor Collateral Workshop
• Event Product Ideas & Pricing Strategies
• Engagement Beyond the Booth
• Prepping for Renewal Season

Your large sponsors and/or partners are your most important customers, and as prospects they need a very different approach than sending a matrix of benefits at various spend levels. In this module, we'll cover the approach and collateral that works best for securing these types of consultative sales.

Module 08 Highlights:

• First, we'll dig deeper into the pros and cons of a transactional vs consultative approach to larger sponsorships.
• Next, we'll use templates to create collateral pieces that fit the different buying stages of these types of prospects.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Sponsor/Partner Collateral Workshop
• Spreadsheet-Based Proposals
  
  

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to reach prospects; however, a lot has changed and your email outreach probably needs a refresh. LinkedIn is another way to engage your prospects, but there are definite do's and don'ts you'll want to follow. In this module, we'll cover the outreach tactics and messaging for email and LinkedIn that work better in today's noisy marketing environment. 

Module 09 Highlights:

• First we'll cover the reasons why corporate customers and prospects need to hear different things from you.
• Then we'll cover what your early-stage prospects need instead of your major collateral pieces.
• Finally, we'll review tips and tricks that can improve your results from email outreach and LinkedIn engagement.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Email Outreach Workshop
• LinkedIn Outreach Workshop
• Leveraging AI for Prospecting

Picking up the phone to call prospects is usually one of the most intimidating aspects of sales for non-sales professionals.... heck, it's one of the most intimidating things for sales professionals, too!  In this module, we'll have some fun with cold calling, which is still a great way to engage your top prospects.

Module 10 Highlights:

• We'll talk about why cold calling works and how to make it less daunting.
• We'll review how to work your way up from warm to cold calls.
• Then once you can't WAIT to get on the phones (ha!), we'll give you a call plan you can totally handle.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Phone Outreach Workshop
• Referral Gathering Workshop
• Sponsor Renewal/Up-sell Process
• Internal/External Sales Coordination

Most deals start to go sideways in the very first conversation for a variety of reasons. In this module will cover how to have conversations with prospects and customers that are authentic, non-salesy, and lead to more productive outcomes.

Module 11 Highlights:

• Not a fan of awkward sales pitches? You're in luck! I'll show you how you to increase sales by eliminating the sales pitch.
• We'll walk through a discovery call framework and cover top do's and don'ts so you and your team can change your sales conversations for the better.
• We'll also discuss the number one thing you can do on every call to save a ton of time and improve results.

Related Office Hour Topics:

• Discover Call Workshop
• Questioning Strategy & Tactics

If you're tired of sending out collateral materials that prospects request and then following up over and over again, only to have them disappear with no idea why, then this might be your favorite lesson! In this module, we'll cover how to build on your new first-call approach to move the right deals forward more efficiently and get ghosted less (though I can't promise it won't ever happen!). 

Module 12 Highlights:

• First, we'll diagnose why you're getting ghosted and cover simple tactics to save you (and your prospects) from a bunch of, "Just checking in" emails.
• Next, we'll cover how to more accurately predict which customers are likely to go somewhere and which ones are a long shot so you can spend your limited time wisely.

Related Office Hour Topic:

• Proposal/Negotiation Workshop