What are the ingredients for a good member orientation?

Chambers who have an on-boarding process for new members keep their members longer. And if you've been in the chamber business for a while, you know that the members who stay for three years are the least likely to drop in the future. 

I've attended some great member orientations and some terrible ones... Let's just say that if you are playing a video at an in-person member orientation program, you've got some room for improvement. 

The problem is you're going to run this program several times a year -- in fact I think you should be doing it every other month -- and it's hard to keep doing the same program over and over again without resorting to some sort of automation. But you owe it to your members to acknowledge that it's their first and only orientation to your chamber. And it should be a great show. 

I was attending a conference in southern California a few years back and I had a free afternoon. So I checked out the calendars of some chambers in the area and found that there was one that was hosting a member orientation program that day. So I called my friend who ran that chamber and talked to his team and asked if I could crash it. 

During that program he asked each new member to answer these questions that he had written on the whiteboard behind him: How long do you intend to be a member?  What needs to happen in order for you to renew your membership? and What can the chamber do to help you? 

Well - the resulting conversation was outstanding and the people who came into that building as strangers, many of them left as friends because the program was about them... the member! 

So as you update your member on-boarding program keep in mind these three key ingredients: 

1. Intelligence - it's not just information. It's the right information at the right time. Don't info-dump on them... just give them the intell and enable them to take the next step. 

2. Culture. You want to invite them into yours, and see if they will share theirs with you and the rest of the room. Culture is a glue that fosters connection and loyalty. 

3. Energy, enthusiasm and engagement. 

Now it's easy to remember these because any good party needs ICE: Intelligence, Culture or connection, and Energy, Enthusiasm and engagement.