Solidarity Sunday: In the Beginning, There was Adam
In the early days of my media career, I met Adam. He was the general manager of an auto dealer who was absolutely crushing it. In a short period of time, his dealership had gone from a relative unknown to one of the largest dealers in his category in the state. So much so that he was invited to speak to our entire sales team about his success.
He said, "First of all, our customers aren't "customers", they are "members" of a club we created. Customers come and go, but members belong to something by choice. So, we created a profile of who we wanted our ideal 'member' to be, and we based that membership on these 3 things:
- Are there enough of them?
- Do we have what they need to meet their needs?
- Can we 'super serve' so they won't want to go anywhere else?
"Once we had identified who our ideal member was and we dedicated enough resources, our 2-step strategy became simple.
- Insert ourselves into their path and tell our story before they need us in places they naturally spend lots of time.
- Be there in places they naturally go to look for us when they need us"
Simple. Relevant. Brilliant.
As local unions you may not have the kind of budgets that an aggressive auto dealership in a major market has but thanks to research available to you via the internet, you do have the resources to identify who makes an ideal potential member. You have so many great stories in your local just waiting to be told, and thanks to digital and social media and affordable services like "Organize 24/7", you have the targeting resources to both insert your story in their path, and the tools to be there when they need you.
May is Mental Health Month
