Going...Going...Maybe Not Gone: The Power of Exit Surveys

Going. . .Going. . .Maybe Not Gone: The Power of Exit Surveys Alexandria Brown Bag Networking Lunch Wayne W Carley, PhD WWC Associates, LLC 20 August 2009

Why Do Members Leave Your Association? What do they tell you? What do they really think? 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

WHAT ONE ASSOCIATION’S LAPSED MEMBERS TELL US Responses to Exit Survey Questions From One Large Association, Conducted as Part of a Large Member Needs Assessment 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Reasons for Leaving Association 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

“ Other” Reasons for Leaving 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC Category of Rationale Percent of Respondents Answering “Other” Cost/Expense 23% Forgot/No Notice/Unaware of Lapse 18% Retired 13%

Reasons to Join Association 38% Join for Professional Development Opportunities 26% Join to Receive Professional Resource Materials 9% Join to Attend National Conference 6% Join to Support Advocacy and Public Policy 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Barriers to Participation 60% Do Not Have Enough TIME to Contribute to Association 16% Do not KNOW How to Get Involved 12% Say Association Makes It Difficult to Participate 54% Say Cost of National Conference Is Too High 17% Say Distance Prevents Conference Attendance 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

BUILDING YOUR EXIT SURVEY Begin with the End in Mind What ONE Question Would You to Answer? Value Proposition vs. Value Perception 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

What Do You Want to Learn? Demographics—Who Joins and Who Leaves Reasons for Joining Reasons for Not Renewing Correlations and Cross-tabulations How to Get Lapsed Members Back How to Attract New Prospective Members How to Better Serve All Members and the Professional Community 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

How Can You Gather Information? Data Mining Focus Groups Interviews Surveys Online Print Telephone Social Media 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Design Your Exit Survey Remember: You Are Surveying People Who Left Your Association Who to Survey—How Long to Wait KISS 1—Keep It Short, Smarty Shortest = 2; Longest = 12; Mode = 5 KISS 2—Keep It Specific, Smarty Fixed Response vs. Open-Ended Questions 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Add Content to Your Exit Survey What Is Your Goal Question? Remember Value Proposition and Value Perception—The Starbucks Conundrum Elicit Specific, Useful Information Questions about Satisfaction vs. Dissatisfaction Hint: Keep Responses Parallel for Comparison and Cross-tabulation 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

WHAT MAKES A GOOD EXIT SURVEY QUESTION? Evaluate each of the questions—taken from real exit surveys—on the next several slides. Determine the strengths and weaknesses of each question for an exit survey and how you might include it in your survey. 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Rate the Following Questions, 1 Your Employment __I am no longer in the profession __I am no longer employed __I have retired Please Give Us Your Candid Comments __I moved to a new area __I achieved my personal goals __I was not comfortable with the club __Time/location of meetings proved difficult __My Job requirements/family situation changed 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Rate the Following Questions, 2 To what degree has the association met your expectations? (Scale of 1 to 5) Check the description below that best describes your current professional setting (List of 3 options) When did you originally join the association? Another Association is more focused on my specialty (Check box and name association) Choose the statement that best describes where you see yourself professionally in five years (7) 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Rate the Following Questions, 3 Dues __Dues are too high __Employer will not provide support for dues Annual Meeting __Annual meeting costs are too high __Lack of educational programs __Too busy to attend meetings What is the primary reason you did not renew your membership this year? (open-ended) 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Rate the Following Questions, 4 Name one thing that would cause you to reconsider joining the association If you would like a staff member to contact you, please fill in the information below I consider the association __My primary professional association __One of several I rely on to support my success __A resource I go to when I have a specific need 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Rate the Following Questions, 5 Wait. . .there’s been a terrible mistake! Please reinstate my membership immediately Is there anything the association could have done differently that would have resulted in your continued membership? (Open-ended) As for the future. . . __I will rejoin within the next ___ months __I may come back in the future. Keep me on the mailing list 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Exit Survey as Marketing Tool Rule: Never pass up an opportunity to market the association Lapsed members respond at much higher rates than other prospects (often twice as high) Remember that lapsed members often intend to renew But: Keep focus on survey, not sales 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

What Are the Challenges? Sample Bias Maximizing Response Rates A Good Cover Letter/Invitation Is at Least as Important as the Survey Design Itself Decreasing Contact Availability/Accuracy Identifying Goal of Survey Generic vs. specific questions and responses ALWAYS ACT on results of your survey! 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Summary: Steps to A Powerful Exit Survey Define the Goal and Desired End Result Identify the Right Target Audience Determine the Best Research and Delivery Methods Determine the Design, Length and Structure of the Survey Write a Set of Specific, Goal-oriented Questions Act on the Results! 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Your Lapsed Members Are Your Best Prospects Bring them back and you’ll be swimming in a rich pool of diverse members! 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Thank You! Wayne W Carley, PhD WWC Associates, LLC 1813 Old Post Terrace Woodbridge VA 22191-3809 www.wwcassociates.com 703.888.6033 [email_address] http://twitter.com/wwcassociates http://www.linkedin.com/in/wwcarley 20 August 2009 WWC Associates, LLC

Going...Going...Maybe Not Gone: The Power of Exit Surveys

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