Page 29 - Marketing Times v1

Handbooks, and educational opportunities such as Beechcraft Pilot Pro ciency Program (BPPP) and ASF Service Clinics.
ABS has a thought out, multi-part, multi- channel renewal program in place, created
in collaboration with Village Press, Inc. “VP stepped in on an ABS request a few years ago to manage the membership renewal process. Their approach created a consistent framework around which ABS renews its members, and gave members a greater predictability about the renewal process,” says Turner. “As ABS innovated with two- and three-year renewal options, automatic membership renewal
and an invigorated Life Membership campaign, VP modi ed its procedures to accommodate ABS’s needs.”
The day-to-day handling of the routine membership renewals by an outside company has freed ABS staff to add a step to their renewal program with a personal touch: a telephone call. “In recent months this has shown a noticeable uptick in membership renewal and so far in 2014 put ABS in positive territory for total membership since the rst
of the year for the rst time since 2003. Personalized calls give us the chance to
upsell members to multi-year membership, which we’ve done with great success,
and even resulted in a number of Life Memberships when the automated renewal process alone almost certainly would not,” says Turner. This combination has been working very well.
Many of the problems with renewing members lay outside ABS’s control, however: “Members don’t quit because they feel ABS does not provide value. Instead, members who non-renew almost universally tell us they love ABS and the Society greatly enhanced their Beechcraft ownership experience,” explains Turner. “It’s just that they lost their medical certi cate, or had to sell the airplane, or for whatever reason are no longer ying.... ABS is an airplane- and pilot-support system, not just a magazine subscription or an enthusiasts’ group. So when they’re no longer
ying,
there’s little
incentive to
continue to be a
member.” Another
reason is the aging demographic, so the non- renewing members are either getting too old to y or, sadly, pass away.
The renewal rate re ects every member who didn’t renew, no matter the reason. But
if the reasons beyond ABS’s control were taken out – the majority – then very few members elect to leave the due to dissatisfaction or
lack of resources or lack of bene ts. Pilots
like being a part of this association.
ADDING TO THE FLEET
“Our best information is that ABS includes owners of as much as 80-85 percent of the remaining Bonanza/Debonair/Baron/Travel Air eet, a phenomenal market penetration in any industry,” says Turner. “As the eet declines, then, the challenge is that ABS membership will decline with it. While in past years we would have the airplane’s next owner as
a recruitment prospect, the pool of available prospects is shrinking.”
As part of their new member recruitment strategy, ABS designs and sends targeted campaigns, such as mailing to all FAA- registered owners of ABS-type airplanes who are not current members. Their magazine and their website are also important components. “Products like ABS Magazine – an extremely effective follow-on to an initial membership inquiry – and the mailings VP conducts at ABS’s direction, in addition to ABS’s online presence and efforts, are vital to getting
our message of solid, tangible aircraft and
“As ABS innovated with two- and three-year renewal options, automatic membership renewal and an invigorated Life Membership campaign, VP modi ed its procedures
to accommodate ABS’s needs.”
Fall 2014 • Traverse City Marketing Times 29
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