First, at the beginning of the week I was in Texas for another one of the conferences I've been talking about. And as I often do when I travel, I built some extra time into my schedule so that I could go visit one of the members of my association that was in the same general vicinity.
It was great. It always is. This particular member has been in and out of our association over the years, is currently in, and is deeply involved in only one of our four main program areas.
The visit was a great opportunity for me to introduce them to the other three, but more importantly, it was an opportunity for me to learn more about them. Learn about their business, their people, their products, and their challenges. When I do these member visits, I'm certainly there to talk, but I am also very much there to listen. To listen and learn. And I learned a lot.
Second, at the end of the week I interviewed another candidate for an open position at my association. This candidate asked a lot of good questions, one of them being: "How does a new employee coming into your association best go about learning more about the members and their businesses?"
I kid you not. "By visiting them," I happily answered. "By sitting across the table from them and asking them about their business and the challenges they are facing. By touring their production facilities and trying to understand how the products they make are created and how they make their way into the marketplace. I have been leading this association for more than eleven years now, and to this day, every time I visit a member I learn something new about them and our industry that helps me do my job better."
Member visits are the way. I couldn't have scripted it any better if I had been given the chance.
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This post first appeared on Eric Lanke's blog, an association executive and author. You can follow him on Twitter @ericlanke or contact him at eric.lanke@gmail.com.
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