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A Prescription for Holistic Improvement: The MCA Immersion

A Deep-Dive Into Your Membership Marketing Strategy
An MCA Immersion helps you focus on why you do what you do, evaluate your value proposition, and improve your membership marketing strategy.

We offer a unique, comprehensive, deep-dive into an organization’s membership ecosystems with the objective of identifying and exploring opportunities for improvement based on our expertise in this space. We call it an MCA Immersion.

Why would an organization embark on two months of poking and prodding, research and discovery, and more than a few “why did that seem like a good idea at the time?” conversations? Here are some of the reasons given by those who have taken the plunge:

  • “We wanted to be wise stewards of our resources.”
  • “There’s no long-term commitment.”
  • “It was a means of benchmarking ourselves against others.”
  • “We needed advice on where to start for greatest improvement.”
  • “It was an investment in the knowledge base of our staff.”
  • “To better deliver value to our members.”

Immersions are hard work. For our clients, and for MCA. We don’t plop a template on top of your metrics and spit out advice you’ve undoubtedly heard before. We’ll ask scores of questions, require ALL (and we mean ALL) your results, and ask for everything we need to know to explore your membership systems and outcomes.

You may cringe a little when we point out things you are doing (sometimes inadvertently) that are causing you to underperform. And gloat a little when we point out the many things you’ve got dialed-in. But if you were doing everything right, you wouldn’t need to evolve to the next chapter, would you?

We’ve had clients tell us that an Immersion is the biggest luxury they have ever allowed themselves and their leadership team. An Immersion makes you step outside the pressures of the day and focus on why you do what you do; think hard about your value proposition (and how your members perceive it); and consider multiple ways of improving your effectiveness.

MCA is a company whose actions back up its CEO’s word – that they are a partner, not a vendor, and they are invested in our success in every way. Their membership marketing advice and expertise knows no bounds – whether that is web design, call center management, event management, foundation development, ancillary product sales, AMS consultation, surveys, whatever. If it touches membership in any way, MCA wants to be involved. More important, they are delivering, with more members and fresh ideas to attract new ones. We were used to working with little more than a direct mail vendor. Today, we have a partner who behaves as if they are as invested in our future as their own.”
James H —
Consumer Enthusiast Organization – Executive

It takes trust. Trust that we know what we’re talking about, trust that we will keep your information confidential, and trust that you are ready to use the outcome to re-shape your practices.

Don’t consider an Immersion if:

  • You aren’t prepared to commit to doing things differently, because never in the history of MCA have we come back with an Immersion Prescription that said, “You’re perfect; don’t change a thing.”
  • You aren’t in a position to re-allocate budgets for greater impact. You’re already spending money to get, keep and engage your members. But there just might be a better way to slice the pie, if you’re willing to consider alternatives.
  • Your leadership team includes a Guardian at the Gate of Change. “We can’t do that, because …” means you’ll never get better than you are today. And if you’re satisfied with that, don’t entertain an Immersion. Your entire team needs to be open to change in order for an Immersion to be worthwhile.
  • You’re convinced that no one knows your members as well as you do.
  • You expect improvement immediately. How long did it take you to get to where you are today? Just as success doesn’t usually happen overnight, your current practices evolved. Change is hard, and change takes testing, modifying, and most of all, patience.

Immersions aren’t magic. We can’t stop a dying proposition, but we can arrest a downward spiral. We can’t create need, but we can help your audience perceive need – and recognize that you have the solution. We can’t magically create more prospects, especially if you are in a highly defined niche, but we can help you look at your product from a slightly different angle which could open new markets.

Immersions are exhilarating. If you are proud of your organization today, imagine how you’ll feel when you’re looking at dozens of ideas for delivering an even better product for your members, attracting prospects who haven’t given you a second glance before, and driving an increase in satisfaction – among your members, and among your team.

Curious about what an MCA Immersion involves, and what it costs? Read on: MCA Immersion Outline

When you’re ready, give us a call.