There is no better salesperson for NAHB membership than an active NAHB member, or Membership Ambassador. Thanks to the NAHB Membership Team for these ideas you can use to begin, enhance, improve, and re-energize your own membership ambassador program.

1. Understand that creating an ambassador program means surrendering control.
The very heart of an ambassador program is the concept of empowering the ambassadors to spread the message about membership, in their space. Think of this as a shift from sending marketing messages from your office to giving members the ability to market to each other.

Key point: Give your ambassadors the freedom to take your message and make it their own. An ambassador program takes time to build momentum and create results, so be willing to nurture it to its full potential.

2.  Identify potential ambassadors.
A great starting point is to examine members who are already giving you feedback. Check letters, emails, phone calls, etc. Members who take the time to communicate with you about your association are already exhibiting the key quality that a successful ambassador needs: passion. 

Key point:  Choose ambassadors from a pool of members who have initiated contact with you about something. Look for passion. Don't automatically assume negative feedback from a member should remove that person from consideration. Sometimes the best evangelist is a member who had a negative experience that was addressed positively by the association.

3. Design your program and its goals.
The heart of any good ambassador program is the ability to give ambassadors a greater sense of ownership. For example, Maker's Mark created its program around the idea of sending its ambassadors out into their communities to strengthen the distribution channels for Maker's Mark. They try to convince retailers and bars to stock the product. In return, every ambassador has a barrel of Maker's Mark bourbon stamped at the distillery with his or her name on it.

Key point: Find a way to give your ambassadors ownership in your HBA brand, but don't neglect the goals of the program such as participation level, increased membership, or event attendance.

4. Build a community around your membership ambassadors.
Find a way to establish a central touch point for your ambassadors, a place where they can have access to membership materials and exchange ideas. This touch point can be an online or offline community; either way, it is a wonderful way for ambassadors to compare and contrast how their particular experiences have gone. Make every effort to foster a sense of kinship and community in your ambassadors.

Key point: Consider establishing a blog or message board for your ambassadors, and carefully select which ambassadors will monitor and oversee it. This will give your ambassadors a place to meet, share ideas, and get to know each other.

5.  Communicate with your ambassadors.
Let them know what key points to stress to prospective members, but try to give them as much freedom as possible to market for you. Remember, when the message comes from a friend or fellow professional, it's a trusted recommendation; when it comes from you, it's marketing. Ensure your ambassadors are up to speed on current themes, make sure they understand what they should disclose and let them share your brand in terms they are comfortable with.

Key point: Remind, but don't restrict. Give your ambassadors guidelines, but not rules. Encourage them to explain the benefits of membership, but not to view their job as a membership sales person.

6. Implement your ambassador program.
After you've selected your ambassadors and designed a program for them, let them run with it. The heart of a good ambassador program is a company that's willing to cede control to its community of ambassadors. Give these special members the slack to run with the program and see what they can make of it.

Key point: Freedom is empowering. An HBA that gives its ambassadors the ability to evangelize that brand in the community fosters a sense of ownership for them, and that sense of ownership will stoke the fires of passion in your ambassadors.

7. Collect feedback – early and often.
Your ambassadors are collecting marketing information about your prospective members as they communicate with them. This is key since the interaction will be happening in a familiar setting for the prospect, and they will be more likely to give the ambassadors their true feelings about your association.

Key point: Feedback that ambassadors collect is arguably more valuable than the market research that a firm could collect. Be sure to systematize the collection of this information. Let this information shape your future marketing messages.

For more information, contact Karl Eckhart at (800) 368-5242 Ext. 8126. [ return to top ]