Re: Getting to the people with the power

[jlong@mti.net (Joe Long)]

On Tue, 01 Dec 1998 14:58:27 PST, "Nancy Mitts" <mitts_n@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>The non-members benefit by having a ride to participate in.  The benefit 
>of a vet staff that is organized and working toward standardization. The 
>shared knowledge of an organization, organizational memory can prevent 
>every ride from re-inventing the wheel. 

They pay for all of that, as we all do, with their entry fees and
sanction fees.

>Membership provides a grievance 
>procedure if things don't go the way you thought they should. Membership 
>provides an organization with numbers to take to gov't agencies to 
>advocate trail availability. 
>The idea is to also give financial incentive to join.

So give discounts off the membership dues to first-time joiners, as is
being done with the Sundowner support.  Also promote the benefits of
membership.  Don't try to pressure people into joining with high
non-member fees!

>The rider fee is not doing it. Without the non-member fee all ride fees 
>need to be increased. Would members feel better about the rider fee 
>being $10/rider (instead of $3)? Non-members paying the same as 
>members??? Not Me.

If $3 sanction fee for everyone plus $10 MORE for non-members is
enough, why would it take $10 from everyone?  I think $5 from everyone
would be far more fair.

I've felt for a long time that sanction fees should have been raised
instead of dues, so that the people who ride more pay more.  We'd get
a lot more of the folks who only do two or three rides a year to join
that way!

>It is also good marketing to promote the value of your product. Not all 
>consumers buy on the cheap. When it's the ride managers telling new 
>riders they're paying extra, it's cutting their own throat. One of my 
>statements above gives a few benefits of membership unrelated to awards, 
>etc. A lot of it is in the presentation. We can debate amongst ourselves 
>& try to find a better solution. It's in everyone's best interest to 
>present a positive light in the presence of customers (newcomers at our 
>rides.) 

I think we really need to find a better solution.  The trouble is,
non-member fees are an *easy* solution -- or so it appears.  I'm sure
they'll generate some extra revenue in the short run; it's the long
run that worries me, and the burden on the ride managers.  Without the
AERC we'd still have endurance rides, but without ride managers we
would not!

As to the PR value of calling it a discount, I see your point, but I
think it's a bit dishonest do that when the fee structure is imposed
by the AERC.  The effect on the non-members is identical either way,
and most folks will see through that.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
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