Praise for The Membership Economy
Having seen and experienced the challenges of building long-term sustainable relationships involving membership organizations, Robbie Kellman Baxter offers clear examples and straightforward advice how to achieve success in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors.
Howard L. Wollner, Chairman, NPR Foundation
Theres a big difference between subscribers and members. From The Times to The Sun and now at the Wall Street Journal, we are committed to building our relationship with our customers around the principles of membership. Members are more engaged, more connected and more profitable. Read The Membership Economy to learn how to take your organisation from transactional to relational.
Katie Vanneck-Smith, Chief Customer Officer and Global Managing Director, Dow Jones
As the leader of a major alumni relations office, I understand the importance of building long term relationships with our members. Robbie Kellman Baxters practical advice will drive immediate results. If your organization depends on having highly engaged members, you should read The Membership Economy.
Raphe Beck, Director of Alumni Relations, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Ive run a successful membership business for a while now. So Id like to tell you to move along and not read this book because why is Robbie Kellman Baxter giving away all our hard-won secrets? But I wont tell you that. Because The Membership Economy is great perspective on an important topic.
Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, and author of the WSJ bestseller, Everybody Writes
Robbies book is packed with innovative ideas for pricing, acquisition and engagement of customer. I highly recommend this book for any CEO who seeks to disrupt their industry by putting their customers at the center of everything they do.
Heidi Roizen, Operating Partner, Draper, Fisher, Jurvetson
From Netflix to Spotify, over the past few years, subscription models have become a powerful and profitable business model in the digital economy. Robbie has written a unique, well-researched and very smart book for anyone interested in building one.
David Kirchhoff, former CEO, Weight Watchers International and WeightWatchers.com
At American Express, weve always been committed to putting our members at the center of everything we do. Robbie Baxters book provides practical techniques and insightful new examples to guide organizations in building powerful, ongoing relationships with their members.
Josh Silverman, President, Consumer Products and Services, American Express
The Membership Economy is an insightful, research based look at the strategies and tactics needed to develop, grow and maintain a membership-style program for customers. It is perhaps the best, most detailed source Ive found on this subject to date, and it has very much changed the way I think about our own growing membership program. I cant recommend it enough.
Mark Kupferman, VP, Insights & Interactive Marketing, Six Flags Entertainment Corp.
Some will read Robbies The Membership Economy as an entertaining collection of stories about some of the most innovative organizations out there, while, for others, it will serve as a practical guide. Its a fun insider view thats also pragmatic.
Marc Bodnick, CEO, Quora
In The Membership Economy, Baxter explains, illustrates, and advocates for this new way of doing businessyou wont want to miss it.
Bob Baxley, Head of Product Design and Research, Pinterest
Salesforce.com has always focused on open, transparent, ongoing relationships with members of our community, from customers to vendors to partners. As a result, weve been named for four consecutive years by Forbes. Companies that dont build this kind of community will fall behind, but Robbies book can help any kind of organization leverage these principles and thrive. The Membership Economy is a critical read, and one that should be added to your business bookshelf this year.
LEYLA SEKA, SVP & GM Desk.com at Salesforce.com
Copyright 2015 by Robbie Kellman Baxter. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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For my parents, who think Im great no matter what.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
Belonging matters. Each of us yearns for the tribe: for the affiliations that will support us, protect us, define us, help us make sense of a complex and overwhelming world. Everyday conversation revolves as much as ever around belonging: Do you use an iPhone or Android? Are you a Millennialor not? The one percent or the ninety-nine?