--- title: "Monday Buzz: Wanna Retain Members? Pick Up the Phone" id: "40344" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-wanna-retain-members-pick-up-the-phone" published_at: "2017-10-30T21:21:25+00:00" modified_at: "2017-10-30T21:21:25+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/10/30/monday-buzz-wanna-retain-members-pick-up-the-phone/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/10/30/monday-buzz-wanna-retain-members-pick-up-the-phone.md" excerpt: "Don’t just rely on email to retain members. A phone call may be more effective. Also: Halloween tricks for association leaders." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "member retention" - "Membership" - "Mid-Level Professional" - "reengagement" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: Wanna Retain Members? Pick Up the Phone Keeping your members coming back for more is vital to the health of your organization, but all too often, associations only rely on emails to remind people to renew. That may not be enough. In a recent *[Association Success blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/three-tactics-for-retaining-members)*, Matt Mantione, senior director of membership at the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) shares what he learned from implementing a new call center program. “We decided that calling up individual members to have a conversation at this critical point in their membership journey would be more engaging than sending a reminder email and hoping they followed up,” says Mantione. He goes on to say that it’s important that senior folks lead by example when it comes to making calls. Leaders making calls tells all employees that a membership mindset comes from the top. Keep in mind that some employees may be reluctant to pick up the phone because it feels too sales-y. But Mantione recommends guiding your team to rethink their approach to calls. “Callers were not trying to sell, but understand, not talk, but listen,” he writes. “As the champion of this project, I had the information to guide us through the process of a consultative selling approach.” ### Be a Stronger Leader > 4 Halloween Tricks For Leaders [https://t.co/eAuirZxeAI (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/eAuirZxeAI) > via [@TerriKlass (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/TerriKlass?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > | [#Leadership (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Leadership?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Kate Nasser (@KateNasser) [October 30, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/KateNasser/status/925024549527310337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **This year,** trick-or-treating isn’t just for kids. Just in time for Halloween, leadership skills training consultant Terri Klass shares a few tricks for leaders to become more effective. To start, internalize and define your leadership values. “The secret to a strong leadership strategy is having a clear understanding of your most important values,” [Klass writes in a LinkedIn post (opens in a new tab)](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/four-halloween-tricks-leaders-terri-klass/?trackingId=EQNviqC190TEaThx9PQxBA%3D%3D) . “When we identify what behaviors and attitudes drive our actions and decision-making, then we can build our own brand.” ### Other Links of Note **There’s a good chance your event marketing emails** are winding up in junk folders. The *Event Manager Blog* shares a bunch of ways to [get around spam filters (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-marketing-emails-junk) . **Make sure you’re reaching your audience.** The *[Capterra Nonprofit Technology Blog (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.capterra.com/3-tips-to-improve-your-nonprofit-social-media-marketing-campaigns/)* reveals several ways to improve your social media marketing campaigns. **Chatbots are convenient,** but *CMSWire* says customer service still [requires a human touch (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/dont-bet-on-the-bots-4-ways-to-keep-customer-service-human/) . (BrianAJackson/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#member retention](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-retention/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#Mid-Level Professional](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mid-level-professional/) [#reengagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/reengagement/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoThe Adaptive Leader: Integrating Values and Strategy to Thrive Under New LeadershipDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/the-adaptive-leader-integrating-values-and-strategy-to-thrive-under-new-leadership/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [VideoMix Old and New for More Memorable EventsNovember 6, 2023](https://associationsnow.com/2023/11/06/mix-old-and-new-for-more-memorable-events/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F10%2F30%2Fmonday-buzz-wanna-retain-members-pick-up-the-phone%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !