Membership

Membership Pro Tip: A Benefits Program That Puts Members First

A benefits program tailored to member needs helps them improve their businesses—and their lives. The popular offering also saves members millions of dollars.

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For example, NAR recently partnered with Panorama Travel Solutions, which gives members access to competitive discounts, and they can also purchase discounted travel vouchers as closing gifts for clients.

How Does It Work?

NAR focuses on selecting business partners that bring in programs that members want and need. And they also make sure the offering and the pricing are all competitive, says Darren Hoffman, NAR’s director of customer experience. “Part of our responsibility is to really make sure we’re understanding the needs of our members,” he says.

To do that, NAR’s customer experience group collects feedback through interviews, focus groups, surveys, and digital feedback—including social media, NAR’s website, and online member communities—to understand what members are looking for from partners. They also go the extra mile and ask members what challenges they are facing, so they can find products that will help them be more successful and profitable, Hoffman says.

Why Is It Effective?

“One of our core values is to put members first, and this fills that need,” he says. “We’re always looking for ways to make them better with us than without us.” And that means understanding what their needs are, responding to them, and making sure what NAR is providing will improve their lives and businesses.

What’s the Benefit?

Members can feel secure knowing that NAR has carefully vetted the products and services and negotiated terms and rates especially for them. The partnership program is very popular. In 2019, 800,000 members took advantage of it, resulting in $74 million in savings for participants.

Do you have a membership pro tip? Please share in the comments or send me an email.

(mikkelwilliam/E+/Getty Images Plus)

Lisa Boylan

By Lisa Boylan

Lisa Boylan is a senior editor of Associations Now. MORE

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