Your Members Have Money — They’re Just Not Buying What You’re Selling
They are not hearing a compelling reason to act. You’re selling programs — they’re looking for progress. Would you buy what you are selling?
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
Patrick Mersinger
5/14/20251 min read


Would you buy what you are selling?
Your members have budgets.
They’re spending on consultants.
They’re buying certifications.
They’re attending events.
So they are spending money, just not with you.
Why?
Because they are not hearing a compelling reason to act.
You’re selling programs — they’re looking for progress.
💥 Translating The Reasons:
🧠 “Let Me Think About It”
You pitched features, not outcomes.
💸 “We Don’t Have Budget”
Translation: “I don’t believe this will move the needle.”
📤 “Send Me a Proposal”
A polite “no” wrapped in paperwork.
These aren’t objections. They’re signals.
And they tell you your sales message isn’t hitting home.
🧭 Associations Are Still Selling Like It’s 2010
If your sales conversations sound like a benefits brochure, you’ve already lost.
They ignore vague value and demand measurable movement.
⚠️ The Leadership Blind Spot
Association and organization execs often confuse activity with conversion.
You host events, but don’t track engagement to dollars.
You launch campaigns, but don’t train the team on closing.
You hire speakers, but not sales strategists.
🤯 Bold Truth: Sales is not a dirty word. It’s your missing engine.
🔓 What the Fastest-Growing Associations Are Doing Instead
✅ Sales-First Culture
The Sales Department isn’t the whole company, but the whole company better be the sales department. -Philip Kotler-
Can everyone in your organization tell people how you have created value for your members?
✅ Sales Operating System
This is not a crm, it is the process, language, and discipline.
✅ Outside Eyes on the Inside
They bring in Red2Black to break old patterns and spark real buying behavior.
🎯 So Here’s Your Gut Check:
🟥 Are your team’s conversations converting or just informing?
🟥 Are your members acting… or nodding and ghosting?
🟥 Are you selling relevance, or just reciting mission statements?
🔥 Final Thought:
Your members are spending.
They’re just not choosing you.
Time to fix it.
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