If a member recruits someone, I give the current member the equiv new
member sign up option for free.
They can get up to a month free.
Mike
On 8/1/2010 11:59 AM, Craig Baute wrote:
Alex,
Thanks for your advice. I have been struggling with this same dilemma
on brainstorming ways to grow. If a space has a lot of extra capacity
how would you feel about a double incentive to help make the current
members recruit individuals? I was thinking about a referral program
where the new member gets the equivalent of one week free for their
first month and the current member that recruited the individual will
also get a one week equivalent discount.
I understand the greatest way to grow is build a strong community and
provide a space for people to congregate and collaborate. But with the
extra capacity it wouldn't be a cost to the company to add these
incentives for a month or two, and would encourage individuals to
recruit people they know. I believe this would help build a community
with the current members since they ask individuals they are familiar
with, and may be the right financial incentive for them to try
something new. I think the financial incentive might be the nudge for
an individual to try a new concept that they might be otherwise wary
of.
Craig
On Aug 1, 2:40 pm, Alex Hillman<[email protected]> wrote:
Nepotism and it's cousin favoritism are a bit of a slippery slope, and one
we've worked carefully to avoid as part of the business relationship with
our members. I typically think of this in terms of Indy Hall getting in the
middle of the recruitment/hiring pipeline more than membership growth,
though. It's very easy to become a sherpa for companies looking for talent
at your coworking space. the thing to watch out for, though is always
sending them to favorites. It's not only risky for you, but it's damaging to
the overall ecosystem because non-favorites will become resentful. This is a
very common dynamic of typical (corporate) office leadership and something
I've thought a lot about how we can re-engineer with the blank canvas that
is Indy Hall.
*But back to your question: *
If you're going to reward anything, I'd reward the development of *trust*.
You're likely to find that there are certain people in your community that
will be noisiest just to get a better rate. Others will work hard to build
yours - and other members - trust. That's worth rewarding, because it leads
to stable relationships, which leads to work exchange and collaboration, and
long term success of community members and the space they inhabit.
As for how you reward...again, I'm hesitant to give *anyone a discount. Not
because I'm greedy (or because we run a low margin business), but because I
simply don't believe that financial motivators are good motivators. They're
extrinsic, which means that if they're taken away, the behavior they are
motivating is likely to go away. I'm much more interested in activating
intrinsic motivators - like supporting their passion projects, helping them
make connections, and simply helping them become a part of the bigger story
- has been a much more sustainable and valuable motivator for everyone
involved.*
**-Alex
/ah
indyhall.org
coworking in philadelphia
On Sun, Aug 1, 2010 at 1:01 PM, Mindaugas<[email protected]> wrote:
do you consider some of the coworkers more valuable than others in
terms of attracting and keeping members?
do I need to give someone preferential treatment and lower or free
lease because of the potential snow ball effect he or she can create?
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