In my marketing career, I’ve joined several communities and memberships. In fact, I’m in so many. Sometimes I can’t remember them all or keep up. That’s why I’m writing about Retention Point by Robert Skrob.

Why did I join these communities and memberships and continue to join them? The core reason is to be around like-minded people and continues learning, growing, and making new connections. A lot of times, I can’t make it to travel to live in-person events. So having an online community I can connect with for help, guidance, or a laugh, is incredibly helpful.

Looking back, when I joined groups, which are the ones that I’ve stayed and which are the ones that after a few weeks, or a month, I decided it wasn’t worth my time or money.

What changed? Why weren’t they able to keep me in the group?

The biggest reason for me was that I wasn’t engaged any longer. Or the person that started it decided to step down, and someone else took over, and it wasn’t the same. I wasn’t learning, and I wasn’t resonating with the group any longer. Other times I didn’t feel valued by the community or membership, so I left.

This is actually one of the toughest things if you ever decide to create a membership or community – RETENTION. Keeping them engaged, happy, connected, and satisfied.

There are several things you can that will help retain your current members and also help you continue to grow them.

One of the biggest things is how you onboard people into your community. 

There is an art and a science to creating and retaining communities and memberships or a membership. And this is the number one book I ALWAYS recommend to my clients. That’s why I wanted to do this review and recommend it to you!

This book came out in 2018, AND the information in it is definitely not stale. This is one of the BEST books I’ve read on retention. And it’s also something not a lot of people talk about. The most important thing you can do in your business if you have a community or membership or thinking about creating one is to have a retention strategy. And I’d start by reading this book first. It will change the way you think and set up your community or membership.

One of my favorite parts is Skrob’s 10 Retention Point Accelerators. (Check it out in the “Things You Will Discover” section below.

Let me share more specifics with you below… Happy reading!

A Book Summary to Inspire You To Read It!

Quick Summary

The book provides a step-by-step framework for creating a “retention point” – a unique value proposition that fosters customer loyalty and engagement. Skrob’s practical advice includes improving customer service, creating loyalty programs, and measuring customer behavior using data and analytics. The book is engaging and easy to read, offering real-life examples and case studies of businesses that have succeeded by implementing Skrob’s retention point framework. 

Who Ought to Read this Book and Why: 

This is an essential read for any business owner, entrepreneur, marketer, or executive wanting to improve customer retention rates. The book is relevant to businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large corporations, in any industry. If you’re serious about growing your business and maximizing your profits, this book provides an invaluable framework for creating a strong retention point to keep your customers coming back for more. Even if you already have a strong customer base, the book provides numerous strategies for improving customer loyalty and engagement, which can lead to long-term growth and success.

Things You Will Discover:

“The 10 Retention Poin Accelerators

1. VALUE is like water; too much is just as bad as too little.
2. EVERY member contact is a sales communication.
3. Begin by promoting the END.
4. Your relationship begins AFTER you make the sale.
5. LEAD, don’t teach.
6. The member On Ramp^TM gets new members up to speed.
7. Solve problems to deliver member TRANSFORMATIONS.
8. Your VALUE is the feelings you deliver, not the stuff.
9. It’s ALWAYS about THEM.
10. RELATIONSHIP trumps message.” 

Each of these accelerators has the potential to strengthen your retention point and foster customer loyalty. Skrob goes into more detail on each of these strategies in the book, providing numerous real-life examples and case studies of businesses that have successfully implemented them. If you’re looking for practical advice on improving your customer retention rates, these 10 Retention Point Accelerators are a great place to start.

INSPIRING BOOK QUOTES:

When Retention Happens:
“The key to retention for all of these programs is what happens AFTER your new member joins.”

Your Go-To Strategy?
This is now my go-to strategy for member retention and acquisition. Create an onboarding product that delivers a member transformation. Then market that new member onboarding system as a bonus that increases sales conversions on the front end.”

What a Member Leader Does:
“Member Leaders start with the group of customers they’d like to help and then create products that solve problems for those members.” 

Make It Easier:
“It s a lot easier to generate new members for your long-term membership when your offer includes immediate benefits for your prospect.”

Make em Proud:
“How can you make your members proud they are part of your membership? Not because of the stuff they have access to, but because being your member raises their status in life.”

You Gotta DO Something:
“Step one, ‘do something.’ Anything. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it’s a start.”

Looking At Your Work:
“…there’s something you feel passionate about that’s more important to you than increasing your stack of cash.”

What Is It?
“Retention Point is the moment when your members become so emotionally invested in what you deliver— They become lifers.”

When do they…
“At what point do your new subscriber members become hooked?”

The Wrong Netflix Member Question:
“What is the optimal length (of a member) is the wrong question. Rather, What is the hooked point, and how do we move that earlier so more viewers stay until the end?.”

Get Them To Belong For Life:
“…focus on building relationships with members, getting them to the Retention point of engagement and making members eagerly ant to belong for life.”

Why Your Member Joins:
“Your member didn’t join to get a box of cookies. He joined to solve a burning problem in his life. The faster you help your member solve that problem, the quicker you’ll create a long-lasting relationship.”

About the Author – Austin Kleon:

For more than two decades, Robert Skrob has helped hundreds of membership programs launch and then grow from start-ups to become some of the world’s largest membership and subscription companies. After beginning his career as the leading membership growth expert for nonprofits and political organizations, in 2004, Robert pioneered monthly continuity subscriptions with for-profit membership and subscription programs. Robert’s profound understanding of what members ardently want from their membership relationships enables him to help you build connections with members that last for years. In a world where excessive churn rates are all too common and even accepted, Robert is able to transform subscription programs from what he calls “a series of one-night stands” into long-term relationships.

Where I Would Recommend Getting Your Copy:
Retention Point: The Single Biggest Secret to Membership and Subscription Growth by Robert Skrob

Other Books I’d Recommend: 

The Culting of Brands by Douglas Atkin

What Customers Crave: How to Create Relevant and Memorable Experiences at Every Touchpoint by Nicholas J. Webb 

What Customers Hate: Drive Fast and Scalable Growth by Eliminating the Things That Drive Away Business by Nicholas J. Webb

The Art of Community by Charles H. Vogl