MEMBERSHIPS

[Kafer]

Okay, I have an issue...

5 weeks ago when we played Essendon I upgraded my membership to a premium A reserved seat.

each week since then I have fronted up to games after being told the week before that they haven't got my membership card at the membership tent, now I must admit that at each game I have been given a pass to reserved seats, but when I am constantly told week after week that someone will call me on Monday and sort it out it has become almost laughable.

surely we need to be more efficient than this as a club if we are going to attract more members, it should be a seemless process.

Now I am in customer service myself and I can cop the fact that one or two weeks it was 'being processed' but not five.

Come on guys, get your act together....

by the way I was told again on Saturday that I would be called today, an lowe and behold my phone did not ring....

It really isn't good enough :-\

 

[Koalalill]

I have noted this Kafer and will bring it up at the next Members forum meeting - if not before.

Also, you can try and contact the Club yourself - either phone the Club and ask to speak to Nadine (who's the m'ship manager - she's been on holidays but I think she is back this week) or ask to speak to Bryce.

Alot of the people in the tents are volunteers - and I that's part of the problem IMO.

Please let me know how you go.

 

[Rosy]

Did anyone else get a letter a week or two ago from Ian Campbell asking them to renew memberships?

The people who are members in my family got them but the only one who hasn't re signed didn't get one.

Seems there was a database stuff up. We never seem to get it right with memberships, though at least they came a lot earlier than usual this season.

Actually some of our tickets needed to be reissued becase they didn't scan properly. I can't remember one season in recent history when memberships went like clockwork.

 

[Dean3]

It's Richo's fault.

 

[Kafer]

I can't remember one season in recent history when memberships went like clockwork.

I do not see how this is made so difficult, it seems as though systems require some attention.

I think it is great to have volunteers in the tent, but there should be at least one person from the club there.

We should be making people feel great about their membership purchase, it is a simple transaction. I think they need to strip back their process and rebuild it.

If we are to sell our "product" (membership) then we need to be doing it better than the other clubs and more importantly the AFL.

 

[shawry]

Yeah Rosy i got that too adn thought it was strange considerign this is my first yearas a member.

 

[The Boss]

Rosy and Shawry, the company that the club has appointed to send out the membership information used the wrong database and sent that letter to ALL members rather then to the members that had not yet renewed (as was intended).
Yet another stuff up by the membership department, the manager of that area has got alot to answer for imo, it's clearly not good enough

 

[Rosy]

Do you know if they are planning to re send them to the original targets then Boss or give up now it's so late?
The family member of mine who I didn't renew still hasn't received a letter.

 

[The Boss]

No I don't think they will be sent out again as membership sales have now finished for the year as of ?yesterday.
Disappointingly the club finished with less then 24,000 members and my understanding is the club was very conservative in their budgetary expectation for members and only budgeted for 24,000 and they still couldn't achieve this. I know if the team is going well membership is up but I have no doubt that the membership dept can do ALOT more to sell memberships.

 

[Koalalill]

Disappointingly the club finished with less then 24,000 members and my understanding is the club was very conservative in their budgetary expectation for members and only budgeted for 24,000 and they still couldn't achieve this. I know if the team is going well membership is up but I have no doubt that the membership dept can do ALOT more to sell memberships.

The actual figured budgeted was 25,000. The 2002 budget figure was 29,000 (which we didn't achieve). I wont go into to the $$ again

Agrees Boss - all in all a very disappointing result

 

[Harry]

They better budget 15,000 for next year if the retain Frawely

 

[DragicevicFan]

The reserve seat area on Saturday was very empty, which may have been due to the forecast of rain and hail, but..

i think it has more to do with our boring style of play, even when we win it is boring to watch, stop start, kick it round the boundary then bomb it long to richo, crap footy which is not good enough

Until we adopt a more attacking gameplan, and actually give the fans something to be excited about, we will keep going backwards on the field, and membership numbers will continue to fall.

People are sick of watching crap football. Simple as that.

 

[The Boss]

Harry, will you buy a membership next year if Frawley is retained?

 

[PuntRoadRoar]

i got the letter aswell rosy, just thought it was the club trying to get us to sign a friend or another family member for membership.

and i will also be a member next year and the year after, i know im critical of my team but i will always be a member even when they recruit duds.

 

[Harry]

Harry, will you buy a membership next year if Frawley is retained?

The boss, would you invest in HIA if they were still around?

I go to the football to be entertained. If they are not entertaining me then I don't see the point. In saying this I've been a member for over ten years and I still might be next year but I can fully understand why alot of people won't. And trust me - you think 23,000 members is bad, just wait and see next years figures if drastic measures aren't taken with the coach and players.

I am not obliged to the RFC - I don't owe them anything. If anything they owe me, - they owe me the decency to be honest, to make the hard decisions, to make the obvious decisions which a layman can see, to show some direction, to play players with talent and potential and not washed up hacks, and to enter the 21st century and play a modern style of football.

 

[TigersGoddess]

I am not obliged to the RFC - I don't owe them anything. If anything they owe me.

It's attitudes like that which is why we have low membership numbers this year. If every supporter thought like that all I can say is that the club is screwed.

 

[Harry]

I am not obliged to the RFC - I don't owe them anything. If anything they owe me.

It's attitudes like that which is why we have low membership numbers this year. If every supporter thought like that all I can say is that the club is screwed.

If politics and greed didn't rule the world it would be a much more peaceful world. But it isn't - so its time to join the real world people.

 

[The Boss]

Harry, I think you mean HIH not HIA!!!

I'll buy a membership regardless of who is coaching. I think the sure way of attracting members to the RFC is for the club to start winning games and playing regular finals football. Whether Frawley is the man to do that remains to be seen, people have differeing opinions (and we all know what yours is!!!) I can see from your posts Harry you're a passionate but frustrated Tiger and I think you will be a member regardless of who is coach. Stick with tehm Harry, tough times don't last, tough people do.

 

[TigersGoddess]

If politics and greed didn't rule the world it would be a much more peaceful world. But it isn't - so its time to join the real world people.

Sorry I'm much more happier here in La La Land :

 

[Kafer]

Rosy, I think like I said before it has to be about more than onfield performance for us to improve or membership numbers.

From a comercial stand point we need to be offering the supporter a good reason to be a member of this club. When they purchase their memberships they need to feel good about it and feel as though they are getting value for money regardless of onfield performance.

As this is my first year as a Richmond member I haven't put much thought into what the answers are, but surely a starting point would be tidying up the membership department and making that process as seemless as possible.

This is a revenue generating department and needs to be professional in their approach, they can not rely on the fact that just because people support the club that they will automatically purchase their memberships at the start of the season. This has not happened.

We need to generate a culture within the club and supporter base that before the '04 season starts that we need to beat Collingwood's membership numbers, make it an off-feild victory to get the positive approach to the season.

Why don't they offer bonuses to members who renew their membership for '04 by the end of this season?

BTW was it the membership departments fault the newsletter went to the wrong database or was it the distribution companies fault?

if it was the distribution company I would not be paying that account, if not then that is an unforgivable mistake