Westcott Williams

English Heritage

Phenomenal growth in membership sales

What we did

We developed a sales programme to improve membership recruitment that resulted in sustained and substantial increases in strike rates (visitors to English Heritage sites being converted into members), with membership now accounting for more than £18 million (2010/11 year to date) as opposed to just over £12 million in 2005/06 when Wescott Williams first started working with this client.

Why we did it

In 2005, English Heritage -  the Government's statutory advisor on the historic environment - had a substantial deficit as a result of operating, preserving and promoting its extensive portfolio of historic buildings and monuments. The client realised that increasing member numbers was key to reducing this deficit and asked Wescott Williams to help build a model that enabled them to achieve this.

The scenario

• Early research identified the value members derive from membership is highest when they fully understand what is on offer and what it means for them as a customer. This required the membership sales process to be designed around individual customer needs, which was not the case historically
• Visitor services staff at English Heritage sites did not have the confidence, skills and, often, desire to 'sell' membership and there was a lack of understanding of the benefits membership offers to consumers
• There was no clear customer service process in place to enable visitor services staff to achieve the highest possible 'strike rate' (the proportion of visitors being converted into members)
• The pre-existing management style was very directive and not conducive to tackling the challenges identified
• Any performance improvement would need to be maintained going forward rather than just delivering short term gains

The approach

Wescott Williams and English Heritage worked closely together to devise and deliver the 'Just Ask and Listen' programme which addressed the pre-existing barriers to increasing membership sales they had jointly identified in consultation with staff and volunteers.

This best practice sales process was developed by harnessing the success factors experienced previously at the organisation's best performing sites. Through coaching and sales training, English Heritage people changed the way they interacted with visitors and were given the tools to build rapport, ask about customers' interests and listen carefully to their response before matching those interested to the benefits of membership and asking them to join.

Clear measures of success were agreed against which the impact of this activity has been regularly evaluated, providing a benchmark for modifications as the programme has developed. This has included more careful recording and interpretation of sales data and the commissioning of a mystery shop programme.

The client's commitment to sustaining early successes means the programme is now in its third phase, with Wescott Williams continuing the support future development needs jointly identified with the client.

The results

The success of the 'Just ASK and Listen' programme is clearly demonstrated in strike rates and income increases.

Phase 1: 2005: Programme Initiation

• An immediate and substantial increase in strike rates which reached record levels of 6.05% in April
• Income from membership increased by almost £300,000 in year 1 - from £1,672,414 in 2003/4 to £1,964,875 in 2004/5

Phase 2: 2006 - 2010: Programme refinement and consolidation

• One to one coaching with managers led to an immediate and profound effect - in 2006/07 a massive 21,585 more members were signed than the previous year, with a 1% strike rate increase resulting in a huge £428,000 in additional income
• Membership as an income stream rose from £12 Million in 2005/06 to just short of £18 Million in 2009/10 - accounting for 40% of earnings as opposed to 33% ten years ago
• These increases facilitated an investment of £200,000 in new sales personnel who provide regular coaching at site level to ensure ongoing success
• 2009/10 strike rates reached a new record of 8% in April 2010 and on-site membership increased by 23% to a record £2.62 million in March 2010

Phase 3: 2010 onwards: Future proofing the programme

• Wescott Williams is now 'coaching the coaches' to provide a keener focus on 'closing sales' and 'needs matching'
• 2010/11 is shaping up to be a record year - in August 2010 membership figures reached 120,315 - exceeding the target set for the whole year by 12,214 and 18,436 ahead of the previous YTD