by: James Young
Come for the sprint; stay for the journey.
The product community does a lot of things. Namely, build capability in areas that associations typically underperform: creating new revenue through new products.
This simple table outlines how adopting a product community approach is substantially different from standard association practice.
| Standard Practice | Variable | Product Community |
| Member | Customer | Forever connected |
| Short-term | Lens | Vision-focused |
| Typical Association Fare | Products | Focused + Exciting |
| Rushed | Culture | Momentum |
| Ala Carte | Value | Leverageable |
| Revenue | Focus | Growth |
| Siloed | Staff | Aligned |
| Managing chaos | Outcomes | Managing the future |
| Fragmented | Planning | Integrated |
| Focus on distractions | Strategy | Focus on opportunities |
Product communities enable associations to:
- Grasp the landscape through focused customer interactions
- Allow the team to understand the customer
- Experiment, quickly and cheaply, with different solutions while observing how the customer responds
- Solve the customer’s problems
- Keep the customer connected
Product thinking is key to shaping the best customer experience possible as it helps to both identify problems and solve them. If you’re interested, schedule a conversation today.
About the Author
James Young is founder and chief learning officer of the Product Community®. Jim is an engaging trainer and leading thinker in the worlds of associations, learning communities, and product development. Prior to starting the Product Community®, Jim served as Chief Learning Officer at both the American College of Chest Physicians and the Society of College and University Planning.