2020 Directory

12 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .20 | www.aia-wyoming.org Membership Development Committee Everyone is a Salesperson! BY DALE BUCKINGHAM, AIA Committee Members: Dale Buckingham, AIA, Chair Rachel Delventhal, AIA Bruce Hawtin, FAIA Carl Kohut, AIA D epending on our past experiences, we all have images that pop into our heads when we hear the word “salesperson.” If you are like me, nothing bothers me more than an aggressive, pushy salesperson who tries to convince me to buy something when they have no idea of who I am or what needs I actually have. Those types of unpleasant experiences have left a negative connotation of sales in my mind, and I work hard to avoid these situations. On the other hand, I have many good experiences where a salesperson did not shove their product or service down my throat, but instead took time to take me through the tried and proven steps to help me see my need for what they offer. What does that process look like? First, they take the time to understand who I am and my needs concerning what they have to offer. Second, as they continue to learn my situation, they develop a relationship and a level of trust with me to the point where I truly believe that they have my best interest at heart. Third, they continue to provide lots of information and education about the product or service they offer and why it will be a good fit for me. Only after a very thorough process of working through these three steps do they offer to seal the deal with me, and even then are never pushy. Through my years as chair of the Membership Development Commit- tee for AIA Wyoming, I have consistently emphasized the importance of our current members making grassroots, relational contacts with those they know who will benefit from what AIA Wyoming offers. This requires a commitment of effort and time to reach out to our young, emerging professionals, learn what their needs are, and how AIA Wyo- ming can meet those needs. We can do this by providing informational materials and mentoring that allows them to see the long-range advantages available to their respective careers by joining our statewide chapter. Suppose we simply tell others that they need to join up when we have no relationship or background. In that case, it comes across as a pushy sale, even if we are sincere in understanding membership advantages. To facilitate the committee’s mission “to enhance the membership experience,” we continue to promote opportunities for members to rub shoulders with each other and grow networking opportunities, as well as continue to highlight the many benefits of belonging to AIA at both the national and state level. These activities are born out of one of our committee’s goals to “increase the visibility of the member services and benefits.” By doing so, every member should have a firsthand testimonial to relay to qualified architects, interns and potential allied professionals related to our industry. Take time to develop a genuine relationship with them, learn what they need to be successful, and provide them the supporting information from AIA about how our organization can assist them. In so doing, you will find that you will gain a new understanding of the profession and how our work is evolving. If you get some pushback and criticism about our chapter’s perceived deficiencies, don’t be offended. Instead, please focus on the positive aspects of the association’s impact on you and indicate that we are always striving to improve and consider any suggestions as we navigate these times of uncertainty and unrest, economically and socially. As we all find the right balance of giving into the chapter and reaping the benefits, I am convinced we will continue to grow and get stronger. b