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Is Your AMC Committed to Mediocrity or Excellence?

Michael LoBue writes: —   I just returned from the AMC Institute 2008 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.  Once again, this “gathering of the AMC faithful” did not disappoint.  There were many topics discussed and ideas generated from the rich interactions with the AMC members, as well as with all of the high quality associate members who provide a wide range of services AMCs utilize to support the successes of their client organizations (e.g., meeting venues, convention and visitors bureaus, printers, technology providers, insurance services, etc.)

The one topic that never ceases to interest me is how AMCs articulate the value of being a member of the Institute and being an AMC Institute accredited firm.  Clearly, the Institute members see the value or they wouldn’t spend the time and the hard cash on hotel, meals, airfare, etc. to attend these meetings.  We certainly have more than ample opportunity to travel to a wide variety of fine locations on behalf of our clients and their meetings, so it’s not that we need an excuse to get out of the office.

While the reasons may vary by firm for the investment of time and profits into this activity, I think there’s one universal reason why this type of investment is of value to our clients.  The clients of AMC Institute members benefit by our membership because membership and active participation in the Institute is a clear and tangible investment to provide the highest quality and value services.  It's the difference between good intentions and taking concrete actions to produce a positive result.

Let’s face it — the principals of every firm providing association management services don’t open their offices every morning with the thought:  “Wow, I’m really looking forward to another great day of providing our clients with mediocre service.”  Of course not, we all believe we’re providing the very best services possible.

However, there’s a difference between providing "our" very best services and "the" very best services possible.  Members of the AMC Institute are in a very tangible way investing their time and capital to learn what "the" very best services are, and how to provide them.

So, it matters to an organization that an AMC is at least a member of the AMC Institute because it’s a tangible sign of the firm’s investment in staying abreast of what constitutes “the” very best association management services — because the definition of “the very best services” is a moving target — and Institute members are investing in staying abreast of this moving target.  And for those organizations seeking the "gold standard" in service providers, there are the almost 40 AMC Institute Accredited AMCs, which not only practice these standards, but drive best practices to ever higher ground.

Besides, doesn’t it seem odd that a self-respecting association would higher a firm to provide association management services that is not a member of the AMC Institute?  Isn’t that a bit like going to a minister for religious guidance who didn’t attend a seminary, doesn’t belong to an organized church, or perhaps doesn’t even believe in god?

In fact, it's probably not much of a stretch at all the generally define an association management company as to whether or not that firm is a member of the Institute.  Membership in the AMC Institute constitutes the basic definition of being an AMC at all; AMC Institute Accreditation confers the gold standard for an AMC.

Selection Criteria

Michael LoBue writes:  Selecting the right AMC is very similar to selecting the right employee.  It's all about right fit and that is the result of several important process steps.  The one step in the process this post is concerned with is having a well developed selection criteria for the choice.

While this seems like a blinding glimpse of the obvious, it is surprising how many organizations go out to bid without having their selection criterial established until the selection committee sits down to have their first discussion about the proposals they just received.

One of the reasons for this critical omission is that the selection committee is often tired just getting the request for proposal (rfp) material together.  This is understandable as a high quality rfp package involves a great deal of work; the type of work that boards do not normally spend their time doing.

Another reason selection criteria are omitted is that they don't really seem necessary once the rfp material has been developed because the rfp material seems so complete.  The fact of the matter is — selection criteria are very different from the other elements in an rfp.  Selection criteria can be (should be) included in the rfp material, but when the criteria are not spelled out the chances of selecting the right fit becomes more of a chance-game than a deliberate outcome of the process.

There's no generic selection criteria that fit all situations.  The right selection criteria contain those characteristics that are discernable, if not measureable, and will allow the selection committee to observe differences between proposing firms.  They might include:

• Experience in the organization's line of business or profession
• Some threshold of capacity to accomplish the work
• Experience in some service area that is new to the organization, representing new services and       organizational opportunities
• Certain business process practices, perhaps certification for key staff and/or accreditation to industry standards for the firm
• The ability to serve as a public spokesperson for the organization

Once the selection committee has developed the criteria, the criteria should be provided to the bidders.  It's okay to adjust the criteria as the selection committee goes about their work.   In fact, it would be surprising if the criteria didn't drift a bit because this is typically a learning experience for the committee members.  If those criteria do drift a bit, those changes should be communicated to the bidding firms.

No, it is not sef-serving for a bidding firm to ask for criteria up front, although it is beneficial to the firm in developing their proposal.  The reason the bidders should establish their selection criteria ahead of time is because it will increase the likelihood of finding that right firm.   Not to tell the bidders means that the bidders have to engage in guess-work about what is most important to the selection committee.

Manage the risk inherent in searching for a new management firm by being clear about what is most important in the selection.  First, spend the time up front deciding the basis for your selections; second tell the bidding firms so they can present their skills and experience in terms that matter most to you and your organization.