With the current shakeup in the Association technology space with the merger of Abila, YourMembership and Aptify, association executives are left to wonder what will happen to services and products–not to mention their long-term relationships with their existing AMS partners–as a result.

If history tells us anything, when companies merge, there is also a clear and dominant player that rules the roost. Who will that be? And, what will the consequences and effects be?  Will associations be getting bids from three different companies that are owned by the same parent company? How will this impact associations and their members? All the answers to these questions remains a bit unclear.

Only association insiders have the existing relationships to understand the true implications of such a big corporate buy-out – and this is a small pond and word travels fast. Uncertainty is already the state of the current Association Technology environment. And what counters uncertainty? Only trust.

And trust comes from authentically knowing, and sharing, your culture (we’re talking to you, AMS vendors).  Because that’s what happens when you’re building relationships with your clients.  But how can you get ahead of it in a more imminent PR situation? It is an art and a science.*

So the question remains – what AUTHENTIC culture and marketing approach will win the day? (Because if it wasn’t obvious already, association folks can see right through spin.)  Will it be about the betterment of member resources, or the bottom-line?  And for the record, both end goals are totally legitimate.  People just want some honesty in the message.

Not to mention that competitors who see this as an opportunity can dominate the market, but only if their message is also spot on and they can differentiate THEIR culture….

Who should we trust? Only time will tell.

*We can help. Contact us.

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