Build Member Profiles in STAGeS
Chamber success has always been dependent on how well we know, and how well we serve our members. For decades, chamber leaders put too much focus on the size of a business or its sector to define members’ needs. These assessments, although helpful, were insufficient.
Understanding your target audience is key to building a thriving chamber of commerce. Membership growth isn’t just about recruiting—it’s about aligning your chamber’s offerings with the needs, motivations, and behaviors of your members and prospective members.
Not all members are alike.
Building personas using the STAGes framework can help more fully identify member’s needs and preferences.
The acronym STAGes provides a systematic approach to profiling your prospects and members, helping you understand their motivations for joining and determining how to better tailor your offerings to optimize engagement and retention.
STAGeS: Stage of Business, Time & Focus, Age, Genes, and Skills
Let’s break down each component of STAGeS and explore how it helps build actionable member profiles.
S: Stage of Business
Every business goes through stages of growth, from startup to scaling, maturity, and even renewal or exit. Each stage impacts a business’s joining decisions and the value they seek from the chamber.
Startups: Entrepreneurs in the early stages often need connections, resources, and mentorship. They are likely to join the chamber for access to business learning opportunities like financing workshops or pitch presentations. Many startups need professional service connections such as accountants, IT service providers too. Check for interest in online advertising to build their book of business.
Scaling Businesses: At this stage, businesses look for staff, developing their workforce, group health insurance and market expansion opportunities. Chambers that offer export information, connections into new markets or trade missions, leadership and team development programs, or lobbying efforts to reduce regulatory barriers and bureaucratic friction can appeal to this group.
Mature Businesses: Established companies might prioritize brand visibility and advocacy that broadens community influence. Some may be interested in learning more about the process of new product/service development or need help applying for awards and other recognitions. Sponsorship opportunities and leadership roles, such as serving as a mentor in the chamber align well with their interests.
Renewal or Exit: Owners preparing for succession or retirement may be drawn to programs focused on succession and exit strategies or mentoring emerging entrepreneurs. Wanting to pass on wisdom from years in business, some may highly value access to decision-makers.
Example: A startup tech company might join to access a mentorship program, while a mature manufacturing firm might sponsor a chamber gala for brand exposure or a Minister’s breakfast to support the chamber’s advocacy efforts to build new transportation infrastructure.
Start the assessment conversation with this question:
“Where would you say your business is in its growth journey—are you just starting out, scaling up, established and thriving, or planning for succession?”
T: Time & Focus
A business owner’s time and focus reveal a lot about their chamber engagement potential.
Time: Busy entrepreneurs may value asynchronous, on-demand resources like webinars, online directories, or virtual networking. Those with more availability might engage in in-person events or leadership roles.
Focus: Determine whether their primary focus is inward (growing their enterprise) or outward (contributing to the community). Do they want tangible goods and services from the chamber or are they looking to get things done through the chamber?
Enterprise-focused members want tangible returns, such as health insurance, leads or training opportunities.
Community-focused members are more likely to join to support advocacy, economic development, or social causes positively impacted through the chamber.
Assessing a prospect’s joining motivations by gauging both their availability of time and focus—on the enterprise or the community—impacts how that member engages with the chamber. As many chambers do, plotting these traits on a simple 2x2 chart, lends convenient labels to these characteristics and allows our membership services teams to better match attractive services:
Business Investor (Limited Time, Enterprise Focus)
Access to business information, IT or HR coaching, affordable print/online advertising, group health insurance.
Business Builder (More Time, Enterprise Focus)
Idea and innovation forums, career development mentors, opportunities to showcase their business through speaking engagements or competing for awards.
Community Investor (Limited Time, Community Focus)
Efforts that benefit their employees such as physician recruitment, political impact, connections to decision-makers.
Community Builder (More Time, Community Focus)
Leadership opportunities on the board or advisory councils, influence on industry/community decisions, feel-good events with positive people.
Examples: A busy retailer might prioritize group health insurance and quick access to IT coaching, while a community-focused entrepreneur might attend leadership programs and advocacy events. A restaurant owner focused on their business may join to get access to a “shop local” campaign, while a real estate developer with community ties may join to influence policy decisions such as reducing timelines for development approvals or steps needed to secure a building permit.
Start the assessment conversation with these questions:
“How much time do you typically have to participate in chamber activities—are you looking for quick, high-impact opportunities, or do you have more time for deeper engagement?”
“Are you primarily interested in how the chamber can help your business grow, or in how you can make an impact in the community through the chamber?”
A: Age
In Sarah Sladek’s most recent book, Member Shift, she articulates how generational differences shape values, needs, and decision-making processes, particularly decisions to join associations. By considering a prospect’s age, one can accelerate their decision to join and align services to their preferences.
Baby Boomers: Value face-to-face connections, leadership opportunities, and prestige. They are drawn to in-person networking and traditional sponsorships. At this stage in their career, there may be interest in mentoring younger business owners and those interested in career development.
Gen X: Appreciate practical benefits, such as office supply discounts that add purchasing power, affordable business advertising to attract clients, advocacy efforts, group health insurance or any initiative that can demonstrate savings in time or money.
Millennials: Seek purpose and impact. They are attracted to chambers that champion social causes and offer co-creation opportunities. They need to be invited to take membership and are looking to make a difference right away. Social media recognition is valued. Career development and skill development initiatives are attractive to this cohort.
Gen Z: Digital natives who value innovation and tech-forward initiatives. They feel no obligation to join and have infinite options to secure business information. They are likely to engage, when invited and will quickly assess the chamber through its apps, virtual events, and peer-to-peer learning. They also want their voice heard, to discuss ideas and would appreciate a leadership/advisory role early in their membership tenure.
Example: A Millennial marketing consultant might be drawn to innovation forums and social media showcases, while a Baby Boomer CEO might value political access and recognition. A Gen Z content creator would appreciate being asked to serve on an advisory council on a business or community issue and a Gen Xer, growing their wellness company will appreciate the stability of the chamber’s health insurance program.
Questions to start the assessment conversation:
“To which generational cohort do you most closely identify? (explain the birth date ranges for each cohort) ”
“What aspects of chamber membership are most appealing to you: networking and recognition, practical business resources, opportunities to make an impact, or access to innovative ideas?”
Ge: Genes
Entrepreneurial DNA can be categorized into four archetypes, as defined by Joe Abrahams, in his seminal 2011 book, “Entrepreneurial DNA”. They are Builders, Opportunists, Specialists, and Innovators. Recognizing which archetype your prospect aligns with helps in tailoring your pitch and services.
Builders: Focused on scaling operations. They join to access growth opportunities such as access to more in-house customer service personnel, finding distributors in new markets through trade missions or investor networks. Opportunities to improve their influence and negotiating skills would also be attractive.
Opportunists: might not be long-term chamber members. Motivated by quick wins and connections, these entrepreneurs jump often from one opportunity to another. Networking mixers and lead-generation events appeal to them. Connection to mature individuals with potential to invest are attractive to this group.
Specialists: Sometimes referred to as reluctant entrepreneurs, they know little about operating a business. They value expertise and credibility. They are drawn to professional development and certification programs. Access to HR or IT coaches, lessons from other entrepreneurs, community insights, recognition at awards galas for expertise, and connection to personal development mentors are attractive to these entrepreneurs.
Innovators: Thrive on creativity and disruption. Finding thought leaders and other innovators through innovation forums, access to think tanks, showcasing ideas, insights into new trends, business strategy mentorship and tech-forward events are their sweet spots.
Example: A Builder managing a growing logistics firm might join to access the chamber’s advocacy work on property tax or infrastructure policy, while an Innovator launching an AI startup might seek a chamber's access to a tech accelerator or coaching program where they can learn business and marketing techniques.
A question to start the assessment conversation:
“Which of these best describes your business approach: building and scaling, seizing opportunities, specializing in a niche, or innovating and disrupting?”
S: Skills
The last element of the STAGeS framework is a skills assessment. Assessing skills identifies whether the prospect is seeking growth opportunities or is eager to contribute to the chamber’s knowledge-sharing ecosystem. It ensures they are placed in programs that align with their goals and interests. The Skills element assesses whether the businessperson is looking to develop new skills (e.g., marketing, leadership, or personal growth) or is interested in teaching and mentoring others (e.g., facilitating workshops, serving as a mentor, or speaking at events). By understanding a member’s skills, the chamber can:
Empower Growth: Offer targeted training sessions or connect members with the right mentors.
Foster Leadership: Provide platforms for skilled members to share their knowledge, raising their profile in the community.
Build Community: Create a culture of collaboration and mutual learning, where members feel valued both as learners and contributors.
The Skills element enriches the STAGeS framework, helping chambers strengthen engagement, deliver value, and build a vibrant member community. Those needing to develop new skills can be matched to business coaches, career development mentors, advised of innovation forums and workshops on specific topics (e.g. IT, HR). Those wanting to share skills can mentor others, lead workshops, speak at chamber events or contribute expertise to advocacy efforts.
Example:
A marketing manager wanting to develop skills might join workshops on branding and advertising. An experienced HR consultant might lead sessions on hiring best practices or serve as a mentor for startups.
A question to start the assessment conversation: “Are there any skills you’d like to develop, or are there areas of expertise where you’d feel comfortable mentoring or teaching others?”
Putting STAGeS to Work
To build member profiles using STAGeS, consider creating an assessment survey or engaging in one-on-one conversations with prospects to assess their business stage, time & focus, age, entrepreneurial DNA, and skills. Use this data to design targeted member onboarding, tailor events, and personalize communication strategies.
For example, a Gen Z Innovator in the tech sector at the startup stage might receive a welcome packet emphasizing virtual networking and innovation grants, while a Baby Boomer Builder in the manufacturing sector might be directed toward advocacy groups and sponsorship opportunities.
The STAGeS framework helps chambers of commerce move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach, ensuring that your offerings resonate with members’ unique motivations and needs. By building detailed member profiles and leveraging this information, you can not only grow your membership but also create a more engaged and satisfied member base.