It's easy to get excited about new technology. You may find yourself saying, "I never knew that was even possible" more than ever, lately.

There exists a network of folks around the country who value my opinion on emerging technologies and their application in the world of membership organizations. When technology vendors call chambers, these CEO's and staff respond with, "Call Kyle Sexton and then call me back." This gives me a unique opportunity evaluate new products and uses of existing technologies. If you're part of that network, I appreciate it!

My feeling is that consumers need baby-steps into new technologies. Case in point: When I discovered the Ning network, I saw amazing use of technology -- without overwhelming the user with options -- at a price and model that made sense for me to use it and promote it among membership organizations.

Shortly after, I discovered another company, Communities Online, that took the Ning concept to a higher level, with many many more options. Communities Online has, in my opinion, superior technology. (More on this in a future post.) Will the market respond positively to a superior product if they are confused by too many options?

So I'd like to tell you a tale. A "tale of two technologies" and how the business model must fit the technology before you go to the market. I've had some pretty interesting "GoTo Meeting" meetings in the last year, but one of the most alarming product pitches came in June.

Company One: Automatic lead-generation program for members. It's an independent web site that gives consumers a way to list their need, which would then immediately be emailed/text messaged to businesses capable of fulfilling the need.

If your water heater goes out on a Saturday morning, you can post a description of your problem, including photos or video, and businesses can bid online for your business. In this case, you'd be looking for a disaster recovery company to clean up the wet mess, and someone to install a new water heater... pronto.

This is a great service, and you can see how useful it will be. Certainly, this service could benefit a majority of businesses out there, but consumers will likely only think of home-contractor-type services for the highest use of the technology. This is about 10-20% of my membership, tops. Also, this is not a service that lives on your site, or get's branded as your chamber's product.

The pricing for this product requires that you enroll your entire membership in order to receive the benefit of the discounted price. It retails for $19.95/month, and your membership organization would pay only $4.95/month per member. Do the math on that for your organization right now. I came up with $73,062 per year, about 7% of my annual budget. Bottom line: The technology is irrelevant as long as the pricing is ridiculous.

Company Two: Virtual trade show gives your members a way to market and promote. This company was totally different in their approach. They wanted my feedback on their offering, so I gave it to them.

Imagine, on your computer screen is a sleek, modern-looking display space with a half-round enclosure. Straight ahead is the trade show sign displayed as the company name and logo. To the left, a flat-screen TV mounted to the virtual wall, a YouTube video preloaded and ready to play. On the right, a virtual brochure rack with downloadable PDF's yours for the clicking. Upfront and slightly left is a fishbowl. Click on it and you are greeted with a small pop-up which asks for your name and email address so you'll be entered to win a special gift. Like Company One's, this product is heavy on the cool.

Their menu initially included an year-round platform for chambers and related business organizations. Today, they have a tiered menu which allows your organization to use a trial version of the platform which you can use to create a virtual trade show along with your actual trade show. These are the types of (highly sponsorable) products which generate buzz about your product. Interactive spaces like these are why Facebook is the top-ranking web site in pageviews per user.

The adjustment in their menu provides a baby step into the product. Once you're there, you'll want it year-round.

Kyle Sexton is a business marketing strategist and director of business development for the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce. He is a highly-rated speaker and trainer among small business associations and chambers of commerce. His innovations and work have been featured in The Wall Street Journal and other national publications and websites. He can be reached at kyle [at] fastchamber.com, or 888-899-8374.