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| New Gold Star Club in Jenks, OK |
Inviting
Visitors –
Let’s
Add A Little Silver to the Gold
Do you remember that little song that we used to sing in
rounds, “Make new friends – and keep the
old, One is silver and the other Gold”? I heard it on the radio the other day, and it
started me thinking.
Your Gold Star Referral Club or other networking group
already has a roster of the “old friends”
– people you know and regularly refer to. But what about adding in some NEW members
– getting a touch of some Silver in the mix?
Referral and networking clubs are designed to always have old and new members, constantly
mixing and meeting, to carry on the exciting, vibrant life of the clubs.
That’s why members can bring visitors, and why most clubs or groups have regular “Visitor” Days, where members
invite business owners they think might really enjoy being part of their group.
Gold Star members many times will give a special “Free Meal” ticket to their guests.
They greet the visitor when they come in, then take them around and introduce them to other Club members during that pre-meeting “chit-chat” time, telling everyone what business they’re with and how they know the visitor. The visitor then gets a free meal, and gets to witness an actual meeting, note the Agenda, observe how it all works, give a quick presentation of their own business, and even possibly get some referrals that day.
Gold Star members many times will give a special “Free Meal” ticket to their guests.
They greet the visitor when they come in, then take them around and introduce them to other Club members during that pre-meeting “chit-chat” time, telling everyone what business they’re with and how they know the visitor. The visitor then gets a free meal, and gets to witness an actual meeting, note the Agenda, observe how it all works, give a quick presentation of their own business, and even possibly get some referrals that day.
… So What’s the Importance of Inviting a Visitor?
1) Fresh Inspiration
a. The
atmosphere in any room changes when someone new enters – the “family dynamic” gets shifted and shaken
up.
b. Everyone
feels refreshed and re-inspired to
once more see Gold Star or their networking group through new eyes.
c. We
can all get comfortable with each other, laid-back with easy camaraderie. But
when someone new walks in, everyone’s antenna goes up – because you
automatically start seeing the room through the visitor’s eyes. It sheds new
light on the Gold and on the Silver!
2) New Opportunity for Referrals
a. Every
visitor who sits through your club’s meeting is a new person that each member now
gets to present with their business product or service – one more possible addition to your “marketing team.”
3) Potential
New Member (added value for each club)
a. 53% of visitors will
join a networking club soon after they visit. About half of those that don't join right away come back later to visit again and many times join then. New members help
your club in many ways; each one brings a new energy, a new presence to the
group. They always liven things up!
b. Every
new member has hundreds of contacts in
their lives, if not thousands. They become potent
potential referral sources for all of a club’s current members. New opportunities
for business can emerge from any one of those connections.
c. A
10% attrition rate is the industry standard for networking groups – as you know,
any number of things can happen in a business owner’s life that could cause them to
drop out during the year. They might move, change jobs, sell their business, or get promoted. With this natural loss of members to any business networking group, it’s
clear that in order to grow or even maintain size, a group will only stay healthy when it constantly attracts,
welcomes and embraces new members. And new members usually start as … Visitors!
So, go invite
someone! Let’s all work to make each Visitor’s Day a full house! And remember, you don’t have to wait for a scheduled
Visitor’s Day – Visitors are ALWAYS welcome!
My best,
Beth
