Fans welcome tired swimmers to the beach

When a guest shows up at your club meeting, how do you treat them? If your organization is like most, one or two of your members will make the cursory introduction while the majority doesn’t make an effort. In fact, most people will not acknowledge that there is a guest even there.

What kind of message does that send to your visitor? The answer to that question is obvious. It sends the wrong message. You are telling the guest that they don’t really matter.

The message that you want to send is, “Hey, we want you to be one of us!”

Here are 5 ways you can make a visitor feel like they belong:

1) Everyone, and I mean everyone, acts excited when a guest takes the risk of attending your meeting. You goal here is to make them feel the love. Done properly there should be no way for the visitor to remember the names of all the people they met. There should be, literally, a line of people waiting to meet the guest.

2) Announce their presence during the meeting. “Let’s welcome Bob to our meeting. Bob is a computer programmer on finance team. Bob, we thank you for taking time to attend our meeting.”

3) After the meeting ask the guest if they have any questions. If they do, answer them. If they don’t, make sure they know what the club is all about. Ask them why they attended and then describe how the club can help them.

Tell them about Web site or give them a flyer. At this point someone in the club should make sure they have the guest’s contact information. Make certain you include the mailing address.

4) Tell the guest how the club can benefit from having them as a member. This is perhaps the most important thing that you can do. People need to feel valued and this is a great way to do it. Do not skip this. Do not be vague about this. “Our club would really benefit from having you join. We currently have no members with your background and we could learn a lot from you.”

5) Follow up with a hand written thank you note. There is nothing, NOTHING, like receiving a hand written note. It just makes you feel great to get one. Here’s a huge secret: as good as it is to get one, it feels even better to write one. Make it a part of your organization’s processes.

If you don’t make an effort to let your guests know that you value them they will leave thinking that you don’t want them in your club. Don’t let that happen. You want them to feel like “one of us.”

Here is how you can get started.

Get the cards!
Chances are you don’t have Thank-you notes close by. If you do, find them. If you don’t, go get some. I like blank cards and cards with “Thank You” written on the outside. Whichever style you choose, make sure that they are made from excellent quality paper. They need to feel nice when you hold them. Stationery stores are excellent places to find just the right cards.

You can find custom made cards on the Web. I am quite fond Katie Blair and her note cards. She makes great cards. She made the cards in the photo.

Oh, make certain that you use a pen. This is a pencil free zone.

Write the note!

When do you send a Thank-you note? This one is easy. Send a card when someone gives you a gift or does something nice for you.

For example, send a card whenever someone:

• flies on your plane (Kelley, the AA flight attendant).
• agrees to speak with you on the phone
• forwards you information about a job lead
• interviews you for a job
• agrees to be a reference for you
• takes you to dinner
• gives you tickets for an event
• buys you a gift

It is best to send the note immediately. Don’t use tardiness as an excuse to not send a note. Send the note; late is better than never.

Be yourself. You should let the excitement show. It will make the recipient happy to know that they genuinely enjoyed the experience of the gift.

Describe the gift or experience in the note. Emily Post has examples of cards mentioning the amount of monetary gifts. It goes on to say that including a specific amount is optional. What isn’t optional is saying what you plan to use the money for.

If you receive tickets you should discuss how much you enjoyed the show. If you didn’t enjoy it you should act like you did. Be grateful that someone thought enough of you to give you a gift.

The most important thing: Just do it. Write the card and send it.

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