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Why “New Member Orientations” scare your members and what you can do

OK, so you finally signed up that new member you’ve been after for a couple of years. In addition, it was a great new member month and several other businesses joined as well.

Now what? It’s time for a NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION so that we can sit these new members down and tell them about all of the member benefits, programs, educational opportunities, government affairs issues, committees, Expos, Table Top events, golf events, meetings, networking opportunities and everything else we can think of.

Then, once the “orientation” is completed we can send the new member home with literally stacks of flyers, brochures, schedules and in some cases, whatever other paperwork that has been around the office way too long.

Imagine yourself as a new member…you get an email (hardly personal) or maybe even a postcard announcing the “new member orientation” and all of the things that will be covered over the sixty to ninety minutes. How compelling does all of that sound”?

Would it make you quickly clear your calendar so that you can go sit with a “bunch of strangers” and get a one-hour lecture?

Now, I am not suggesting that the “orientation” is a bad thing. I am suggesting that “perception is reality” in the mind of the new member. The word “orientation” has different connotations for different types of people and in many cases does not equate necessarily an important event or even a comfortable situation.

So, here’s the “secret” taken directly from a Rotary Club – instead of an “orientation” have a new member “induction”. An induction is a welcoming ceremony honoring the new member attendees.

Complete a phone to CALL all of the new members that you would like to “induct”.  (Leaving a voice mail is not a “completed” call)

Invite them personally to their new member “induction” to be held at the next General Membership dinner or luncheon.

Let the new member know exactly what is going to happen at the “induction” and DO NOT tell them they will have the opportunity to speak for 2-3 minutes and tell everyone about their company (that is terrifying for most).

Follow-up the completed call with a handwritten card or note repeating the invitation and thanking them for taking a couple of minutes on the phone with you.

DO fax or email them a quick 3 or 4 question document asking for some basic information about their business that someone else will read at the “induction”. This mini-profile can be used as a feature in the next newsletter as well.

DO let them know that their meal is complimentary and that there will be other new members “inducted” at the event.

DO inform them that they are being honored as a new member and will not be asked or required to do anything but sit and eat.

DO tell them they can bring a spouse, friend or business associate with them.

In the next newsletter make it a point to include a list of all of the new “inductees” whether they showed up or not. Include the mini-profile of each inductee in the newsletter as well.

Here’s a hot tip: Make a copy of the page in the newsletter that has the “inductee” information on it, attach a “sticky” note to it with a quick “congratulations and welcome” and send it to the new member in hand- addressed envelope with a real stamp.

The entire goal of having an “induction” is to remove any fear, discomfort and pre-conceived notions about what is going to happen. Part of the “secret” is to spell out clearly and personally what the process will be and remove all responsibility from the new member for this first “taste” of the Chamber.

I’m sure there are other steps that you can add to this process. Do not make it complicated and do not try to shortcut it.

The reality is that some new members will never show up for there “induction”. But, they will remember that you took the time to make a personal call, sent them a nice card, asked for information about their company and sent them a special copy of the page in the newsletter that included their information.

Remember, many new members never make it to the second year. What if you could “save” just one in every four by doing just a little bit more…?