From Guest to Member

Clubs struggle to get new members and keep them. This happens all the time, which begs the question, why? Me personally, I look at this as a business. If I was running a business and I had customers (guests) I would want to keep their repeat business (keep them interested and coming back). The same is true with a Toastmaster Club. However, not everyone looks at the world through the same lens as me. We have what we have until people decide to see and do things differently. If you always do what you have always done, you will always get the same results. If you club guests are not becoming members, it is time for you to change some things.

You need to give your guests a compelling Customer Experience (CX), just like any other business would. That is probably a lot easier for me to say than it is for you to do. None-the-less, it is necessary to revisit your guest experience and determine what changes your club may benefit from then implement those changes. You see, evolution takes place everywhere and society definitely change over the course of the last decade or two. In business, it used to be customer service through transactionally.

Now however, that standard has gone by the wayside. Today’s society wants an immersive experience with products and services designed from the customers perspective. We are fooling ourselves if we think that Toastmasters is the obvious answer, and everyone should just onboard the Toastmaster train because it is the “right” thing to do in order to get where you want to go in public speaking. Look around you at all the businesses you see. Heck, just look at your own desires not even everyone else’s. In our current society, “the experience is the brand”.

You truly do not need to look any further than your own self here. How many times have you said, “I am never going back to that place”? Clearly, if you said it then you had a bad experience there. Likewise, if your guests come to your meeting and then do not return…guess what…in their eyes, they had a bad experience. Your goal, of any guest, is turn that guest into a fan of your club. How does your club produce those “WOW and NOW” affects for your guest’s experience?

You want your guests to want your club NOW. You can only do this by giving them the WOW. Guests have certain expectations that need to be met. However, the WOW does not occur at that point. It happens when you EXCEED those expectations. That is where the delight of your guests is touched and making them hungry to join your club. They see the immediate benefit that your club will provide in moving them toward their personal goals. Any time we have guests at our meeting I make it habit to ask two questions at the end of the meeting. First I ask, “What did you see tonight that so enthralled you it guarantees you come back again”? After they respond I ask, “Are you ready to join”?.

If they say “No” they our meeting was a failure from that guest’s point of view. We did not provide that “NOW and WOW” factor. Something went wrong and we have work to do. If your guests say “No” or “Not at this time” then you are in the same boat. What will you change?

The obvious first place to go is the Moments of Truth. Your club should do a very deep dive into the Moments of Truth. What comes out may very well surprise you. Time and again I see clubs that think they are hitting all cylinders until they see the results. At that point the realization sinks in, and things change (assuming they want to save their club). If you want to do that deep dive visit our post about the Moments of Truth. There are resources at your disposal in the post.

In the Resource section below, you will find a brochure about the transition process of guests to members. Mao the items in the brochure to the items in Moments of Truth. I promise you will be amazed at the outcome and the plethora of things you can do to enhance your guest’s experience as you bring them the WOW factor. The success of converted a guest to a member is in your hands. The more you give them the WOW factor the greater your success in building that thriving vibrant club you are looking for.

Resources