Tips for Inviting and Recruiting

  1. Develop a strategy based on building Core Groups
  2. Be willing to spend 10 min. a day on PRE matters.
  3. Review personal contacts and Chamber member rosters, direct mail pubs such as Clipper Magazine, Val Pak, diner adv. place mats and the like. Companies that are advertising now are the most likely to be open to new ways to get customers.
  4. Use phone, social media, LinkedIn, email, and face to face contacts. The best way to reach one prospect may not be what works on the next one. Use the tools PRE has already developed. The site www.prenetworking.net has a link to a 94 sec. recruiting video that’s very worthwhile. Try always to have something to leave behind, even if it’s the web site link for the prospect. Don’t think you must reinvent the wheel to contact people. Work your warm market first. Personal relationships are important in PRE because they are important in nearly all businesses.
  5. Don’t oversell. Some people give too much information too early in the conversation. Our goal is to get a commitment to attend a meeting. Our goal isn’t a “join” decision before the prospect has even come to a meeting and met the other members. One approach is to simply offer the person a chance to meet other sharp business people who work really hard to find business for each other.
  6. After you have confirmed the attendance of your guest, inform your membership chair person. A best practice here for the chairperson is to email the other members about the forthcoming guest. This gives other members advance notice so they may be on best behavior, etc. Top recruiting chapters have at least one other member contact the guest prior to the weekly meeting where the guest will be attending, mentioning that he/she is looking forward to meeting them, that PRE is a really good thing, etc. To help the guest do well at the weekly meeting, spend a few minutes with the person properly preparing him/her for the meeting. Make sure he/she has a 30 sec. infomercial ready. When the guest is not properly prepared, it’s a reflection on you as a member.
  7. The Membership Chair is the 2nd most important office in the Chapter after the President. Proper follow up with guests has a very big influence on conversions from guests to members. Make sure you have a committed, enthusiastic person with good communication skills as your Membership Chair.