1. Great Meetings: A dynamic meeting is a club’s best sales tool. Great meetings don’t just happen; they require careful planning and an agenda. If you do nothing else, do this.
2. Meeting
Location: Confirm
if your meeting place is big enough, has good parking, easy access, low noise
and other amenities. Quality location = pride in club.
3. Attitude:
Everyone’s
responsibility. Members will gain more benefits from an active, healthy club. Member
understanding and buy-in.
4.Plan
for Visitors: Be
prepared before they visit. Have new member kits handy; assign a mentor right
away, if they join; schedule them for roles; and recognize guests and ask for
their comments. Have a plan and consistently implement it.
5.Invite
Guests: For
special occasions: speech contests, club fund-raisers, etc. People want
to be asked – ask them.
6. Short
Pitch: Have
a one to two minute verbal pitch/testimony that you can give someone on how
Toastmasters has benefited you. Make it personal.
7. Fliers:
See
Toastmasters catalog for a great selection or make your own. Post them.
8. Club
Newsletters: Circulate
to all club members, guests, and prospective members – it can be in print,
electronic, one page or multiple, but simpler is better. Hit the
highlights and showcase your members’ successes and membership benefits.
9. Club
Web site: Link
to the District and International Web sites. Relevancy and current, accurate
information.
10. Signs:
Order
“Toastmasters Meets Here” signs. Post them.
11. Newspaper
Notices: Place
club information in calendars of events. Free!
12. Local
Access TV: Have
community happenings notices. Also free!
13. Open
Houses: Host
a club open house and invite guests. Demonstrate results of Toastmasters program.
14. Community
Involvement: Volunteer
to evaluate or coach city hall meetings or to judge local high school/college
speech contests; staff a Toastmasters information booth at a community
festival; or host an open house for local business leaders. Exposure to
Toastmasters.
15. Membership Contests: Toastmasters has several pre-developed programs, or create your own. Have incentives and create friendly competition. Make it fun.
taken from an article by:
David McCallister, DTM
October 2007, Voices District 25 Newsletter