C LOSING T HE S ALE T HE P ATH F ROM P ROSPECT TO N EW C LUB Eileen Wolfe, DTM, PID Region Advisor Region 8

W HY C LUBS A RE B UILT Two Fundamental Goals Stated in The District Mission Enhance the performance of Toastmasters clubs Extend the network of clubs

W HY C LUBS A RE B UILT Increased clubs mean a greater number of people will experience the benefits of Toastmasters educational program Provides district officers with an opportunity to develop and extend their own leadership skills Excellent way to promote the publics awareness of Toastmasters

T YPES OF C LUBS Community Clubs Those meeting in the community which do not have corporate affiliations Usually meet in community rooms, restaurants, churches, schools, libraries or where ever community groups meet Usually open to all interested persons over the age of 18 However a few are restricted to residents or membership of a particular community or people sharing a special interest Open Clubs Membership is these clubs is open to people 18 years or older, subject to a vote of the club membership Most community clubs are open clubs

T YPES OF C LUBS Closed Clubs If a club is limited to a certain group of people, it is a closed club A typical reason for a club to be closed is to allow only employees to join There is some practical reason for a corporation to have a closed club Corporation is furnishing part or all of the dues Compensating employees in some way, bonus, education credit, time off Security issues – sites restricted to corporate badges, ID A club may be closed to the public and be open only to any group that is not specifically outlined in Toastmaster International policy as being discriminatory. Bylaws of the club should spell out clearly to whom the club is open, to avoid problems Most corporate clubs are closed clubs Since many companies do not want non-employees on the premises, the bylaws of these clubs limit membership to employees only Membership in any club is never restricted because of race, color, creed, gender, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or physical or mental disability

T YPES OF CLUBS Employer wishes to sponsor a club for their employees Club meetings usually held on company premises Most operate during business hours or at lunch time Open only to employees: Dues and supplies are paid by the company Club meets on company premises Corporate Clubs

P ROSPECTING FOR NEW CLUBS Find out about existing clubs in the area or division. Target communities large enough to support a club. Convince major corporations or other large organizations to form new clubs. Follow up on leads sent from World Headquarters. 40+ clubs can often be split into two.

Select your prospects wisely Spend some time researching your community and determining the most likely prospects Spend your valuable time selling toastmasters to companies that are most likely to need one Dont spend time selling to the wrong customer Select your prospects wisely Spend some time researching your community and determining the most likely prospects Spend your valuable time selling toastmasters to companies that are most likely to need one Dont spend time selling to the wrong customer P ROSPECTING FOR NEW CLUBS

Qualify your prospects further What is the companys size, location and revenue? Who are the key contacts that can be isolated in departments such as personnel, training, HR Finance or the office of the president? Does the company invest in training for employees? What are the companies priorities? Is the company conservative? Into high growth with executives willing to take risks with products and services offered? What are the companys strategies, mission, key initiatives? Is there any recent research, recent news or a web site about the company? What is the business focus Qualify your prospects further What is the companys size, location and revenue? Who are the key contacts that can be isolated in departments such as personnel, training, HR Finance or the office of the president? Does the company invest in training for employees? What are the companies priorities? Is the company conservative? Into high growth with executives willing to take risks with products and services offered? What are the companys strategies, mission, key initiatives? Is there any recent research, recent news or a web site about the company? What is the business focus P ROSPECTING FOR NEW CLUBS

Brush up on features and benefits. You are marketing to corporate executives, you need to sell the benefits Boosting their return on investment Reducing turnover Refining employees presentation skills Achieving more effective meetings Improving leadership skills Promoting better teamwork Increasing loyalty Brush up on features and benefits. You are marketing to corporate executives, you need to sell the benefits Boosting their return on investment Reducing turnover Refining employees presentation skills Achieving more effective meetings Improving leadership skills Promoting better teamwork Increasing loyalty P ROSPECTING FOR NEW CLUBS

Send a letter of introduction Send a nicely written letter of introduction to the executive you need to meet Letter identifies you as a volunteer in Toastmasters and explains why you are asking for an appointment Explain the benefits of the introductory meeting to the executive Make first contact Pick up the phone and call the contact. Introductory letter was your warm-up Cant close the sale if you dont meet Stress the benefits of the program and request 20 minutes with the executive Send a letter of introduction Send a nicely written letter of introduction to the executive you need to meet Letter identifies you as a volunteer in Toastmasters and explains why you are asking for an appointment Explain the benefits of the introductory meeting to the executive Make first contact Pick up the phone and call the contact. Introductory letter was your warm-up Cant close the sale if you dont meet Stress the benefits of the program and request 20 minutes with the executive P ROSPECTING FOR NEW CLUBS

Present TIs program to the Executive Be prepared, do your homework Offer several excellent brochures especially those focused on corporate club building Reiterate benefits and give examples of TIs success with other corporations Answer questions and respond politely to any objections Confirm their support for an in-house club – CLOSE THE SALE Get them to sign the application form Discuss dues and what the company is prepared to pay Schedule the Demonstration meeting Present TIs program to the Executive Be prepared, do your homework Offer several excellent brochures especially those focused on corporate club building Reiterate benefits and give examples of TIs success with other corporations Answer questions and respond politely to any objections Confirm their support for an in-house club – CLOSE THE SALE Get them to sign the application form Discuss dues and what the company is prepared to pay Schedule the Demonstration meeting P ROSPECTING FOR NEW CLUBS

F ORMING A COMMUNITY CLUB

F ORMING AN ADVANCED CLUB Advanced Clubs Special club to focus on developing advanced skills Members hear advanced-level presenters and receive evaluations and feedback from experienced members Must have minimum of 20 members Some insist on membership in another club (dual membership) Most require members to have received the Competent Communicator or the Advanced Communicator Bronze award They follow the same charter requirements as other clubs If dual membership is required only 3 of the first 20 can be Transfer members If the club chooses not to have dual membership, only 3 of the first 20 can be Dual members

S PLITTING A C LUB When a club becomes very large, it becomes difficult for the club to provide the services that are the hallmark of the Toastmasters program Members have difficulty getting on the agenda to speak They have difficulty in becoming a part of the clubs formal leadership

W HEN TO SPLIT If a club approaches 35 members then it becomes very difficult to provide speaking slots for everyone A typical lunch time club usually only has 2 slots per meeting, 100 per year That means that if all goes well less than half its members will earn a CC in a year Toastmasters International recommends that a club has 20 – 30 members Clubs with more than 40 members may benefit from splitting into two clubs Before the club can split, members must agree to it Be sure that experienced, active members are evenly divided between both clubs

S PLITTING A C LUB The Process Application to organize, - indicate club split Club and Officer information report Charter member list ( indicate club split and the number of the club from which members are transferring) Constitution and standard bylaws for clubs of Toastmasters International Charter remittance Notice

F ORMING A C ORPORATE CLUB

C LOSING THE SALE Step 1: Set Up A Kick- Off Meeting Have the group, community, company arrange for at least 20, ideally a lot more to attend a 1 hour meeting The key to this meeting is to: Get as many attendees as you can Get as many people from the company participating in some way If they participate they will want to join

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Sample Agenda Welcome Introduction & explanation of key meeting roles Toastmaster Timer Ah counter & Grammarian General Evaluator Evaluator Topics Master Table Topics Session Introduction of speaker Speaker Evaluation General Evaluation Discussion of Charter Process Toastmasters dues structure Club dues

C LOSING T HE S ALE Decision as to whether to use new speaker or experienced speaker Experience shows that an experienced speaker is much more effective It shows Toastmasters is not only a professional organization but attendees have something to aspire to Speaker Have the audience participate in the evaluation Coach them – give them ideas what to look for, beginning, body and conclusion, did the speaker connect etc. Have the evaluation directly following the speech so it is fresh in their mind Evaluation

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TAG Team Timer: 2 volunteers work with the timer. One runs the clock and the other takes down the time and gives the report to the group Ah Counter: 2 volunteers count Ahs and ums Grammarian: At least 1 person works with the Grammarian focusing on positive aspects of the speech from the perspective of grammar The Close Hand out applications and help them to complete it If a corporate club, clarify what responsibility the organization will responsibly take Make a big deal about being a charter member and implore everyone to join

F OLLOW -UP Area Governor and mentors and sponsors should be at kickoff meeting.Set a date for the next club meeting T first meeting do an orientation of what will be happening in this meeting and subsequent meetings Send a thank you note and meeting reminder notice to all new membersSend a thank you note and meeting reminder notice to all attendees Communicate with temporary officers and confirm meeting roles for next meeting Plan Charter Presentation meetingCLOSE THE SALE!!