1. Ken Sutcliffe Global Leadership Team
District 105C Lions Information Day So you think you’ve found a new member..... (Seven Steps to Success) 7th May 2017
Thanks Michelle. Michelle shared with us techniques to really get the message out sell what we do and what Lions can offer. Interested people are a vital first step, but how do we get them to commit to join? Indeed, if we do get them to join, how do we make sure we mee their aspirations? In the next forty minutes I would like to share an approach that will help your club achieve more certain success.
Ken Sutcliffe
Global Leadership Team

2. Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe
Learning Objectives
At the end of this session you should:
Recognise the barriers to be addressed to convert prospects into active members
Appreciate the potential to secure commitment through the 7 steps method
Understand the key elements
Be prepared to give the method a try
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

3. So you think you’ve found a new member.....
Why do prospective members fall away?
Before they actually attend a club meeting:
Discussion.
Age group
Club status quo - change causes discomfort/disruption.
Personalities/Ego’s
Not enough fun
etc
End with: Clubs failure to meet the new members aspirations
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

4. Barriers – Initial contact
Lack of priority
Lack of ownership
Late/haphazard follow up
Inadequate personal contact
Leave it to the prospect to follow up
Effective engagement will help to move prospects to active club members
We are the main barrier to drawing new members into our clubs. Do we recognise any of these failings? It is all too easy to fail to grasp an opportunity when it arises. Timing can be critical, we must strike while the iron is hot!
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

5. Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe
Why 7 Steps to Success?
Engagement and commitment through tried and tested techniques
Focuses on the benefits (what’s in it for them)
Promotes the surfacing and removal of resistance (objections)
Closes the deal which is the most important step
Following up essential
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

6. Recommended Approach to Engaging a New Member(s)
Make club aware of specific interest
Ensure there are no overriding objections to seeking to secure the new member.
Consider how best to approach the prospect from his/her perspective
Use 7 Steps to engage the prospect
Use 7 Steps also to gain commitment of Club to acceptance, integration and speedy engagement
Then benefit from another active new member....
Consider how best to approach the prospect from his/her perspective –
Who / Where / When / Personal contact / style – formal/informal
Decide objectives of get together
Use 7 Steps to gain commitment of prospect
Decide follow up steps
Use 7 Steps to gain commitment of Club Members to engage
Style
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

7. Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe
Engaging a Prospective New Member
Steps 1-3
Prepare
Be clear on your objectives
Assess the prospect’s values /interests
Gather facts relevant to the above
Agree approach (eg 20% /80% talk/listen)
Consider how to respond to objections
Open
Introductions
Put prospect at ease
Establish aspirations
Agree what you will cover
Watch body Language
Sell the Benefits
Weighted to the prospects values
What you gain from membership
What the prospect can gain from membership
What the benefit is to the community etc
Do not promise unrealistic benefits
Plan for success 1
Gain attention 2
Plan what you want to achieve before hand. How much do you know about the person? Who would be best meeting the person (common interests / chemistry)? What reaction might you expect?
Open to learn more about the person, test/adapt the plan. How would Lions benefit him/her and meet aspirations?
Sell the benefits of joining in terminology that suits his/her frame of reference. Explain that the club can open up opportunities to achieve far more than he/she would alone. Every penny counts etc. Talk with passion and aim to connect.
Passion is infectious 3
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

8. Steps 4-7 Engaging a Prospective New Member No surprises downstream
Tell the Facts
Explain what Lionism entails
We pay our own way
What the club gets involved with
Why we need new members
We can all make a difference
Overcome Objections
Encourage prospect to raise any barriers
Barriers may be emotional reaction
Acknowledge and empathise
Offer ways in which barriers can be resolved
Do not rush, turn concerns into positives
Close the Deal
Remind again of the benefits
Gain acceptance and confirm
Leave no room for doubt
Acknowledge follow up required
Without this step, you have wasted your time!
No surprises downstream 4
From resistance to engagement 5
Tell the facts, if you do not know say so. The agreement to be struck is only relevant to the facts you present. Then open up discussion and seek to discover objections. Handling this element requires some skill but there are approaches and methods that can be learnt to help. Peel away any objections by responding with positives. The most important step is step 5 – closing the deal. Agree the next steps with the prospect and confirm understanding. Think about how a car salesman clinches the sale, or a timeshare tout! Follow up shortly after the meeting to reinforce what was agreed and to keep human contact.
Commitment secured! 6
Follow Up 7
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

9. So you think you’ve found a new member.....
Why do prospective members fall away?
After they attend a club meeting:
Discussion.
Age group
Club status quo - change causes discomfort/disruption.
Personalities/Ego’s
Not enough fun
etc
End with: Clubs failure to meet the new members aspirations
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

10. Potential Barriers in a Club
Cultural Resistance
Emotional Resistance
Preserving the Status Quo
Poor Engagement
Failure to meet a Prospects Expectations
Effective engagement will help to ensure long term commitment
Often we are oblivious to the barriers that we present to prospective members. Club culture– may be age, language, dress code, different preferred futures /goals, threatens my status etc. Style- formal vs informal. Frame of reference – more of the same. Emotional – visible as body language etc. any change in team dynamics threatens disruption. Disruption generates resistance which can be openly expressed negatively “We are OK as we are” or more subtle where someone will switch off and not become involved. Long standing clubs may fight to preserve the status quo in the club. Often we are uncertain how to engage a new member. All the above will result in the club failing to meet potential new members expectations and they will leave.
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

11. Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe
High Level Approach
Make club aware of specific interest
Make sure there are no overriding objections to seeking to secure the new member.
Consider how best to approach the prospect from his/her perspective
Use 7 Steps to engage the prospect
Use 7 Steps also to gain commitment of Club to acceptance, integration and speedy engagement
Then benefit from another active new member....
Consider how best to approach the prospect from his/her perspective –
Who / Where / When / Personal contact / style – formal/informal
Decide objectives of get together
Use 7 Steps to gain commitment of prospect
Decide follow up steps
Use 7 Steps to gain commitment of Club Members to engage
Style
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

12. Gaining the Commitment of Club
Prepare
Open
Sell the Benefits
Tell the Facts
Overcome Objections
Close the Deal
Follow Up
Prepare:
What would be in your plan to introduce a new prospect seamlessly to your club?
Resistance of club
Prospects expectations and emotional needs
Consider – laying the groundwork – introducing to key influencers before the meeting. Assigning a suitable mentor, pick prospect up and bring to meeting. Or meet beforehand. Make sure prospect is prepared to talk a little about themselves.
Consider early project involvement. Maybe take to a charter of District event. Informal chat with prospect every month, how is it for them? Make sure club is comfortable with new member 3 months down the line before agreeing membership.
Prepare a plan
Improving Commitment - Ken Sutcliffe

13. Gaining the Commitment of your Club
Prepare
Open
Sell the Benefits
Tell the Facts
Overcome Objections
Close the Deal
Follow Up
Gain commitment to the plan by following the remaining steps
Same approach can be used to onboard an individual or the whole club
Bring out resistance (objections) with words such as ‘Does anyone see any problems in what I have proposed?’
Close the deal with words such as: ‘Are we in agreement that .....’ If there was an objector ask them the question personally.
Improving Commitment - Ken Sutcliffe

14. Improving Commitment - Ken Sutcliffe
High Level Approach
Make club aware of specific interest
Make sure there are no overriding objections to seeking to secure the new member.
Consider how best to approach the prospect from his/her perspective
Use 7 Steps to engage the prospect
Use 7 Steps also to gain commitment of Club to acceptance, integration and speedy engagement
Then benefit from another active new member....
Consider how best to approach the prospect from his/her perspective –
Who / Where / When / Personal contact / style – formal/informal
Decide objectives of get together
Use 7 Steps to gain commitment of prospect
Decide follow up steps
Use 7 Steps to gain commitment of Club Members to engage
Style
Improving Commitment - Ken Sutcliffe

15. Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe
Any Questions?
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

16. Prepared to give it a try?
Open
Sell the Benefits
Tell the Facts
Overcome Objections
Close the Deal
Follow Up
So we have a system that is:
Proven technique for negotiation,selling,change etc
Structured and straightforward
Needs less effort downstream
Secures commitment
Promotes shared understanding
Useful skill for all walks of life
What’s to stop you giving this a try?
Open discussion, gain agreement to try. 6 min
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

17. Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe
Summary
We have covered
Importance of effective engagement of prospective members
Barriers to converting prospects to active members
The basics of the7 steps method of engagement and how it can be applied to recruitment and indeed many other situations
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe

18. Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe
Outcomes
Objectives of session:
Recognise the barriers to be addressed to convert prospects into active members
Appreciate the potential to secure commitment through the 7 steps method
Understand the key stages
Are you prepared to give the approach a try?
Seven Steps to Success- Ken Sutcliffe