By Rhonda M. Strong, Vice President, Tennessee Division
rmstrong@eastman.com

What do you do to prepare for guests who visit your home?  Have you ever thought about becoming your own guest by treating your visitors with the same kindness and appreciation that you would expect?  Let’s explore how you would expect to be treated as a guest at your own meeting.

Who will greet you?  All IAAP Members—especially leaders will make it a point to welcome you with genuine enthusiasm. 

What will you find?  You will find members demonstrating friendliness and professionalism.  You will find members who represent their chapter and association well.  You will find members who are growing by stepping out of their comfort zones by greeting you and telling you they are glad you came.  You will find members who make you feel valued and important.

When do you feel welcomed?  Immediately and throughout the meeting.  Several members invite you to sit with them so they can get to know you.  After all, how many people are comfortable being alone when they don’t know anyone in the room?  Lucky for you, everyone (including you) will have a name tag, so you don’t have to concentrate too much on remembering everyone’s name. 

The members will want to know where you work, where you’re from, about your family, and about your career goals.  They will introduce you to several others in the room and tell you all about their chapter and IAAP.  They will share all of the great times they’ve had attending chapter, division, and international events.  They will talk about the networking and the awesome educational programs. 

The members are genuine and share a passion for this association.  They put you completely at ease; you have a great learning experience; and before you leave, several people invite you to come back to the next meeting and tell you how glad they are that you came. 

Where do you feel at home?  Everywhere.  A few weeks after the meeting when you see one of the members at the grocery store, she speaks to you and reintroduces herself to you.  She’s very friendly and invites you to come back to the chapter meeting next month.  This provides further proof that this organization is friendly and they are authentically interested in you and your development.  This organization must be special!

Why should you go back/join?  You leave the meeting with a sense of belonging and a good feeling about IAAP and the members.  You know professional organization is exactly what you need to enhance your career. 

How to prepare?  In preparing for guests to arrive, let’s compare this to having guests visit your home.

Clean House/Preparation

• Develop your meeting programs at least six months in advance and preferably one year in advance. 

• Dynamic speakers are a great way to increase attendance.  Advertise these speakers throughout your local business community.

• Having membership information on hand at every meeting gives the impression of preparedness.

The Invitation

• Give the topic, date, and location of each meeting.  Advertise your meetings.  The section on Publicity and Public Relations in the IAAP Leader’s Guide will assist you with this.

Environment and Comfort

• Using name tags at every meeting makes it effortless for members and guests to learn names.  Name tags also help your guests (and newer members) engage in conversation and provide them with a sense of belonging.

Post Dinner Conversation/Benefits

• Take the opportunity to communicate the benefits of membership to your guests and extend an invitation to join your chapter.

Instill the desire to want to come back again

• Offer to get together with them outside of the chapter meeting to discuss membership in your chapter and address any additional questions they may have.

• Obtain contact information for your guests and always follow up with a handwritten note thanking them for visiting your chapter, and invite them back to the next meeting.

Gifts for your guests/Door Prizes

• Before leaving, each guest should receive a small Welcome Packet with a letter stating that you are glad they came.  Include chapter meeting information, IAAP benefits, Membership Application, chapter contact information, as well as other relevant information. 

• Consider having a drawing for FREE membership at one of your IMPACT meetings.  The recipient will normally bring in at least one other new member and we all like those freebies!

For additional tips on how to treat guests, please read IAAP’s Chapter Success Tips article, “The Care and Feeding of Guests.”

One of my favorite quotes is by Mary Kay Ash who said, "Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, 'Make me feel important.'  Never forget this message when working with people."  When your chapter helps visitors feel important, you are creating a climate of trust and camaraderie.  Making others feel important can literally change your life and your relationships with others.

I challenge you to Become Your Guest.  After all, our guests really deserve to be treated like royalty so they truly feel like the guests of honor they really are.