WIN Visitor Day Guide - Women In Networking

Visitors are the keys to a highly successful WIN Chapter.

How do we get them to visit?
What encourages them to join WIN?
What are the WIN benefits for new members?
Is there an agenda or assistance for a Visitors Day (VD)?
How often should we do them?

KNOW YOUR WIN MEMBER BENEFITS. Remember it is all about your VISITOR!

BENEFITS for NEW WIN MEMBERS:

We are an all-female company providing exclusivity of your profession to lock out your competition.
We provide structured meetings, so we pass referrals over leads.
Our cost-effective and time-saving model is well within your budget at $125.00 annually and a one-time set up fee of only $25.00.
Our robust website tracks and measures all referrals so that we can ensure our members are receiving referrals versus leads.
Our website provides you six (6) social media opportunities to promote your brand and attract business through outside chapter exposure.
Training is provided online to save time for the busy women of WIN.
We provide opportunities for professional and personal growth.
Our community-based model serves the community by providing a FREE charity seat for each chapter in your area once the chapter reaches 20 to 25 members.
Speaker’s Bureau for vetted WIN members.
We provide an author’s corner for any WIN member who has published a book and wants to reach out to all the WIN members in our organization.
Weekly 30-second commercial and a 10-minute presentation to promote your business once it is scheduled with your chapter.
Virtual business card option.
Increased community outreach opportunities with Chamber of Commerce FREE seat.
Become recognized as an expert in your field and increase your brand visibility.
Ability to create and place articles on our website to create more brand awareness.
Dues waived when serving in a leadership role in WIN.

STRATEGICALLY INVITE TO GROW YOUR CHAPTER SO ALL CURRENT MEMBERS WIN!

Be certain to have every member engaged in this process. How do you do that? Start with current members’ best referral sources and then strategically invite your visitors so that current members meet new connections at your VD. Whether that visitor joins or not, your member made a NEW connection!

Once you have identified the professions you want to add to your chapter, then find out if anyone in your chapter has contacts in those professions. Then broaden your search and look to social media to find eligible ladies. While Facebook can assist in identifying potential visitors, your biggest opportunities might be found on LinkedIn. Search the relationships you already have by category and location. If you see someone you want to invite, reach out to them, and invite them to visit. Also let them know they can bring other interested entrepreneurs and professional women interested in joining. All your current members on LinkedIn can participate in conversations back and forth on LinkedIn about your upcoming VD. This provides more opportunities for reach! If you want to utilize the WIN LinkedIn for your VD, you need to first become a follower on our page. Go to the WIN website and click on the LinkedIn logo and follow. Then we can also respond to help others learn more about your VD event.

Send out email invitations a minimum of four (4) weeks prior to your VD. Every week get names and business categories of confirmed visitors. Be certain you are not duplicating categories already in your chapter. At the meeting, everyone should be wearing a name badge, so introductions are easy and memorable. First name and category will help break down the walls and encourage communication. Seat your visitor next to an existing WIN member and then both your visitor and your member have a potential new connection. Try to seat them next to a potential referral partner since you know their category.

Room set up is important. Your sign in table needs to be upfront with sign in sheets. Determine if you will use a speaker. This can increase your opportunities for visitors if you make your topic interesting for a small business. A compelling topic and title are key to pulling in more visitors. Be certain to provide value for your speaker by posting in your Facebook and LinkedIn pages as that also encourages and helps your members do that with their connections as well. This creates conversations and engagement which invites more reach on each of the platforms you utilize!

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO INVITE:
PUTTING UP AN EVENT ON FACEBOOK TO PROMOTE

Get your members to invite with Facebook and have them engage and share.
Utilize the Facebook events invite feature to help with follow up.
Each week review with members the status of their visitors.
Need help or have questions, reach out for assistance with your VD event to Bobbie Hennessy (bobbie@win-nc.com). She can advertise your VD event in WIN’s Google Business Profile for more reach! Provide a picture for her to use and place event information at the TOP of your chapter’s landing page.
Determine who in your chapter is well versed in social media and can assist members so all know how to use Facebook to the fullest.

You can use what WIN means to me from an existing member. It would be helpful to make arrangements with the member ahead of time so she can have something prepared.

To do the 30 seconds or not. Perhaps less time so all members are introduced. Decide based on how many visitors are coming and the size of your chapter. Visitors go last.

They need to know the offering. (See above listing of benefits.)

Food is nice, but not essential. Perhaps coffee and donuts or rolls or just coffee.

What part does each member’s social media play in this process and who can help here? Assign duties so everyone knows what is expected and perhaps a “mock” VD run through would be helpful if you’re doing a hybrid model with in-person and Zoom. If you Zoom, don’t forget the value of those breakout rooms for making connections.

Leadership needs to explain the member application process, usually done by MC.

Remember to do the follow up, so that potential members will see the value of our offering and “What’s In It for Them.”

AFTER THE VD: Now this is when you can still get more of your visitors to join WIN. Remember, that you have fourteen (14) days from the visitor’s day to save $25.00 by having the new member registration fee waived. Meet with your team after the event and divide the follow up so no one person is trying to reach all of your visitors.

FAST Tips and Resources:

Tara Henderson can help with a flyer. (Please clear the time through Bobbie Hennessy: bobbie@win-nc.com.)
Pick a hot and engaging topic for a small business or something all women can relate to or are extremely interested in learning more about. Remember it’s all about them.
Check out the speaker’s bureau resources within WIN by going to the website to find that special speaker. Beware of conflicts with existing members. Here is a link to our currently vetted speakers: https://win-nc.com/speakers-bureau-process/.
To get the most out of your visitor day you must do the follow up. Pick members to help if needed.
Remember to have your Membership Coordinator put out the visitor sign-in sheet.
Please email the visitors sign-in sheets to Allyson Rayfield (allysonrayfield@gmail.com) so members get credit, and we waive the $25.00 application fee.
New chapters can have four (4) VD meetings per year and existing chapters can have two (2) per year unless approved by executive board.
Make certain your MC sends the correct follow up letter on our website as it also reminds them they can save $25.00 if they apply within fourteen (14) days of the VD.

FYI: We keep a database of those email addresses so we can provide additional marketing opportunities for them to possibly join your chapter at a later date if it doesn’t currently work for them.

Have FUN!!! Sometimes we are too serious! Follow your agenda and stay on time. Control the room and the process. These processes can vary if you are doing a virtual only, or even a hybrid. Please reach out with questions or if help in any area is needed.