EDUCATION – Visitor Experience

How many of you have visited an organization or group, that you are not a member of, and come away feeling welcomed and very positive about the experience?

How many of you have felt the opposite? Not welcomed. Not appreciated.

Today I’m going to talk about the Visitor Experience within our group. I’ll outline what we want to achieve when we have visitors and how we can improve the experience for them and us.

The first step in creating an outstanding visitor experience is KNOWING THAT THE VISITOR IS COMING BEFOREHAND. If you are inviting someone to visit, please be sure to notify either our group President or someone on the Membership Team. That way we can greet them individually as they arrive and already have an idea of who we should introduce them to in the group.

What I mean is, who in our group would a visitor most benefit from meeting? Also who in our group would benefit most from meeting the visitor? That second question is secondary to the first, because the focus should always be on making the visitor feel welcome, and not feel like the meeting was a never-ending sales pitch.

A great way to get a visitor to learn about our group and get excited about visiting is to send them to our website (NOONnetworkers.com). Once there, the visitor can fill out the VISITOR RSVP form letting us know that they would like to visit.

Who is a good visitor for the group? The simple answer is anyone with a pulse, but if we’re trying to grow the group, and increase business for both ourselves and our visitors, a better answer is: Someone from a non-competing category, who is looking to grow their business, and is someone you know who will be able to get (and give) a lot of referrals from our members.

When a new person comes to our meeting, and they are not accompanied by a current member, someone needs to approach them and welcome them to the group. Ask them their name, what company they are with, and what category they represent if it isn’t clear from the company name. Find out quickly if they are a substitute for a member, or they are there to network for their business.

It’s important to find out which, because both substitutes and first time visitors may be a potential member, but substitutes have a role to play during the meeting, so helping them understand our meeting and their specific responsibility during the meeting will help them be more at ease.

Once you’ve welcomed them, and learned their name (and company info) choose a few members to introduce them to. Hopefully members who will best be able to help them.

Members have the responsibility to arrive on time (or early) for our meetings at 11:30. Between 11:30 and 11:45 is opening networking time. This is the time when members and visitors can briefly speak and get to know each other before the meeting begins. Members are responsible for being approachable during this time. Stay off your phones (or leave the room if you need to take a call). If you’re having a conversation with another member, make sure that you are open to having that conversation interrupted to meet a visitor. Make sure your body language is open and welcoming. Don’t cross your arms, or have your back turned to the room a large. Be approachable.

When you meet a visitor, briefly introduce yourself and your company, but spend more time asking questions about them and their company. Nervous visitors will relax when being able to speak about themselves on a 1-2-1 basis.

Under no circumstances should you try to sell any product or service during open networking. You will have plenty of time to go into great detail about your company during the 60-second presentations, and if you’re really interested in speaking with a visitor in greater depth, schedule a 1-2-1 outside of the meeting.

Once you’ve met a visitor, don’t monopolize their time. Introduce them to others, again focusing on members who can help them.

Invite them to sit near you, if they don’t already have a place to sit.

After the meeting, thank visitors for coming, even if they were just subbing for someone. Invite them back. Make them understand how grateful we are that they took the time to network with us.

We are trying to get a few members to be dedicated VISITOR HOSTS for our group, but really ALL of us have the responsibility to do the things I’ve just mentioned. I promise that if we each foster a welcoming and “Giver’s Gain” attitude during our meetings, we will get more first-time and repeat visitors.