Director Can't Get People to Come to Meetings? Let's Try Again!

[ktraceyk]

I had to cancel yet another meeting. A few are asking for more local meetings so I plan it and everyone says they can't come or they may make it but don't count on me. I would rather drive the hour and go to the meeting where there are people. How do you get people to come they don't know how fun or rewarding they can be because they don't come.

 

[Sheila]

I'm in the same boat. I have 1 girl local and about 7 hospitality girls. I can count on mine, but the not the hospitality. I REALLY want to get the hospitality girls involved!!! But I'm not sure I'm willing to spend a lot of money on them.

Depending on your numbers, maybe you could offer $10 or $15 Pampered Chef Dollars to every attendee at the B2B meeting (just to get them there for 1 meeting)? Or maybe advertise a drawing for something cool & they have to be there to have a chance to win.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Involve them and share the meeting plan with them.

If they have a reason to be there ("I need you to bring..." or "Please share...") they will come. If you share the meeting plan and make it sound fun and exciting they'll want to check it out.

Share the statistic that most successful consultants attend a monthly meeting. Tell them that at the meeting they'll meet new friends and ideas/brainstorming at meetings are invaluable to everyone.

I do a drawing at my meetings - usually around a $5 item. They get tickets for tons of reason - being there, sales, # of shows, bring a guest... one person wins. They love it. (If they are not at the meeting they only get recognized in the newsletter - at the meeting they get cheered for and depending on what they did possibly a small gift (stickers, charms, whatever I think of). Last year I got a ton of green items at the dollar store (didn't tell them where they came from so the cost wasn't mentioned). That went over great too.

Tell them that if they had a bad month they need the meeting and if they had a good month the meeting needs them.


ETA: Tell them to put the meeting dates down in INK on their calendars. Stress that the training meeting is part of their job and that you expect them to be there. If you tell new people that right away they think that's how it is and will come.

...and one other thought - have them help decide what is covered at the meeting (do they like crazy theme things or are they "tell me the facts Jack" kind of people) - make it their meeting and mix it up. Ask what they want and have them help facilitate it.

 

[finley1991]

At one time, when I had 1-2 attending each month, someone said to me when I thought about canceling my meetings that I should have them for those who come, not punish them by canceling. it. I followed the meeting planner no matter what.What finally changed it for me was growing my team. Now I average 8-12 any given month. That's half of my total team. I used to assign things for people to do, but they would either blow it off, *forget*, or not show up so doing that didn't work for me.We can't make them come, but we can make it available for those who want it.

 

[BethCooks4U]

At one time, when I had 1-2 attending each month, someone said to me when I thought about canceling my meetings that I should have them for those who come, not punish them by canceling. it. I followed the meeting planner no matter what.

What finally changed it for me was growing my team. Now I average 8-12 any given month. That's half of my total team.

I used to assign things for people to do, but they would either blow it off, *forget*, or not show up so doing that didn't work for me.

We can't make them come, but we can make it available for those who want it.

That is so true!

 

[ktraceyk]

Thanks for everyone's ideas. I used to have good turn out about 8 years ago before my director thought we should break off and do our own. Then no one came to either of them. She is no longer a director and my down line director lost directorship with the change in career plan and her girls went to a hospitality meeting closer to them and did not want to switch. (there are 2 that go).

Very hard to set up to do a meeting and kick the family out for no one to show. I may try to ask what they are interested in having meetings about and not worry that many will not reply.

 

[dannyzmom]

Something that has helped boost attendance at my meetings is a conference cash drawing. Here's how it works...each meeting I raffle off between $30 and $50 worth of products (I always make sure they are products that are useful at shows and NOT in the new consultant kit and often include one consumable item). As directors we generally get 2 of each item at the beginning of each new seasons o we always have closets full of products to give away. The tickets cost $3 each. At the end of the meeting we draw a winner - winner gets the bag of products (no one knows what they are til the end of the meeting - this avoids "Oh, I'm not participating b/c I already have those") to take home as their prize that night. All the $$ collected goes into a zippy bag and the following is written on the bag in sharpie:
Winner's name
Month & year
Total amount of cash in bag
The bag then goes into my secret hiding place in my house and doesn't come out until July. All the bags come to Chicago with me and are distributed at the airport or hotel when everyone arrives in Chicago for NC. What happens if you won a bag and don't go to NC? Well, you got your products at the meeting...and YOUR bag of cash gets distributed among team members who attend conference to offset their costs! Hospitality team members ARE included - they CAN win the products but they are NOT eligible for the cash. So, when a hospitality team member wins, our team splits up that bag of cash at conference.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

trps...Wonder if we have the same National exec. you clearly described what happened to me, my director was pushed by her director to make us do our own mtgs DISASTER!!

 

[finley1991]

Another thing I did, was when I had 1-2 people at a meeting, I asked them to e-mail the group the next day and talk up the meeting and how great it was and how everyone who didn't attend really missed out. I got that idea from an upper level director once and tried it. Not sure that it made a difference though... the main thing for me was having more consultants on my team. I avg 50% attendance from local consultants.

 

[ktraceyk]

That is what happened she came back from some meeting all excited about us doing our own and I asked that we not but she insisted and started doing her own away from where we had so my team was left and we had one meeting there and then only about 2 came then none. She never had more than 2 or 3 go to the new location and never had success with them. Why did they want this I never understood but it stopped our successful meetings. My team grows and I talk to them via phone and e-mail but no meetings.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I would say I have an average 75-90% local consultant attendance. Every once in a while someone has to miss but for the most part they come, some from up to an hour away. I only have one local consultant who has never come (sitter issue - she says she's checking with her mom each month but so far it hasn't worked out for her) and two that come every few months. Most attend every month.

I'm going to start doing a conference call with our out of town/state consultants during the meeting and see how that works. I'd like to include them more, at least in the recognition and announcement time.

I also do a lot of email training. The place I really fall down is phone training. I offer it and do follow up with those that respond but I have to admit that I don't call the others enough. One of my goals for 2011 is to improve on that.