We must all become salesmen

[From the Ontario District's newsletter, The Trillium, issue 60-02, April - June, 2006 , Waldo Redekop, editor.]

By Marshall Goodman, Ontario District Vice President Membership Development

During my comments at the spring House of Delegates, I mentioned that we need to provide some specific sales tools to chapters that find themselves unable to find new guests.

Gentlemen, we must all become salesmen if we want to increase membership, especially if we have run out of contacts that we feel would be interested in our hobby. Sitting around and watching your chorus get smaller is not a good thing. If you are worried about it, do something about it.

To help with this problem, I want to tell you how you can meet new potential chorus guests easily.

The actual activity is called contacting and is based on being friendly and listening. It has three very simple steps or stages.

Step 1. Be friendly to everyone you meet or talk to on the telephone. A smile goes a long way to breaking down barriers. Just practicing this part will make you feel better.
Step 2. Find a way to strike up a conversation. If you hear someone humming a song or tapping their foot to some music, that is a sign that you could chat with them about it. They could be wearing something that has music associated with it. It does not matter where this happens: in the line at the market, theatre, restaurant, elevator or record store. I have even struck up a conversation with a person calling me to have my lawn fertilized or my windows cleaned. How about your bank teller, or the postman?
Step 3. At some point the exact question you want to ask is “Do you sing?” The three answers you need to prepare for are if they say “No,” if they say “Yes” or if they say “Only in the shower.” Pretty simple, eh?

If they say “Only in the shower,” tell them that’s where you started out as well. Give them your 30-second story about how you enjoy singing with your chorus or quartet. Then listen.

If they say “No,” ask them if they are interested in learning to sing? If they say no at this point, you are done. Just say “OK” and nothing more. If they then ask you “Why?” then you have an opportunity to give them your 30-second story about how you enjoy singing with your chorus or quartet. Then listen.

Alternatively, if they say “Yes,” then ask them to tell you about their singing experiences. Listen, then listen some more. Keep them chatting about it. At a suitable point, give them your 30-second story about how you enjoy singing with your chorus quartet. Then listen.

That’s it. If they are interested in more information, get their phone number or e-mail address and get it to your chapter membership vice president or chapter president.

Please read this to your chapters at your next meeting. It may help reduce the barriers that some older members feel are holding them back from making contacts.

If you have any questions on this, please feel free to get in touch with me. k