President’s Message
Rodger Van Ness
Retention, Continued
In the May issue of The Star, I asked for your input on what we needed to do to retain our valued members. Thank you for the many outstanding responses. By the time I began receiving your input (and it continues to arrive), it was time to submit my President’s Message for the July-August issue of The Star, so I will cover in detail in the September-October President’s Message the great ideas presented.
In my messages, I always encourage members to have fun, as this is why we join a club such as MBCA. During my time as your national president, I have gotten numerous e-mails with common feedback on the cool, or even nonexistent, reception new members received when they attended their first or subsequent meetings. As we look back, every one of us can remember our early days as MBCA members and how we were welcomed. Whatever the experience, it determined whether or not we wanted to continue to as members.
One of the most disturbing e-mails came from a new member and his wife, who wrote about a section event they attended and how they were received. When it came time to be seated for the meal, the tables had filled, so they were left to seat themselves at an empty table. But the crowning blow came when the section president and his wife did not join them, but seated themselves at another empty table! My guess is they did not renew their membership because of this behavior.
My description of how guests are sometimes accepted at an event can be corrected immediately by each of us. When we see new faces, we should introduce ourselves and spend some quality time with them. This just may start a long-term friendship. As the saying goes, “First it was the cars, then it became the people.”
I want to share with you my experience at last year’s June Jamboree, held on the MBUSA campus in New Jersey. Because I was going to be at the headquarters, I sent Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of MBUSA, a note, stating that if he had a minute, I would like to stop in and say hello. On the day of the event, I received a call from him saying that he and his son were en route to a meeting, but he wanted to drop by and say hello to me. He is a very charismatic person, and while this was our first meeting, he made me feel as if I had known him all my life. What a grand gesture. I will always remember that meeting and the positive effect it had. Regardless of our station in life, we have the same ability to leave a long and lasting impression on MBCA members we have never met before.
Don’t forget to check out all the great events your local section and the national club have scheduled. Please get involved and make new friends – you’ll be glad you did
Have fun!
Rodger Van Ness
Rodger Van Ness
Retention, Continued
In the May issue of The Star, I asked for your input on what we needed to do to retain our valued members. Thank you for the many outstanding responses. By the time I began receiving your input (and it continues to arrive), it was time to submit my President’s Message for the July-August issue of The Star, so I will cover in detail in the September-October President’s Message the great ideas presented.
In my messages, I always encourage members to have fun, as this is why we join a club such as MBCA. During my time as your national president, I have gotten numerous e-mails with common feedback on the cool, or even nonexistent, reception new members received when they attended their first or subsequent meetings. As we look back, every one of us can remember our early days as MBCA members and how we were welcomed. Whatever the experience, it determined whether or not we wanted to continue to as members.
One of the most disturbing e-mails came from a new member and his wife, who wrote about a section event they attended and how they were received. When it came time to be seated for the meal, the tables had filled, so they were left to seat themselves at an empty table. But the crowning blow came when the section president and his wife did not join them, but seated themselves at another empty table! My guess is they did not renew their membership because of this behavior.
My description of how guests are sometimes accepted at an event can be corrected immediately by each of us. When we see new faces, we should introduce ourselves and spend some quality time with them. This just may start a long-term friendship. As the saying goes, “First it was the cars, then it became the people.”
I want to share with you my experience at last year’s June Jamboree, held on the MBUSA campus in New Jersey. Because I was going to be at the headquarters, I sent Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of MBUSA, a note, stating that if he had a minute, I would like to stop in and say hello. On the day of the event, I received a call from him saying that he and his son were en route to a meeting, but he wanted to drop by and say hello to me. He is a very charismatic person, and while this was our first meeting, he made me feel as if I had known him all my life. What a grand gesture. I will always remember that meeting and the positive effect it had. Regardless of our station in life, we have the same ability to leave a long and lasting impression on MBCA members we have never met before.
Don’t forget to check out all the great events your local section and the national club have scheduled. Please get involved and make new friends – you’ll be glad you did
Have fun!
Rodger Van Ness