I believe to stand out from the pack, we need to get better at understanding what we are offering and communicating to potential Rotarians.

Article by PP Tony Heyward, Assistant Rotary Coordinator

Understanding the purpose of your Rotary Club and how it is aligned with the Rotary Action Plan is such a simple concept. When you get it right, it can transform both your thinking and the strategies that you and your teamplan develop to strengthen your club.

You will feel very connected and part of a team changing the world, driving ideas and facilitating new ways of doing things that no one has thought of before. There is magic and an energy which is irresistible to those you lead and others around you.

In sales, this is called “solution selling” for example, when people buy a drill bit, what they really want is the hole it creates. Power comes from not just applying this concept in sales, but across your Rotary Club. Imagine you’re a drill bit manufacturer, with your teams focussed on delivering holes, you will soon find strategies and local initiatives changing to focus on producing the best holes.

I believe to stand out from the pack, we need to get better at understanding what we are offering and communicating to potential Rotarians. This is important to understand, so trust and long-term membership retention is increased.

A lot of organisations rely on product features and less on benefits. History is littered with examples of when the best product didn’t win. We need to well understand and listen to our future Rotarians, and ensuring we understand our products and the benefits they offer. This links to your club purpose statement, which in turn influences your strategies. This will give you a great advantage when potential Rotarians are looking at why they should join our great organisation. The key to success here, is in making your offering stand out and the logical choice even in this crowded and noisy market.

Many clubs do not understand what their purpose is and therefore why people are not interested in joining them.

As a Leader you need to decide and then be intentional in creating and driving the purpose. Be an evangelist: members need to see you when they think of the purpose. It is important that this is authentic and real.

The next step is for you and your teams to see the possibilities in front of your club. The switch happens when you stop seeing all the issues and start seeing all the possibilities. You need this to happen before you build a purpose statement. Otherwise, it will not be aspirational, and your club will not be aiming high enough. When your club focuses on issues, everything seems impossible.

Do you know the business you’re in? What is your club’s vision? Have you asked?

Imagine:

• That your Club has decided on a purpose-driven plan and that it is a game changer
• That all members understand the power of possibilities, and can also spot a downward spiral and understand in a world of possibilities, we must provide a new trusted alternative
• You know the business we are in, and what we need to be in for the future
• Understand what future Rotarians are really buying, when investing their time and money in us

With change being constant and anticipated, I am extremely optimistic that many of our Rotarians in our Zone will be open to new ideas and finding new ways to do things. As leaders within this highly respected organisation called Rotary, you will be remembered as leaders of change.