It does happen. People get sick. Cars break down. Kids miss buses. The people close to us, for any number of reasons, need us. Yet how you act after a missing a meeting can make just as big of an impression on your fellow members.
Huh?
That’s right. Even a missed meeting can be an opportunity. Here’s a couple of ways.
Double or triple up on your one-on-ones for that month.
If you think about it, missing a meeting is like missing 12-20 mini one-on-ones where you have the chance to learn more about people in your networking group. Doing two or three one-on-ones before the next meeting is a great way to catch up. Additionally, your fellow members will appreciate the initiative and may follow suit if they should miss a meeting.
Offer to follow up with guests:
This one needs a little explaining. The gist is offer to the group leader to follow up with guests who attended the meeting you missed and see what they liked about the meeting and if they would either like to return or join. This may seem a little unorthodox on the surface. Yet it does make a statement to the guest about the group and the kind of people in it that somebody who wasn’t at the meeting would go to that effort.
For the person who did miss the meeting, it does allow them to make up a little of what they missed. It’s also a great help to the group leader.
The danger of missing meetings, particularly in a monthly group, is that you run the risk of not seeing people for two months. Much can happen in business during that time:
- Maybe somebody in your group recently met somebody who could be a possible source of business for you. Seeing you each month is a reminder. If they don’t see you at the meeting, it may not be front of mind for the next time they see you in two months.
- Perhaps there was a guest at the meeting who might also have been a good referral source or even source of business. If they don’t join, you will never know.
Nobody likes to miss a meeting. What you may not realize is how much you and every person in the group brings to the meeting. So when you are not there, the group does miss something. So do you. These suggestions are a couple of ways to help you fill in some of what you missed.
