A Blank Page!

Image this if you will. You are looking through one of those A5 Local Magazines. It’s full of articles, editorials, photos, adverts, it’s got a ‘What’s On’ page and of course crosswords and puzzles. Then you come across a blank page.

What do you think? Has the printer made a mistake? Is there an article missing? Did an advertiser forget to submit their copy for their advert?

Of course this wouldn’t happen, especially an advertiser who had paid for space, not bothering to supply copy for an advert. But it does happen in your chapter. Don’t believe me? Well isn’t it just the same as a member being absent without a Sub?

They have paid to advertise their business every week but any time they are absent (without a Sub) they are in effect running a ‘blank page’. In fact it’s far worse than just not running an advert because being absent also hurts their credibility. It limits their ability to find referrals for other members. Plus a whole host of other important things.

It is far more damaging to run a ‘blank page’ at your chapter than it is in a printed magazine. Yet many members do it. I also know that those same people wouldn’t dream of running a blank page, they had paid for, in a magazine.

So, if you ever think about being absent from your meeting consider these two things: 1) would you run a blank page in a magazine? 2) the damage it will do to your reputation?

And please don’t be fooled into thinking that you being absent will not damage your reputation - because it will!

No one will come up to you and say, ‘being absent last week damaged your credibility’ but someone in your chapter will think twice about giving you a referral they might have done

It’s just that you will never know.