Tips for Running a “Lunch & Learn”

Starting Off

Know who you are trying to get in contact with. You should be focused on contacting and targeting local businesses, companies, and business managers. No business/company is too small or too big – every connection you make counts and helps to expand your network.

Refer to Contacting People of Interest / Utilizing Your Network and follow the steps to organize and track.

How To Seek & Secure L&L Opportunities

Here are some strategies and some done-for-you resources, which will help you seek out and secure Lunch & Learn Opportunities. The more lines you have out – the better your chances are of catching fish!

Generate Buzz with Facebook Posts (Done For You Post)

Take advantage of your social network on Facebook and send out a simple post. Post it on your member page, personal page, and business page.

Tip: Use a photo to gain extra attention from your friends and network!

Asking Your Members (Done-For-You Script)

Before you go off looking for businesses, start with the community that already believes in and is familiar with what you do, your members. Most of our lunch and learn connections happen through our members.

Target members who may run a business and approach them with the opportunity.

Addressing group at the end of boot camp in huddle…

Awesome job today, way to work hard and get better!

As you know we are dedicated to improving the quality of people’s lives, and now we are asking our members for help. We are looking for opportunities to help businesses promote healthy work environments and we are doing this through short 30-minute presentations, Lunch & Learns.

If you know any local businesses, schools, organizations, or community groups, that may be interested in an opportunity like this, please let us know how we can get in contact with them and see me after class.

Thanks, guys!

Hard work on 3….

1….2…..3

 

Asking Your Members (Done For You Email)

Subject: <Business Name> Needs Help!

Hey <First name>,

<Business Name> needs your help. As you may know, one of our main goals is to really help as many people as we can with health and fitness. We have been trying to do this on a larger scale with charity boot camps for our community and special contests that we run.

But now…

We have found another opportunity to really impact our community and promote healthy living even more.

<Business Name> has created 20-30 minute “Lunch & Learn” presentations for businesses, schools, organizations, companies, and community groups to promote healthy work environments and promote healthy lifestyles.

The “Lunch & Learn” is free and available to anyone interested, but what we need from our members now…

Is to help us get in touch with the right people.

We have discovered with other charity events and community projects we do, our community is stronger in numbers.

If you know anyone who would be interested in a lunch and learn opportunity, please help us by letting us know and putting us in touch.

We truly appreciate all your help! Thanks.

Sincerely,

<Staff Member>

 

Letter To Chamber of Commerce

<Business Name>

<Address>

From: <Staff Member, Title>

Dear Chamber Members,

As a local business, like many of you, I understand the commitment and effort that goes into running a successful business. I’m not claiming to know everything, but I do know that companies/ businesses/owners must fully support their employees in living a healthy lifestyle.

This is why I’m extending a very special benefit to all <City> Chamber of Commerce Members.

I have recently launched a “Lunch & Learn” program, a presentation series and workshops, to help educate, promote, and inspire health and wellness. The presentations will be ideal for the lunch hour and will cover the latest in fitness, nutrition, and exercise.

These “Lunch & Learns” will be free to all chamber of commerce members and their employees. Scheduling will be determined by first come first served, but please be patient with us and we will do our best to get to everyone as soon as we can. You will also be able to choose a more specific presentation topic (topics will be attached to this email) and if you want to set up more than one, please just let us know in advance.

Remember…With this offer, you lose nothing and have a potential to gain so much. With <Business Name> partnered with your company, you will be able to infuse a healthy workplace into the culture of your business. To schedule one of these “Lunch & Learns”, just email me at (email) or call me directly at (phone number).

<Business Name> is <City’>’s most results-focused gym and we are truly dedicated to promoting and inspiring the growth of health and wellness in our community. Not only do we want to help <City> lose weight, increase health, and improve the quality of life, we want to inspire healthy lifestyles.

I look forward to helping you and your team.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this opportunity to improve the lives of the employees who are a part of your business.

Dedicated to your success,

<Staff Member>

 

Making A Video To Spread Virally

Videos have a way of inspiring, motivating, and spreading rapidly. Make a short video introducing the L&L Presentation, explain why you’re doing it, and don’t forget to include a call to action at the end of the video. Also, make sure to include your contact information.

After the video is complete, post it to YouTube, Facebook, on Friends’ Pages, on Local Business Pages, on Your Local Chamber of Commerce Page and spread it around.

Tip: Barter services with a client who knows video and media.

Holding a Team Contest

Introduce a contest to your team to promote healthy competition and promote teamwork. Whenever our team collaborates together, we get great new marketing strategies, innovative ideas, and the power of an expanded network.

The contest can be for individual team members or groups. The team who can secure the most L&L opportunities wins a prize. (Cash prize, iPad, Kindle, no bathroom duty, etc.)

 

Putting Together Your L&L Presentation

The L&L presentation is unique because it’s designed to pack a big punch in a little amount of time. Be mindful of the fact that people are taking time out of their lunch – unless the employer provides a different time – and have to return to work. Keep the presentation anywhere from 15 – 30 minutes.

Plan time at the end of your presentation for questions, passing out forms, and handing out prizes (Gift Cards).

Presentation Tips

• Prepare and know your presentation
• Make sure you show up 15 minutes early to set up and make any adjustments necessary
• Make sure that you have all the necessary materials: forms, gift cards, laptop, manuals, and notecards that you may need.

Presentation Outline

This is the general outline of an L&L presentation.

START WITH YOUR INTRODUCTION.

• Who you are, why you were brought in.
• Address the main challenges the group may face (overweight, fat loss, energy, bad nutrition)

CREATE A BIGGER SENSE OF THE PROBLEM.

• Share facts, what other people do, what the city’s community is struggling with, what you see the most often.
• Build emotion

GIVE THEM HOPE AND TOOLS TO TAKE HOME.

• Provide solutions to the problems you presented
• Provide motivation and hope (through your business)
• Show them you care

DELIVER THE CLOSE.

• A 1-time offer, discounts, hand out leads at the end, give raffle prizes, gift cards

 

Following Up

Follow Up Initial Contact

If your contact is not interested in an L&L

1. Thank you – phone call/email/meeting
2. Ask for a referral and get name, business, contact info
3. Offer your contact a 2-week free trial

If your contact is interested in an L&L

1. Thank you – via phone (or email/meeting)
2. Schedule your L&L and give them a brief overview of what you will be covering, how much time you need, and the details – offer special training package gift and family discount
3. Find out how many people will attend, what kind of environment it is, etc. The more you know, the better

Follow Up – After an L&L Business Owner/Company Contact (Organizer)

1. Thank you – via phone (or email/meeting) – offer business owner or manager the gift of 1 Month of a membership + a family discount (or gift cards for their family members)
2. Email follow-up: remind them of the opportunity and say thank you
3. Call or meet again and make your personal gift offer one more time – schedule their orientation/desk date
4. Ask them for a referral – If they know anyone else that may be interested or companies/businesses that would be interested in an L&L
5. Hand Written Thank You Card + Gift Card if you haven’t already given one

Follow Up – Attendees of L&L

1. Email – thank you follow up – offering a special discount for employees and attendees with another premium for action takers.
2. Call anyone (phone script) interested in the program that wrote his or her info down and checked off opportunity sheet.
3. For raffle/special prize winners, call and schedule first desk date so they can get started.

(All of these leads would follow the lead phone scripts and protocols)

 

Lunch & Learn Day-of Checklist

Here are detailed guidelines of what to do the day of the L&L.

Preparation

Call earlier in the day (2-3 hours prior) to confirm the L&L with the contact you have with the company/ business/organization. Let them know that you will be showing up 15-20 minutes earlier to prepare and make sure that’s okay.

Ask them any questions you may have regarding parking, where to walk in, where you will meet them, any changes they may have.

Prepare and double check to make sure you have everything you need for the event such as: handouts, gift cards, and the presentation on a flash drive or laptop.

Make sure to dress appropriately.

Show up 15-20 minutes early and enthusiastically greet your contact.

Set up your presentation on the appropriate computer/projection equipment.

If they don’t have equipment for a presentation – revert to the non-PowerPoint L&L model.

Organize all the materials and review your presentation.

 

The Presentation

Introduce yourself and the gym.

Thank the business owner/management and the individual who provided the opportunity.

Announce that you will be giving away some raffle prizes and pass around a bucket or a hat to collect business cards. (If they don’t have business cards, pass out notecards for them to write their names on.)

Continue the presentation following your outline.

Finish the presentation again with the call to action and thank the organization and your contact once again.

Now for the good stuff!

Explain and pass out handouts for attendees to fill out, highlighting the free trial opportunity and the special offer you will be providing for the organization.

Ask attendees to continue to work on handouts while you start pulling names from the bucket or hat and announce what they won to the group. Instruct all winners that they will need to write down their name and email to redeem and will be contacted with instructions on how to redeem their prizes.

Announce the official end of the presentation and let attendees know that you will be available for questions.

Prior to leaving, collect all handouts and personally thank the individual who helped oversee the event and the business owner/management.

 

Contacting People of Interest and Utilizing Your Network

The first resource you should use is your own network. Most of the time we undervalue and underestimate the power of our own network. The potential is a lot larger than you might think.

Look at your email list, phone book, Facebook friends, and other social networks. It’s not just the people you know but the people you can connect with through your network.

Organize Your Network for a Plan of Attack

Use the L&L Spreadsheet and fill out everyone in your network. Be thorough, as it will help you later on; plus, this will be a great resource to use for any other marketing, networking, and connecting that you do.

Highlight any people of interest that you believe could help you out.

Start contacting the people on your list, beginning with the people you highlighted, and fill out the excel sheet accordingly, including:

• Date contacted
• Method Used to Contact
• Lunch & Learn Set Up
• Follow Up Needed
• Follow Up Date
• Lunch & Learn Scheduled Date

Regardless of whether your contact was interested in an L&L opportunity for their business or employer, ask for a referral or if they know anyone that would be interested in this opportunity.

Always set the follow-up date and follow up with a personal phone call, meeting, and email, regardless of the outcome.

Contact everyone on your list and start scheduling Lunch & Learn opportunities.