Rotary Call Script · Former Rotarians · Version 2

For: Chau Phan, D5170 Membership Attraction chair
Version 2: 2026-09-24, rewritten to Tim's exact flow of the same day. Version 1 (also 2026-09-24) was built from his shorter plan. Where they differ, this version wins.
Status: Tim calls this eight tenths done. It gets finished with Chau on Tuesday. See TO REFINE WITH CHAU TUESDAY at the bottom.
Length: 15 to 20 minutes. Recorded on Fathom.
Who books it: the VA books it as a D5170 membership conversation. Nothing in the invite mentions Kenfoster.

Tim's flow, his words, 2026-09-24 (audio transcription, cleaned up):

"Market research calls should be kind of similar to the performance review that we did, because the market research is for people that have left Rotary. We can get it eight tenths of the way there, and we'll refine this together on the call.

Why did you stop going? We have this new business thing. Is that something you'd want to attend? If so, tell me a little bit about your business. What are your goals right now? What are you trying to accomplish? Okay, cool. What do you feel is preventing you from accomplishing those goals? Are there any really small tasks that you're really bothered by that you could really use some support with? Oh, okay, cool.

All right, well, we're doing this thing on this date. You send them an invitation. And it's like, hey, by the way, you said you had these small tasks. I happen to help people with that. Or: do you want to know who I am and what I do? Okay, cool. Well, I actually help people with the tasks you were talking about. That's not the intention for this meeting, so feel free to say no. You have to give them the out here. We can do that. But if not, that's totally cool. You should come to this event. You're going to have a lot of great times, great experiences."

What this call is for, in order: (1) grow Rotary, (2) collect their exact words, which become the market research behind the cold email avatars, (3) the door, raised once, always with the out.

How the call is built

It has the same shape as the 30 day performance review from 2026-09-17: ask, push for specifics ("how so?"), ask what would make it better, then one natural ask at the end.

THE RULES FOR THE WHOLE CALL

1. Their words, not yours. When they answer, repeat their exact phrase back inside your next question. "When you say slammed, what was slamming you?" Never translate it into your word.
2. One layer deeper, every time. Tim, 2026-09-17: when the answer is vague ("you've been great"), ask "how so?" A vague answer is not an answer yet. Specific language is the goal.
3. Ask, then count to three in your head. The good stuff comes after the pause.
4. Open questions only. Ask "What made you stop?" Never "Was it time?" If you hand them the answer, you get your words back, not theirs.
5. One business mention, raised by you, once, with the out. This replaces version 1's rule "only mention business if they ask." In step 9 you bring it up yourself, tied to the small tasks they named, and you always give them the out: "That's not the intention for this meeting, so feel free to say no." That one sentence is the whole business mention. No company name unless they ask, no VAs, no price, no guarantee, no client stories. All of that belongs on the separate call.

Lines Chau never says

• Anything about their member record, their termination reason, DACdb, or how you know they left. Not even as a joke. In Rotary, one of those sentences costs the whole channel.
• "Business Obligations." It is a real Rotary termination code. It is also a field you have seen. If they say "business" themselves, great, use their word.
• Anything about dues owed, attendance, or guilt.
• "Do you know anybody...?" It's a yes or no question and the answer is no. Say "Who comes to mind?" (Tim, 2026-09-17.)
• Anything that sounds like a pitch: "We offer VA services starting at $10 an hour. Would you like to learn more?" Not on this call, not in any wording.
• The door without the out. If "feel free to say no" didn't come out of your mouth, the door wasn't done right.

The clock

Running long? Protect steps 6 and 7. They are the market research. Trim the deeper follow ups in steps 2 and 5 first.

STEP 1 · THE OPENING (under 45 seconds)

"Hi [Name], it's Chau! Thank you so much for making time, I know your calendar is packed.

So here's what this is. I'm the membership chair for District 5170, and I'm calling people who used to be in Rotary just to listen. Why you stepped away, and what's going on in your business these days. I'm not here to guilt you or sign you back up. It's about 15 minutes.

And this call is confidential. I don't share anything we talk about with anyone in Rotary, because I know a lot of us know each other. And I record these so I can actually listen to you instead of typing the whole time. It stays with [AWAITING FROM CHAU: exactly who hears the recording, for example "me and the small team that helps me go through my notes"], nobody else. Is that okay with you?"

Wait for a clear yes. California needs both people to agree. Fathom announces itself, and your sentence is the plain ask. The "who hears it" line has to be literally true, so fill it in with Chau before the first call.

• Yes: "Awesome. Okay, first one."
• No: "No problem at all." Stop Fathom before you ask anything. Take notes by hand, and still write their words in quotes as close to exact as you can.

If they ask "so what do you do?" right here, before the questions:

"I'll tell you at the end, I promise. I want the first part to be all about you."

Then keep the promise in step 9.

STEP 2 · WHY DID YOU STOP GOING? (about 3 minutes)

"So tell me what happened. What made you stop going?"

One layer deeper:

1. "When you say [their words], what was eating the time back then?"
2. "Was there a specific week where you knew you were done? What was going on that week?"
3. "What did you actually miss, if anything? And what did you not miss at all?"
4. "If you came back, what would need to be different?"

If they say something warm and vague ("everyone was great", "it just wasn't the right time"):

"How so? What was great about it?" / "What made it not the right time?"

If they say "if it were more flexible" or "if I had more time":

"Flexible how? Give me the version that would actually fit your week."

If the reason is health, family, a loss, or a move: go to THE BRANCH below before you go on.

STEP 3 · THE RMB INVITE (about 1 minute)

"So here's the fun part. We have this new business thing, Rotary Means Business. It's a fellowship inside Rotary where business owners do business with each other and send each other referrals. It's a relaxed evening, everybody gives a 30 second intro about what they do, and you leave knowing people who actually want to help your business. Is that something you'd want to attend?"

If their step 2 answer was about networking or referrals, tie it: "You said [their words]. That's exactly what this is for." (Rotary International's own research names unmet networking expectations as a reason people leave. RMB is the answer to it.)

• Yes or maybe: "Awesome. So tell me a little bit about your business."
• No: "Totally fine, no pressure. I'm still curious though, tell me a little bit about your business." (Whether to keep going after a no is open. See TO REFINE, item 1.)

STEP 4 · TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS (about 2 minutes)

"Tell me a little bit about your business."

One layer deeper:

1. "How long have you been doing it?"
2. "Who's your favorite kind of customer?"
3. "Who's on the team right now, and who does what?"

If the answer is one line ("I'm a roofer"):

"What does a normal week look like for you?"

Listen for: the business type, the size (people, trucks, locations), and who does the admin work now.

STEP 5 · GOALS (about 3 minutes)

"What are your goals right now? What are you trying to accomplish?"

One layer deeper:

1. "Give me the number. Revenue, people, locations, hours, whatever you measure."
2. "Why that number?"
3. "If you hit it, what changes for you personally?"

If they say "grow" or "keep doing what we're doing":

"Grow to what? What does the good version look like?"

Then: "Okay, cool."

STEP 6 · WHAT'S IN THE WAY (about 3 minutes)

Steps 6 and 7 are the most important six minutes on the call for the market research. Slow down here.

"What do you feel is preventing you from accomplishing those goals?"

One layer deeper:

1. "When you say [their words], walk me through what that looks like on a normal Tuesday."
2. "How so?" (on anything vague)
3. "What have you already tried?"

If they say "just the usual, wearing too many hats":

"Which hat would you take off first?"

STEP 7 · THE SMALL TASKS (about 3 minutes)

"Are there any really small tasks you're really bothered by, that you could use some support with?"

One layer deeper:

1. "What's the one thing in your week you'd hand to somebody tomorrow if you trusted them to do it right?"
2. "How many hours a week does that eat? Just your best guess."
3. "Who does it now? And what do you use for it?"

If they say "nothing really":

"What's the thing you keep putting off until the end of the week?"

Listen for, and write down exactly as said: the task, the number of hours, the software they name, and who does the work now (them, their spouse, the office manager, nobody). Write their phrase for the task down right now. You'll say it back to them in step 9.

Then: "Oh, okay, cool."

STEP 8 · THE EVENT, AND SEND THE INVITATION (about 1 minute)

"All right, well, we're doing this thing on [AWAITING FROM CHAU: date, place, format]. I'd love for you to come as my guest. I'm sending you the invitation right now, so it's there before we hang up."

Send it while you're still on the phone. [AWAITING FROM CHAU: who sends the mixer details, you or the VA, and by text or email.] If the VA sends it: "[Name] from my team will send it today."

• If they said no in step 3: "Want me to send it anyway, just in case? No pressure, you decide."

Before the first call, confirm: [AWAITING FROM CHAU: your chapter's name, whether people who are not current Rotarians can attend as your guest, and whether there's a cost for them].

STEP 9 · THE DOOR, WITH THE OUT (about 1 minute)

This is the change from version 1. You don't wait for them to ask. You raise it yourself, once, and it's about their small tasks, in their words. And you always give them the out.

Route A · You raise it (the default, whenever they named a small task in step 7)

"And hey, by the way, you said you had these small tasks, [their words from step 7]. I happen to help people with exactly that. That's not the intention for this meeting, so feel free to say no. But if you ever want to talk about it, we can do that."

Route B · They ask who you are and what you do (or they named no small task)

If they ask, or if step 7 came up empty, you can offer it:

"Do you want to know a little bit about who I am and what I do?"

If yes:

"So outside Rotary, I actually help people with the tasks you were talking about, [their words]. That's not the intention for this meeting, so feel free to say no. But if you want to have a longer conversation about it, we can do that."

Then stop talking. Let them answer.

The rules for the door

1. Once per call. Route A or Route B, never both.
2. The out is mandatory, every time. "That's not the intention for this meeting, so feel free to say no." Tim: "You have to give them the out here."
3. Their task, their words. "The invoicing that eats your Sunday," not "admin support."
4. No pitch. No price, no $10 an hour, no 2 hour minimum, no money back guarantee, no client stories.

GOOD door:

"By the way, you mentioned the invoicing eats your Sunday. That's actually what my team does. That's not why I called, so feel free to say no, but if you ever want to talk about it we can."

BAD door:

"We offer VA services starting at $10 an hour. Would you like to learn more?"

STEP 10 · IF THEY SAY YES: BOOK THE SEPARATE CALL BEFORE YOU HANG UP

Book the time live on this call. Nobody has ever booked through a calendar link, so do not leave it to one.

"Let's do it. Let's find a time right now, just you and me, separate from this. And before then, think about one thing for me: how many hours a week would you want off your plate? That's the first thing I'll ask, and I want your number, not mine."

This is a warm Rotary referral, so it gets the one part sales call from 2026-09-22. Tim's rule for that call, 2026-09-21: "get their exact number of what they think they need." The homework question above is how the number shows up already thought through.

If they push for details now ("just tell me the price"):

"Happy to, and it'll make way more sense once I know what you'd hand off. That's what the longer call is for."

Then, before you hang up: "And either way, I'll see you at [the event], right?" and the name ask from step 11: "Who else comes to mind who stepped away from Rotary that I should talk to?"

STEP 11 · IF THEY SAY NO: THE WARM CLOSE

"Totally cool, no pressure at all. You should come to this event though. You're going to have a great time and meet some really good people.

This was so helpful, thank you. Honestly, what you said about [one thing they said, in their words] is going to stick with me.

Last one: who else comes to mind who stepped away from Rotary that I should talk to?"

Then say nothing. Let the silence do the work. If they name one: "Who else?"

"And I'd love to check back in a couple of months, would that be okay?"

That is it. Grow the group, trust the compounding. The relationship is the asset, and it stays warm because you listened, you asked once, and you let them say no.

STEP 12 · AFTER THE CALL, 5 MINUTES

One row per call in [AWAITING FROM CHAU: where the tracker lives, a Google Sheet or GoHighLevel]. Do it before the next call, while it is fresh.

Minute 0 to 1. Open the Fathom transcript.
Minute 1 to 4. Copy their exact words into every "(their words)" column. Copy and paste from the transcript, not from memory.
Minute 4 to 5. Fill invitation, door, next step, and the recording link.

The row

Where each column comes from

The rules for the row

1. Quotation marks around everything in a "(their words)" column. If you had to paraphrase (because they declined recording), write [paraphrase] in front of it.
2. Keep the numbers. Hours, dollars, headcount. "Probably 10 hours a week on the phones" goes in whole.
3. Keep the software. If they named QuickBooks, Weave, Dentrix, anything, it stays in the quote.
4. Blank is honest. If you did not ask it or they did not say it, write not asked or not said. Never a guess.
5. Door opened Y/N: write Y or N, then the route and their answer. Examples: Y, route A off their invoicing, call booked · N, route A, said no thanks · Y, route B, they asked what I do · not raised, heavy call.
6. Next step is one of: mixer invite sent [date] · sales call booked [date] · check back [date] · referral: [name] · none.

Why the words have to be exact: these calls are the market research that feeds the cold email avatars. A paraphrase is your language. A quote is theirs, and theirs is what makes a stranger open the email.

THE BRANCH · WHEN THEY LEFT BECAUSE OF HEALTH, FAMILY, A LOSS, OR A MOVE

Slow down, be a person first. Say "I'm so sorry" and mean it. Let them talk as long as they want in step 2.

• A move, and they still run a business: carry on with the normal order. Ask whether there's a club or an RMB chapter near where they are now.
• Health, family, or a loss, and they're not running a business right now: skip steps 4 to 7 and step 9. Offer the event gently in step 8 ("Only if it sounds good, no pressure at all"), then go to the warm close in step 11.
• Health, family, or a loss, and they are still running a business: follow their lead. If the call felt heavy, skip the door. It will still be there next time. Log it as not raised, heavy call.

EIGHT EXAMPLE EXCHANGES

⚠ The answers below are invented to show the move. They are not data. They never go in the sheet or the avatar files.

1 · Step 2, why they stopped going

Them: "Honestly, business just got too busy."
Chau: "When you say business got too busy, what was eating the time back then?"
Them: "Payroll and chasing invoices. I was doing the books myself on Sunday nights, and Thursday lunch was the first thing I cut."

2 · Step 2, the warm vague answer

Them: "Oh, you guys were great. Everyone was great."
Chau: "How so? What's the part you actually miss?"
Them: "The same six people every Thursday. Two of them sent me my biggest job that year. I haven't had a referral like that since."

3 · Step 3, the RMB invite tied to their words

Chau: "You said you haven't had a referral like that since. That's exactly what this is for. Is that something you'd want to attend?"
Them: "Yeah, actually. If it's in the evening, I'm in."

4 · Step 5, goals

Them: "Grow, you know. Keep growing."
Chau: "Grow to what? Give me the number."
Them: "Three crews to five. And I want my Saturdays back. I haven't had a Saturday off since we bought the second truck."

5 · Step 6, what's in the way

Them: "Just the usual. I'm wearing too many hats."
Chau: "Which hat would you take off first?"
Them: "The phone. I'm on a roof and it rings, and if I don't pick up, that job goes to the next guy. My wife covers it, but she has her own job."

6 · Step 7, the small tasks

Chau: "What's the one thing in your week you'd hand to somebody tomorrow if you trusted them to do it right?"
Them: "The invoicing. It eats my whole Sunday."
Chau: "How many hours a week does that eat? Just your best guess."
Them: "Four, five. More at the end of the month."

7 · Step 9, the door, route A, they say yes

Chau: "And hey, by the way, you said the invoicing eats your whole Sunday. I happen to help people with exactly that. That's not the intention for this meeting, so feel free to say no. But if you ever want to talk about it, we can do that."
Them: "Wait, really? Yeah, I'd want to hear about that."
Chau: "Let's find a time right now, just you and me, separate from this."

8 · Step 9, the door, route A, they say no

Chau: "...That's not the intention for this meeting, so feel free to say no."
Them: "I'm good for now, honestly. My daughter's helping out."
Chau: "Totally cool. You should come to this event though. You're going to have a great time."

What the good answers got that the vague ones didn't: a task, a number, a day of the week, or a person. Those four things are what a cold email is built from.

TO REFINE WITH CHAU TUESDAY

We'll refine this together on the call. These are the open items.

1. A no in step 3. If they don't want to attend RMB, do we still ask steps 4 to 7? This version says yes, as plain curiosity. Chau to decide if that feels natural.
2. Route A or Route B as the default. Tim's words allow both: Chau raises it off their small task, or she asks "do you want to know who I am and what I do?" first. Which one sounds like her?
3. Who hears the recording. The opening needs one true sentence. [AWAITING FROM CHAU]
4. Who sends the invitation, and when. Chau live on the call, or the VA the same day, by text or email. [AWAITING FROM CHAU]
5. The event details. Date, place, format, chapter name, whether non Rotarians can come as guests, and any cost. [AWAITING FROM CHAU]
6. Company name at the door. This version says "I help people with that" or "my team does that" and names Kenfoster only if they ask. Confirm.
7. The name ask. "Who comes to mind?" comes from the performance review shape, not from Tim's research flow. Keep it at the end of both branches, or drop it?
8. Heavy calls. Skip the door entirely after a loss or a health story, as THE BRANCH says, or leave it to Chau's read in the moment?
9. Length. Nine talking steps in about 20 minutes. After the first five calls, check the Fathom times against the clock and cut what runs over.
10. The "what would bring them back" question. It lives on as follow up 4 in step 2 so the version 1 column still fills. Keep it, or drop the column?

Version 2, written 2026-09-24 from Tim's flow of 2026-09-24, version 1 of this script, and the 2026-09-17 Zoom session and performance review.