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Dr. Misner Writes Foreword for New Book
Mary Diffley, author of Internet Prophets, asked Dr. Misner to contribute the Foreword of her book. Below is an excerpt from that Foreword:
"We don't live on Little House on the Prairie anymore and today's frontier isn't in the west, it's on the Net. We live in the Internet Age where change seems to take place at light speed. If you're in business today, it seems like you need a prophet just to make a profit.
"The Internet is to the world what the printing press was hundreds of years ago. It is to the world what radio and television were only decades ago. The Internet has opened doors and opportunities in a way beyond anything that has preceded it. In only a few short years an entire body of technology, vocabulary, culture, and a whole new economy have evolved at such a blinding speed that it is no wonder that many business people are at a loss about what to do and how to do it relating to the Internet and their business.
"Understanding e-business fundamentals, creating an Internet business plan, developing and marketing a company's Web site, as well as understanding Internet regulation, are all new concepts to today's business professional. Those businesses that do not consider these issues today will most surely be a casualty of this new technology tomorrow. But more importantly, those businesses that do consider these issues today will be the success stories of tomorrow."
Mary's book can be purchased on the Internet at Internet Prophets, which features an expanding index of e-business products and services, categorized by cost, plus information about emerging Internet business models and concepts, practical how-to guides, product reviews, and more.
Inspiration from Founding BNI Member
By Lee Shimmin, LUTCF, Insurance Compliance Officer
Last year changed. I sold two cars and bought one. I sold my home of
25 years and bought a condo. I sold my business and went to work for
the Department of Insurance. First I had a goal to help us
financially as well as mentally. Second, I wanted to continue
positive with new challenges. Third, I needed to travel more and see
more. It was scary to put it all together. Much of what I did was
impulse and timing.
The book Who Moved My Cheese came out with a calendar which I
read everyday. The idea is, if something is always there for you, you
remain complacent. Two Mice, Hem and Haw found that the cheese they
ate was suddenly gone. They both were in for an adjustment. One
mouse became creative and tried to find new ways to get cheese while
the other mouse just sat there and complained.
It seemed to me as the cheese was taken away, I would have to find
another way to get it. Throughout the year I had a plan to put our
family in a positive position and acted on my goal. It worked, and
now that we have found this wisdom I want to share it with you. You
see, you can do anything you put your mind to do. You really must
focus every day and take chances and plan for breaks. Life will
leave you flat if you let it.
As for me, I believe in givers gain, positive reinforcement,
motivated discipline, taking risks and continuing education. We only
use 1/10th of our potential and we need to unhinge the cobwebs in our
thinking and live. "The earth's great treasure lies in the human
personality" (excerpted from the JC Creed). We need to make the
personality work for us. Always charm and compliment. Always be
dignified. Make life your excitement and fulfillment by being
truthful to self and others. Freedom is what it is about and in
business building lasting relationships reinforces growth and
progress.
(Lee Shimmin is leaving BNI for a new job with the Department of Insurance. He was one of the first members of BNI when the first
chapter in Arcadia, CA, opened in 1985. Lee has served on the BNI
Board of Advisors since its inception. We are sorry that Lee is
leaving BNI at this time and wish him all the success in the world.
God bless you, Grandpa Network! ~Ed.)
Behind the Scenes at SuccessNet Online
by SuccessNet Online Senior Editor, Elisabeth Misner, beth@bni.com
Each quarter, you receive an email from me announcing the newest edition of the BNI Newsletter. I thought you might like to know a little bit more about what goes into producing our newsletter and how you can help us!
First of all, when we transitioned from the print version of SuccessNet to the online version, we added a couple of departments and jazzed up some already-existing departments. Huddle Time and BNI Happenings arrived on the scene, Chapter Brags became Givers Gain, and Memory Hooks became Seven Second Marketing (based on the title of Dr. Misner's book about, you guessed it, memory hooks).
Huddle Time is a department devoted to material that Educational Coordinators can use in chapter presentations. All the articles are appropriate to be printed and discussed at your chapter meetings. They will all support the referral marketing that is the focus of the BNI membership. We welcome members who have something to share with our worldwide audience to submit their articles for consideration.
BNI Happenings chronicles events, awards, chapter Kick-Offs and Visitor's Days as well as any regional mixers, conferences, or other gatherings of BNI chapters. This department is laid out by geographical regions and covers the entire international scope of BNI. Anytime your chapter does something special, let us know about it! We are more than happy to write it up and share photos of your members with our subscribers.
Givers Gain gives you a chance to share your chapter photographs, success stories and ideas that have profited your local chapter. This is a true example of the givers gain philosophy at work throughout the entire organization.
Seven Second Marketing is devoted to members' memory hooks. When you hear a chapter member use an outstanding memory hook, suggest that he or she write it up and submit it for consideration.
How can you help us?! We depend on you, the subscriber/member, for content! Our newsletter will only be as good as the material submitted for publication. So, keep us in mind when you share your testimonials with your members, develop an awesome memory hook, or plan a special event in your chapter. Let us know about them. Our readers love to hear what's going on in BNI chapters around the globe. Send your submissions to newsletter@bni.com.
Also, help us promote the newsletter to your membership. We are looking for 100% of our members to be signed up to receive SuccessNet Online. A good referral for me is sign-ups to the newsletter! Forward this edition of SuccessNet Online to someone you know hasn't yet subscribed. Ask them to click on this link to get signed up: Subscribe to SuccessNet. I will be conducting a poll in the next edition to take the pulse of the readership to determine if you are happy with our newsletter and where you might like to see changes/improvements.
Are You Asking For Referrals?
by J Lance Mead, BNI National Training Director/Executive Director, jlance@bni.com
The task of prospecting for new business leads is not really what most business professionals enjoy when they are seeking new sources of business. However, everyone in business usually responds effervescently to receiving referrals, as these leads don't appear to require the same amount of effort.
The truth is that while these statements are indeed obvious, few business people are asking for referrals frequently enough. This happens more than likely because many business people have a distinct fear of rejection, which prevents them from initiating their request for referrals and, in some regards; it's too much like prospecting. However, referrals are indeed the life-blood of those business professionals who are truly successful in their profession. These professionals we always look at as having a "special" way about them, which allows them to outperform others, and we look on with envy as they enjoy their business and everything about it.
Having a steady stream of new leads without having to prospect, waiting for the door to open or phone to ring is by far more desirable than the alternative. The question is relatively easy and the answer even easier. You need to ask for referrals much more often than you already do if you want to get more business. You may also say, "that's easy for you to say, but how do I do it?" There are also questions that are somewhat scary for the novice just starting out: "How do I ask without seeming too forward? How should I go about asking? When should I ask? How do I deal with rejection?" All of these are valid questions that I believe that anyone can solve and achieve the required results. Let's try.
First, as with anything in business or life, you must have a plan. There are several steps to the process and, while sometimes the targeted person or business may allow you to circumvent a part of the process, most of the parts need to be followed. To achieve success generating solid business referrals as a regular business practice, I recommend you follow the steps the below:
• State the Obvious - When you're starting a relationship with a new customer, make sure you emphasize that your prefer doing business through qualified referrals. Emphasize that the reason you are willing to work with them is because of their connection with the person who referred you. However, should the customer come to you through other means, in a tasteful way, you should advise them of your willingness to work with them as a special exception. Either way, letting the customer know that your time is valuable and you generally prefer to work with referred clients will help you immensely over time.
• Commitment is Important - We would all like someone to commit on the spot, but sometimes that's both uncomfortable and difficult. However, getting a commitment to re-evaluate at a future time is much easier and often happens. If someone resists a future time, you may not want to commit much time to this prospect.
• Reinforcement - Once you have stated the obvious and have obtained a future commitment, it's necessary for you to deliver the goods, service, etc...and set up the collection of the referral. Whether a reminder to keep you in mind, or a warm referral today, it's important to reinforce and remind them that referrals are your way of doing business. It doesn't hurt to offer to refer them business as well.
• Follow-Up - While following the first several steps should start your referrals flowing, it's always important to touch base several times a year. Although these are not considered "strong contacts," they still can act as a good referral source due to the fact that your past clients will keep you in mind.
• Positive Reinforcement - In this there are really three steps. 1- You should immediately thank the person giving you the referral by phone or through the old-fashioned "Bread and Butter" notes. A simple card saying, "Thanks for the Referral" is what I've found very useful. 2- Keep the person who gave you the referral up-to-date. Sometimes it's actually important to advise them if the referral isn't what you're seeking so they'll be much clearer next time. 3- A gift is more than appropriate. It never has to be pricey, just meaningful. A handwritten "Thank You" note on a gift basket will go a long way to generate additional referrals.
I believe it's extremely important that you're sure that they NEVER regret referring business to you by providing excellent service to the referred party. I firmly believe that by integrating these simple steps into your everyday business demeanor, most consumers will very much appreciate your approach and you will experience a steady growth of new referrals from sources you never considered before.
Gold Club BNI Members
David Haff, of Jerry DeLuca Auto Repair, is the first Gold Club BNI Member for BNI's Staten Island 1 Chapter in Staten Island, New York.
Gail Stolzenburg, of the West Houston, TX, chapter and Mike Cummins, President of Spring/Champions, TX, chapter are the latest Gold Club Badge recipients for the Houston West Region.
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