Your BNI chapter often becomes a comfort zone. The more you attend, the more familiar you become with other members; the more dance cards you complete, the less you are inclined to move out of your comfort zone and talk to strangers outside of BNI.
Talking to strangers ranks in the top 5 things that people hate to do.
To think about actually having fun whilst talking to strangers may be a definite stretch of your imagination. Recall the last party that you went to: picture those people in the room who just seemed to be able to talk to anyone about anything. Just what is their secret? How is it that they even look like they are enjoying themselves? Is it possible for you to become a more interesting person and even have fun talking to total strangers? The answer is most definitely YES!!
TIP 1: Interesting people are interested in others.
They actually take the focus off themselves and put it on to the person/s they are speaking to. Interesting people are actually great listeners—they work at improving their listening skills every day. Practice, practice, practice—every day, talk to one stranger! I dare you!
TIP 2: Spend a week observing great communicators in your social and business networks.
What makes them different? You may observe that they:
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Can you spare a moment? Please take a survey for BNI by clicking the link on the bottom right of the BNI Home Page.
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COLUMN
How To Get Your Trash Taken Out
3 steps to effective communication.
by Connie Hinton, Executive Director, BNI-NW
"I’m not getting good referrals from BNI."
That is a statement I frequently hear from members. In most cases it turns out the member does get referrals, just not the ones they want. And, after asking a few questions, it usually comes to light that the member is getting exactly what they’re asking for; they’re just not asking for the right thing. That’s miscommunication.
To illustrate this idea, here’s an example that happens in many homes.
A wife says to her husband, “The trash needs to go out.” What the wife means is, “Please take the trash out.” The husband may agree that the trash needs to go out, but doesn’t understand his wife is asking him to do it. Nothing happens and both end up frustrated.
Strong, profitable, long-term relationships depend on good communication. It isn’t easy, and it takes time and effort to develop. The first place that happens in a BNI relationship is with a member’s Sales Manager Minute. There are three points to developing them effectively: be specific, be clear, and get feedback.
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BREAKING NEWS
Masters of Success a # 1 Bestseller
Masters Day 2004 was held on Saturday, June 5th, at bookstores around North America and Canada. The turnout was fantastic! Book signings and guest lectures were conducted by authors and contributing authors of both Masters of Success and Masters of Networking. Masters of Success is the latest book from Dr. Ivan Misner and Don Morgan.
On June 11, 2004, Masters of Success, the new book released by Dr. Misner and Don Morgan, climbed to the top of the 's bestseller list.
In addition, the book tour has gained national press coverage. To read the article published in The Globe, a national Canadian paper, click on www.bni.com/successnet/contentimages/bn.globearticle.pdf. To read an article published in the Metro, a publication out of Toronto, Canada, click on www.bni.com/successnet/contentimages/bn.metroarticle.pdf.
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