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HUDDLE TIME
Be a Giver and Gain
By Ivan Burnell
Why would you choose to be a giver? This is a vital question for you to ask yourself in reference to your profession or business. The answer is quite simple, although it may seem difficult to understand. The answer: because you will make a greater profit, sell more product and if you work for someone else, you will have a job for life. Besides that, you will also feel good about yourself.
How do I know that this is true? Because I did it and it worked. I was a struggling life insurance salesman when I decided to become what I call a giver. To do that, all I had to do was to tell the whole story about my product to prospective clients, never leaving out any facts or information. At first I was terrified. Would anyone buy anything from me if I told him or her about all the good points as well as all the possible bad points of the product?
The results were exciting. Within six months I had doubled my sales and then doubled again six months later. After the first six months I stopped asking for leads and references because I was getting more than enough without even asking.
So it paid to be a giver. In my workshops, I make a joke about this by saying that the greediest person should learn to be a giver and make a lot more money with a lot less trouble.
Personal Peak Performance
Why be a giver? Because if you aren't a giver now, you either already are or you will become a taker. And what's wrong with that? Ponder this statement for a moment: "Givers are given to and takers get taken!" It may not happen immediately, but that is what eventually occurs.
You can prove this point by observing people around you. Observe the givers as well as the takers. Watch their attitudes and their actions. Then take note of what happens to them along the way.
Takers tend to be critical and judgmental of the success of others, which leads to their becoming resentful and angry. Anger clouds the mind and confuses the problem-solving capabilities. That is why otherwise intelligent people will do something foolish and will needlessly get themselves into a lot of trouble and become vengeful.
Givers tend to be accepting of what is. They know how to let go of past problems and hurts while learning from the experience and applying that knowledge to present situations. Givers tend to be happier and healthier because they are not burdened with resentment or bitterness for what should be. Once you have observed both the givers and takers, decide which you want to be and then stick to it.
What Do You Think?
Are you a giver or a taker? The highest form of giving is to allow others to be who they are and allow them to take full responsibility for the results of their own actions, whether it be the kudos of success or the disappointment of failure.
Complaining about what is wrong with the world is foolish and useless because nothing will change. What you will do about it is the thoughtful question to ask yourself. When you have an answer, do it to the best of your ability.
Ivan Burnell is the president and founder of International Personal Development and IPD Publishing. He has written two books, "The Power Of Positive Doing" and "Say YES to Life." He also has a tape series called "The YES Factor" and a variety of single subject tapes that you can see at his website. For more information on current courses being offered, or to obtain copies of books and tapes, contact him at:
International Personal Development
PO Box 277 ~ Center Ossipee ~ New Hampshire
USA ~ 03814-0277 ~ 1-603-539-4795
Or visit our web site at http://www.yesfactor.com.
Article used with permission from Ivan Burnell.
HUDDLE TIME
10 Tips for Sowing Vintage Relationships
By Jon Barsanti, Jr.
My wife has a passion for wine tastings. I have a passion for referral meetings. After years of attending both, I discovered that the process of creating fine wine shares many things with the process of creating great referral business.
- Stressors cause the roots to grow deeper. The same energy that will later generate grapes must be first used to establish roots. The same holds true when developing your network. You may struggle in your attempts to find the right chemistry of the group. Your struggle will pay off in the long run.
- The best wines come from handpicked vines. Handpick your members. Only allow people into your group who have been referred by a member. Mass marketing to find members may generate great yields of low hanging fruit. Once the low hanging referrals have been picked, the strangers in your group will become frustrated and take their vines elsewhere. Imagine pulling up a tree every year and wondering why it doesn't grow.
- Vines need pruning. The same is true with referrals. If the referrals are too "thin," your conversion rates will be low and your productivity will suffer. If you are getting bad referrals, prune them back.
- Weeds need to be removed early and often. "Negaholics" are the weeds of contact groups.
- The best wines come as a result of picking the grapes when they have the optimal sugar content. If the grapes stay on the vine too long, they can become too sweet. If a heavy rain comes through the region, the same grapes can become diluted through the absorption of excess water. As soon as you receive a referral, follow up with it. The hot referral may change his or her mind, or someone else may come along and pick it.
- Vines need time to develop. Young vines need time to mature and to acquire the characteristics that the vintner wishes to market. In referral groups, during the first few months everyone tries to figure out what each other does and who would be good referrals for each other. It may take several months for you to see results after joining.
- Year after year, the same vines will produce different results. Conditions vary year to year in referral groups as in vineyards. You may receive great business from your group one month, or one year, followed by months of non-productivity. Stick with your group.
- As time progresses, vineyards will actually produce fewer grapes, and those grapes will have incredible flavor. Old-vine wines cost more. The same is true in your network. The first referrals will be the easy, low-hanging referrals. Often the first referral received will be self-referrals, which allows the referrer to test-drive your product and services before referring you to their family, friends, co-workers or clients. Finally, after several months, or years, you may get an old-vine referral, which may be worth fifty or sixty times the value of the early referrals from the same source.
- Sleeping all spring won't produce a harvest in the fall. Some people join referral groups to get referrals, and choose not to pass referrals until the group gives them qualified referrals. You must give referrals before you will receive referrals.
- Rose bushes are more susceptible to the bugs and diseases that will destroy the grapevines if left untreated. For this reason, some vintners plant rose bushes at the end of rows of vines to monitor the area for bugs and disease. A group's attendance policy is its rose bush. People who miss meetings regularly will also miss the opportunity to generate and receive referrals. These people can become fruitful if caught early, or they can be weakened until they fade away.
Creating vintage relationships, as creating great wine, requires time and energy. Choose carefully.
Jon Barsanti has been a realtor for the past twelve years. He first joined BNI in Milwaukee, WI, in 1997. He is married to Tami and lives in Greensboro, NC. Other articles he has written include those pertaining to urban planning.
HUDDLE TIME
Referral Etiquette
By Shelli Howlett, Executive Director, BNI DFW/Austin/San Antonio
Here are some tips on how to be the best member you can.
- During a BNI meeting, professionals are required to do one of the following during the referral portion of the meeting:
- Say, "I have a referral" (or two referrals, etc.)
- Say, "I have a testimonial." It is important that you only give only one testimonial here so you don't dilute the "specialness" of the person about whom you're testifying. Remember in your testimonial that we don't use the word "lead." Use the word "referral."
- Say, "I have a guest who has filled out their application today." (Something positive that you contributed.)
- "Thank you's" are no longer acceptable at the referral part of the meeting because this is the portion of the meeting to give. Think about it. A member can stand up and say "thank you" every week for getting three referrals a week for himself, but never give referrals. That is what this portion of the meeting is all about, giving.
- Interrupting during 60-second introductions or the referral/testimonial portion is unprofessional and uncomfortable to the speaker. Be empathetic to the speaker. Please come early during open networking or stay after to ask your specific question. BNI wants to deliver the highest quality networking event possible.
- Write up referral slips ahead of time. All paperwork is completed before meeting with a customer, right? Why not fill out the slip in advance as it saves time and shows we are professional. Visitors will see that by passing tons of referrals, there are big results with your chapter. This also keeps current members excited.
- Writing up a referral every few weeks for "add on" business (e.g. a woman writing up another referral slip for a lipstick she buys from a Mary Kay director every few weeks) does not constitute a new referral. This does not count as a new sale, thus it's not a new referral, just a re-order.
- Lastly, giving a "contact" to another member does not count as a new referral. Why? This is not a bona fide referral of a person you will call and then set an appointment with and present your product or service to make a sale. Although contacts (such as speaking engagement at your office) are nice and may lead to referrals later, they do not count as referrals.
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