In the continuing theme of "BNI: More Than a Meeting," the concepts for this issue are Resources and Responsibility.
One of the biggest benefits of being part of an international organization such as BNI is the worldwide resources available to you. I know several members who have clients in different parts of the United States or even in other countries because of BNI's resources. The resources available through BNI have given them the opportunity to find a trusted business professional to whom they could refer their client in their local area.
In addition, the goal of a word-of-mouth professional is to be a resource for the people they know. Let those you come in contact with know that you work with professionals who can fill the needs for goods or services. This will cause them to call you first when they need a referral for their business and personal life. It raises your value to them, and it keeps you in the top of their minds when they run into people in need of what you do. My personal opinion is that each business person should have a goal of being #1 on the speed dial with the people they know so they call you first when they want to do business.
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HUDDLE TIME
Creative Business Building
By Pam Creef, staffing consultant, Headway Corporate Staffing
When I first joined BNI, I knew it was going to take time to build the relationships in my group so I decided to use BNI tools to enhance my current business relationships while waiting for the referrals to come in for my job as a staffing consultant. I also took the advice of our Area Director, who taught us to "look outside the box."
The first thing I did was seek out a couple people in my group with whom I clicked. Interestingly enough, these members were not in my "mafia," or sub-group. My first two relationships were with a chiropractor and a Weekender clothing representative. I thought, "How am I ever going to give them referrals?" I knew I needed to meet with them to try to get some ideas. During our one-on-one meetings, I discovered they both put on workshops for individuals. The chiropractor offered stress-management and peak-performance seminars, and the Weekenders rep would put on a fashion show on how to make several outfits out of very few pieces of clothing.
The stress-management seminars were an obvious fit with my clients, and with a little creative thinking, we arranged a "Dress for Success" seminar where my clients were shown how to stretch their dollars for a professional wardrobe. It was very easy to call my clients to offer these workshops and to get them to talk to my fellow BNI members. It was a win-win situation for us all. I was providing a value-added, "free" service for my clients, while the BNI members were benefiting from all the people they met. The chiropractor has had more than 20 people at a time schedule appointments, and the Weekender Rep has sold a good amount of clothing. All the while, I get more business from my clients because they think I am great for getting them these free services.
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The Small Things That Lead to Success
By Alfred Lautenslager
We've all heard that networking should be an integral part of our total marketing plan, but what is networking? And is it the same for off-line marketing as it is for on-line marketing?
Many Internet marketers venture off into classified ads, opt-in mailing lists and postings of all sorts. Many times the traditional networking ways of off-line marketing are forgotten. So, what is networking in the traditional marketing sense?
Simply stated, networking is contact to establish relationships that can lead to business. Sometimes the path to business is direct; other times it is indirect such as through referrals. The person you know knows someone else who needs your products or services. This is the most important rule of networking. Many people go to a networking event hoping to do business. It doesn't work that way. Your goal of attending a networking event is to meet two or three people, find a reason to follow up and start a relationship. The business will most likely come from an indirect referral they know needs your products or services.
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