September 2007
Art of NetworkingYou Might Be a BNI Member If …
1. You sit down when your oven timer goes off.
2. Your personal address book looks like the yellow pages.
3. Your family and friends call you instead of 411.
4. You no longer use "Hot or Cold" to describe your shower.
5. You admit to strangers that you "Dance" and everyone in the room claps.
6. You are on a sales call and you stop and wait for the applause after you have made your pitch.
7. You have experienced the longest "60 seconds" of your career.
8. You practice your 60 seconds in the mirror.
9. You time yourself practicing your 60 seconds in front of the mirror.
10. A group of business people are working to increase the number of "pink slips" that are given in a single day.
11. You recognize that "White" really means "Green."
12. You are eating lunch with your top sales rep … and they don't even work for your company.
13. You start to miss your fellow members while on vacation.
14. You look down your client list and it looks like your BNI roster.
15. You'll do ANYTHING for a candy bar!
16. You go to dinner and you don't sit down for the first 15 minutes.
17. "I HAVE" starts your sentences instead of "I DON'T."
18. "I need a good hook" has nothing to do with fishing.
19. You can write off lunch with 40 of your friends as a business expense.
20. YOU LOOK AROUND THE ROOM AND YOU SEE A BUNCH OF "GIVERS" GAINING.
Amy D. Kilpatrick, BNI Executive Director, Noontime Networkers, Augusta, GA
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My name is Steven Lin, and I am the creative director of 2Q Creations in Vancouver, BC. We are a marketing/graphic design firm that turns concepts into products.
2Q Creations offers a unique, personal branding service by incorporating caricature marketing as part of the branding strategy. When Dr. Ivan Misner visited Vancouver in July as the honored speaker for Referrals for Life, we presented him with a 2Q Creations plaque, business card holder, and caricatures. Dr. Misner said they were the best caricatures he had ever received!
2Q Creations has grown more than 200 percent since last year; 75 percent of the revenue was generated by BNI. Thanks to my wonderful members in BNI Marinaside for contributing to the growth of 2Q Creations. And thanks to those who believed in me and have allowed 2Q Creations to be part of your life! I look forward to more challenges and fun projects.
Steven Lin, Creative Director, www.2qcreations.com
"We turn concepts into products in no time"
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I have been a member of the Mole Valley Chapter of BNI in the UK for approximately eight years. I have been a private investigator for 54 years.
At the tender age of 77 (born December 20, 1929), I feel there is a good possibility that I could lay claim to being the oldest member of BNI. Mind you, I am not sure this is something I should be proud of.
Nevertheless, I put out the challenge—are there any BNI members who will admit to being older than me?
Peter Heims, Mole Valley Chapter, BNI, UK
Challengers to the title "Oldest BNI Member" should contact SuccessNet Online editor Bernice Mirrilees.
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Chan Seong Aun, an architect from the Lighthouse Chapter, was introduced to BNI in 2002. He was immediately impressed by the supportive attitude of members, especially the referrals of business opportunities.
The code of ethics of Chan's profession did not allow him to advertise his services or to extend a commission to a third party for referring a client. Seeing BNI as a platform to grow his business, he decided to participate in BNI. He says, "The two largest projects, totaling 500 million, were referred to me by NK Menon and Vincent Koay in my 5th year in BNI."
How did Chan do it? Here are his top three tips:
1. Don't give up, especially if you do not get any referrals initially. Perhaps you're not asking for the right referrals or you're not asking for it in the right way. If you're not getting any referrals, perhaps your fellow BNI members do not know enough about your business or trust you enough to introduce you to their best business contacts—all these take time and hard work! Do not expect a fellow BNI member to introduce their best business contacts to you simply because you belong to the same chapter. You have to win their friendship and trust.
2. Make an effort to attend every seminar or workshop conducted by BNI. I attended almost every one since I joined BNI, and each of them has taught me something about improving the way I run my business.
3. From the beginning, determine what matters most. Prioritize accordingly and invest time to learn the skills required to generate referrals and to get the kind of referrals you really want. Apply these skills correctly and consistently with a mindset that is founded on life-long learning.
How I Bought An RV
On my first visit to the Cowichan Reciprocators, a local BNI chapter, I had no idea what to expect. The greeting was friendly, there was an excellent breakfast, and each member introduced themselves through a 60-second infomercial. Then, we were introduced to our "10-minute speaker" who would educate us on his business. That week it was Rick McRae's from Arbutus RV.
Rick brought a Mallard 18C to our meeting, so we all went outside to take a look. I had rented an RV the previous year, but this trailer was different. It was light, roomy, and much less expensive than I imagined.
That Saturday, I bought the trailer. A few weeks later, after boasting about my new trailer to my friends, one bought the same trailer from Rick. His friendly service has also encouraged me to refer a friend who wanted to sell his trailer, so Rick could sell it for him.
Rick has set a great example of how to effectively use 10 minutes to share your business over breakfast!
Marla Daniels, Mortgage Consultant
Submitted by Ian Scott, Regional Director, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
A BNI Refresher
I was in BNI for three years and have recently rejoined the Maidenhead Chapter, UK, after a break of about five months.
This morning, I went to the induction course presented by Gavin Bain. Although initially I thought it would be a waste of time (since I'd already taken the course nearly four years ago), I viewed it like retaking my driving test and picked up some great reminders.
Not only that, but I got four referrals from the six other attendees!
What a great organization!
Sebastian Brown
Have you listened to BNI's weekly internet recording, also known as the BNI Podcast?