September/October 2006
Art of NetworkingTurning Competition into "Co-opetition"
Turning category conflict into cooperative success.
We've all had someone like John Knowles visit one of our chapters—the visitor who represents a category conflict with an existing member. But when we look deeper, there is room for something else: cooperation.Take John, the owner of Photo-Offset, who first visited the Coral Gables chapter of BNI more than eight years ago. There was already a printer in the chapter, so it seemed there was no opening for him. However, the representative for the existing printer, Dan Lincoln, didn't see competition—he saw a chance for cooperation.
Dan's company, Haff-Daugherty, is a large-sheet fed printer, focusing on big-scale jobs, like catalogs. He was frustrated with the fact that he could not directly help many of his fellow BNI members with their smaller projects—like brochures, business cards and letterhead. Working with John Knowles and the membership committee, they created two categories for the chapter: large project printer and small project printer.
"I joined the chapter and took on the small printer role," explains John Knowles. "At first I wasn't sure I wanted to do this, because all the large jobs Haff-Daugherty specialized in, Photo-Offset could handle as well. But, I wanted to give BNI a try, so I only promoted our smaller project expertise in my commercials."
Working Together for Lasting Success
John immediately started doing well and received quite a few referrals for things like brochures and forms. But what really developed was the co-opetition relationship with Dan Lincoln and Haff-Daugherty. They became a client of Photo-Offset and farmed a number of the print jobs they couldn't do for clients directly to John and his team.
"After about a year, Dan ended up not renewing his membership, but to this day Haff-Daugherty is one of my top-20 clients," shares John.
"I think one of the things that made the relationship work and has kept it consistent for so long is that Dan really gets Givers Gain. When I first walked into that chapter meeting, he could have seen me as the competition, but instead he was excited because he saw how I could help the rest of the chapter—and even his existing clients—where he could not."
So often our members get sidetracked with wanting to make sure no one takes a piece of their "BNI pie." But with a willingness to see the mutual benefit a co-opetition relationship can create, they'll actually end up with a bigger pie overall. Just ask John Knowles and Dan Lincoln.
The Wonder of One-on-OnesHow you sustain lasting relationships.
A wise person once said to me, "You are not just a chiropractor. You are also in the business of marketing yourself. Without people in your office, you have no chiropractic business."
When we fail to attract people into our businesses it's obviously harder to stay in business.
How can we consistently attract people into our lives and businesses week after week, month after month and keep them year after year? The answer is so very simple. Relationships. Quality, old-fashioned relationships.
But these relationships do not happen over night. They take time. Be patient. Treat others like you would like to be treated. Begin the relationship with good intent. Remember the BNI philosophy: Givers Gain.
Then there are "One-on-Ones"—a perfect way to develop lasting relationships. It doesn't get any easier than that. No cold calling. No letter mailing campaigns to get an appointment. Nothing. Just simply open up your card catalogue and pick up the phone. Who is going to reject a chance to create a relationship?
Make the Connection
A few weeks ago a medical doctor whom I refer patients to told me that he was not taking any more new patients. Since I have patients asking me to refer medical doctors, I figured I needed to meet a new one. I picked up the phone and called another doctor close to my office. Keep in mind that I really do not like calling people; however, I wanted to satisfy my patients' needs.
I called the office, and when the office manager picked up, I said, "Good morning. My name is Dr. Roger Saias, and I am a chiropractor around the corner. I have many patients who ask for referrals to other doctors in the area. I was wondering if I could set up a time to meet the doctor and find out what he does so I could refer my patients to him."
They would have been foolish to turn me away. Who is going to turn down the opportunity to do business? Notice I didn't make the call soliciting his business. Remember: Givers Gain.
The More the Better
Set a goal to do at least one One-on-One each week with someone in your chapter, whether they are new or veterans. This is where you will get to know your fellow members and what kind of referrals they are really looking for. Don't lose sight of the fact that they will also learn about you: what you do, what makes you different than everyone else, and what kinds of referrals are good for you.
I have found that the number of One-on-Ones that you do is directly proportional to the amount of business you attract from BNI. So fill your calendar with as many One-on-Ones as your schedule permits. Invest the time and energy. It will pay off.
