When I joined BNI®, I had been out of the public eye for a while – caring for both my parents and sick husband. After a couple of visits to the Knightsbridge Chapter, I joined as a member. That was some 18 months ago.
It was initially, and remains, the energy and integrity around the table that I like. Being part of a network of people you like, trust and respect is stimulating.
I spoke recently (in May) at two events, both on Leadership Women in Business touching on the challenges of drawing women to STEM industries. I put this down to BNI – not only did the introductions come via BNI, but also, presenting myself weekly to the group for 60 seconds and occasional Feature Presentation got me back onto the swing of public speaking.
As a coach/counselor, it takes time for people to get to know and trust you so referrals and BNI, where you get to know your ‘team’, are a great way to grow your business. The first 12 months with BNI was slow but now 18 months in, the referrals are coming in”.
For anyone considering joining, remember to be yourself: authenticity is key. Do not expect an immediate fix. Be patient, and remember that we are farmers, not hunters.
Submitted by Towanda Geary, BNI Vermont Ambassador
I remember the good old days! I would take my time getting up in the morning, lazily have my breakfast, maybe fit in a workout and then head into work, taking in the scenery. Upon arrival, I would take my time opening up the place. I was able to do so because I never started before 9 a.m. For lunch, I would just go wherever to grab something to eat and maybe do a little socializing and light networking. Having my assistant taking care of things helped free my time to network. How funny this all sounds to me now!
The day would start and end the same way. All the time. No surprises. I made okay money. Nothing to dance about, but also nothing to cry about. As I went about my days, I knew that there was something missing, but could not put my finger on it. At times it felt like I could do more to improve on the success of my business, but was not sure how to proceed. And then, one day, someone told me about BNI®.
My first impression of BNI was not a positive one. I kept wondering why people would choose to be a part of a business group where they seem to have so much work to do just to keep the group going. I felt I had enough on my plate with my own business. Why waste my time running someone else’s?
When I finally joined a BNI chapter, I felt a connection with my fellow members. People seemed to be genuinely interested in what I do and it was refreshing to be involved with other business owners. Within two weeks, I realized the requirements of membership where not an imposition. It all made sense to me quickly and the importance of keeping my eyes on long term goals was emphasized. I was signing up for the long haul and never regretted it. I now get up in the morning and get going about my work. Done are the days of prioritizing everything but my business. I find excitement at my growing knowledge and success. I get to work and open promptly by 8 a.m. and now have four employees. My business has grown so much that I have started a second business that adds to what I do, bringing even more revenue. Today my networking is a lot more successful and productive with BNI than it ever was at lunch time.
The reasons for no regrets in joining BNI are simple. Through meeting so many different people with such a wide range of knowledge, I have learned that I did not know what I was going all this time. The intricacies of business in all its facets are now part of my everyday dealings for my success. If and when I do not know something, BNI with all its benefits always provides the information I need. I now go through my day with confidence that I can and am doing the right things to increase the potential for my success to its utmost outcomes.
It’s simple. You either go at it alone and become a one man show in the hopes of becoming successful without having enough knowledge, or you take the lead and surround yourself with the people that you know will help bring you wealth and success.
I used to be good at managing my business until I joined BNI. Now I am great.
Would you like to substantially increase the number of referrals your BNI chapter generates? If you answered yes, read on, because here’s how.
Many years ago, I had a chapter President call me with a proposition. He said his chapter felt the attendance policy was a hassle and they didn’t believe it made any difference in referrals, and was actually a drawback to membership. I told him I didn’t create the policy – it was created by the Board of Advisors, made up exclusively of BNI members. He replied that his group wanted to show me and the Board of Advisors that attendance had no impact on referrals or membership. None. He asked me if I would publish the findings in our newsletter AND ask the Board to reconsider this policy if they could document that it made no difference.
I happily agreed to both.
They used the prior quarter as their baseline and began focusing on improving attendance starting the upcoming month. It’s important to note that during this time, they did nothing else other than improve attendance to show us it wouldn’t make a difference.
So, what were their results? Well, after six months they significantly dropped absenteeism by a whopping 71%. What about referrals you ask? Well they went up by 62%! And as an added bonus, membership in the group went up by 50%! At the end of their little experiment, the President called me and said, “never mind, it’s clear that absenteeism hurts the performance of the group.” I thanked him, and I thanked the group for doing this study. I asked if I could publish the results. They graciously agreed, and the table below is based on their original work.
ABSENCES vs. RESULTS
Chapter 1
ABSENCES
Per Member Per Month
MEMBER GROWTH
MONTHLY REFERRALS
Chapter Baseline
0.7
-12.50%
63
Quarter 1
-52%
29%
43%
Quarter 2
-71%
50%
62%
But wait, the story gets better.
You see, after I published the original article, I had another chapter President call me up and tell me his group had read the article, and they thought I made it all up! I told him to “call the President and confirm it” himself. I’ll never forget what he said next. He exclaimed, “No, this guy’s probably in your pocket, and he’ll say whatever you tell him to say!” (Wow! He clearly doesn’t know the average BNI member, I thought.) “So, how can I help you,” I asked?
He went on to say his group felt that even if the data was true, six months wasn’t long enough to confirm the results. It should be done for at least a year. He wanted to focus on reducing absenteeism for a year to show me the results would be different if the study went longer. I told him I thought that was a great idea. I also discovered there was, in fact, a big difference in tracking the results longer.
The second group had very similar results after six months. They dropped absenteeism by more than 50%, their membership went up by 55%, and their referrals went up by 71%. Pretty close to the first group – right?
But here’s where it gets truly incredible: At the nine-month mark, their absenteeism was stable with a drop of over 50%, but their membership had increased by a whopping 90%, and their referrals went through the roof with an increase of 164%!!!
At this point, the President called me and he also said, “never mind – we get it, absenteeism clearly brings down results… a lot.” Although they stopped tracking the data, I stayed in touch with the chapter for a long time. They continued to focus on attendance, and they grew to a 40+ member group. By that time, they were passing more referrals than they ever thought possible.
ABSENCES vs. RESULTS
Chapter 2
ABSENCES
Per Member Per Month
MEMBER GROWTH
MONTHLY REFERRALS
Chapter Baseline
0.6
-21.40%
41
Quarter 1
-53%
9%
9%
Quarter 2
-58%
55%
71%
Quarter 3
-53%
90%
164%
You can’t get a haircut – over the phone! And, you can’t have a successful BNI group if you don’t show up. Absenteeism effects membership and referrals. The results are clear. There is a direct and dramatic, linear correlation between absenteeism and referrals. As the groups decreased their absences, they increased their membership which substantially increased their referrals. High absenteeism results in low referrals. Low absenteeism results in high referrals.
The lesson here is:if your chapter is lax on attendance, it will affect your pocketbook.
It is in your best interest to reduce absenteeism in your chapter. If this is done in conjunction with a concerted effort to get back to basics — like finding good members and having them immerse in our educational content — you will end up with a chapter that is more successful than you ever thought possible.
Why accept mediocrity, when excellence is an option? Excellence is an option. Start today and bring excellence to your group.
It’s a fact that most teachers today are expected to cover the costs of their classroom needs and to alleviate that need by requiring students to bring some items themselves? Teachers spend between $500 and $1,000 or more out of pocket for school supplies each year. Rarely do schools provide any supplies for teachers.
The Back to School Supply Drive is an annual Business Voices® campaign sponsored by the BNI Foundation. It is open to all groups, regardless of their affiliation with BNI. The Back to School Supply Drive brings businesses together to support our deserving teachers and underserved children.
There are several ways to conduct a Back to School Supply Drive. One way is our Fill My Ride event, which involves bringing your car, or several vehicles, to your local office supply store and requesting donations from BNI members and business professional. Another approach is the Adopt a Teacher approach. This pairs various business owners with one or more teachers to visit a store and purchase needed supplies together. This adds great excitement and is very rewarding for the business owners. Yet another option is the Backpack Drive. Chapters fill backpacks with donated items and distribute them directly to the students.
Have you always wanted your story featured on BNI.com’s homepage? Do you have a compelling story to tell about how you got involved with BNI, how it or your chapter has changed your life and business, or a unique experience to share? This could be your chance to have your story used to help encourage visitors to step in the door.
Rules:
All submissions must:
Be a written submission focused on your BNI story, your chapter, and the imapct it has had on your life and business.
Include your name, location (city, state/province, country), Chapter name and contact information.
Be received by 11:59 pm ET (U.S.) on Friday, July 28, 2017 to be considered.
Include a high resolution JPG headshot of yourself.
Winners will be featured on the international BNI.com platform, and has the possibility to be featured on country, regional and chapter websites, as well.
Judging:
Videos will be judged based on compelling storyline and story-telling ability.
Winners will be notified via email.
How to Submit:
Please complete the Photo Release Consent Form (available here) and upload it with your video submission here.
If you have any questions or issues with submitting your video, please contact marketing@bni.com.
By submitting a story and headshot, the content becomes property of BNI, and according to the Photo Release Consent Form, may be used in BNI Marketing initiatives.
We are pleased to announce winners for three of the categories in the BNI Core Values Video Contest: Givers Gain, Lifelong Learning and Building Relationships. See who won, who received an honorable mention, and what your opportunities are to be our next winner.
Imagine the scene: early morning, old Jaffa port in Tel Aviv, fishermen already out at sea, a peaceful atmosphere on the deserted quays, and… a vivacious babel of languages – Hebrew, English and Italian.
It was so exciting to see the Italian BNI delegation from the Piedmont region, dressed in suits and ties, holding lively discussions with Israeli business people, and forming ties that may lead to future business deals and overseas friendships.
The setting was perfect, everyone was interacting wonderfully. What more could one ask for…?!
This networking event was organized by Lichi Business Forum which I established 7 years ago.
It all began almost a year ago in Saluzzo, Northern Italy, a few minutes before I was to address 450 Italians as the guest of honor at the launch of a new BNI chapter. “Buongiorno!” I hear behind me and turning, I found myself facing the twinkling eyes and brilliant smile of Antonio, a tall, good-looking Italian lawyer, sporting a well-cut business suit.
“You know, Mikhal,” he said with undisguised enthusiasm (in that Italian accent I adore), “I so love Israel, it’s like my home and I’m always supporting your country. My grandfather was a Jew and was one of the few members of the Saluzzo Jewish community who survived the Holocaust.”
Antonio told me how Israel’s reputation has reached an all-time low in Italy and is associated primarily with war and terror. “I must bring a delegation of Italian BNI members to Israel, to show them what an amazing country you have and how the stories they hear in the media are distorted and far from the truth.”
I thought to myself: “Well, let’s see – lots of people say lots of things, but only a few actually do anything. (‘Sure, we’d love to come and visit sometime, maybe later in the year, things are just crazy at the moment…’ – sound familiar?)
Antonio, however, is made of more serious stuff. Just a few months later, I received an e-mail from him: “We’re coming!”
And they did indeed come: a delegation of 20 business people and one Member of Parliament, imbued with Zionism and love for Israel. They stayed in Israel for a few days, and the high point of their visit was the meeting with Israeli BNI members and other business people who have a special interest in the Italian market. The event took place in a restaurant on the picturesque quay of Old Jaffa port.
The visitors so enjoyed the experience of standing on the pier, soaking up the warm morning sun and chatting, that some persuasion was needed to get them to step into the restaurant, where they found a delicious Israeli breakfast buffet waiting for them.
Afterwards, the speakers, BNI members from Israel and Piedmont, stood up to address the group, with the help of a Hebrew to Italian interpreter. For dessert, we did some speed networking, our favorite method of getting people together.
It was such a pleasure (especially nowadays, when the world, and particularly Western Europe, isn’t exactly wild over us) to hear warm words such as: “We Italians have a lot to learn from Israel, the start-up nation.” And when these words are spoken by Mariano, a good-looking member of the Italian Parliament, on his third visit to Israel, it was even more of a pleasure.
After the Italians had boarded the bus that took them to Masada and the fishermen returned from the sea, laden with fish, we at Lichi Translations could look back on the event, thankful for having had the opportunity to do what we love doing: connecting two worlds and two business cultures. Arrivederci!
If you are coming to Israel with a delegation and would like us to organize a networking event with Israeli business people, I’ll be delighted to set it up for you. If you are looking for connections in Israel, let me know; I know many companies and business people – from all sectors of industry. I will be happy to share my contacts with you.
If you are hosting a multinational event and need an interpreter, we will be happy to offer interpreters – any location around the world, all languages.
When using the words Real Estate, visions of homes and land pop into our heads, but what about your BNI® Real Estate? The seat you occupy at your weekly BNI chapter meeting is your real estate. You can leave it as you find it each week, unimproved, or you can make it your billboard.
We all have gotten to know or get to know our fellow members. Through our One-to-One’s, our Weekly Presentations and various social events, we get to know one another and get to know what one another does. BNI teaches that the meetings are for the visitors and guests. They may join or they may not, giving you only one shot. So how do you intend to capture that visitor or guest’s attention? Do you think they’ll remember every presentation they hear in during the 90 minute meeting? The truth is, probably not. When their eyes are surveying the room, how do you or your business look to them? If you sit there with nothing more than your words to capture the attention in the room, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Each week you have an opportunity to market to the room in a unique and captivating way. Utilize that three feet of space as your display, your advertisement. There are many great ideas out there.
One of the fine jewelers in the BNI Arizona South region brings a small assortment of earrings each week. There’s nothing like gold and gemstones to grab one’s attention. Some members make tent signs or display their awards, BNI or otherwise. And, some members use colorful signs. The goal is to improve your piece of real estate while you occupy it. You could have a bowl of brightly wrapped candies in front of you for the taking or a small flower arrangement. Have a small selection of your products for examination, or small samples for others to try. You want something attractive yet professional to draw attention to your purpose for being in the room.
One of the best signs I’ve seen hangs down the front of the table, in front of the member. When it comes to signs, whether large or small tent signs, remember, more is usually too much. Keep it simple and memorable with your name, brand and a color photo or two. If you have no idea what to use, do a One-to-One with one of the many marketing agents or graphic designers in BNI. Since you’re in BNI, use BNI. You have plenty of sources to choose from that will result in extra referrals and Thank You For Closed Business, all while improving your visibility.
The BNI Foundation awards the Givers Gain® Grants to schools and educational organizations twice a year in May and December. Ten awards of $1000 each are typically awarded. The grants are used to enhance classroom learning with the goal of benefiting as many classrooms, teachers and students as possible. Here are the winners for May:
Boys Haven of America, Inc.
Beaumont, Texas
Project Funded: Equine Therapy Summer Program
The grant funds will be used to provide Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine-Assisted Learning sessions for residents of Boys’ Haven who have all experienced some form of abuse or neglect in their lives. The boys learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with horses and discussing thoughts, beliefs, behaviors and patterns.
Project 16:49
Janesville, Wisconsin
Project Funded: Building Self-Sufficiency in At-Risk Youth
This grant will be used to purchase ARISE evidence-based life skills curriculum for teens. The curriculum helps students with a number of topics including anger management, domestic violence and sexual abuse, self-esteem, time management, career networking, finances, health and hygiene, school drop-out prevention, nutrition and exercise, and safety.
Humble I.S.D. Education Foundation
Humble, Texas
Project Funded: From MOSAIC Masterpieces to Beyond
The grant money will be used to purchase two cash registers, a bar code label maker and supporting materials. Our program supports students age 18 to 22 with special education as they transition from school life to adult life. The registers will be used at our MOSAIC store and at shows and events where the students sell items and crafts they make themselves.
Clara J. Peck Elementary
Greensboro, North Carolina
Project Funded: Resource Center
We are establishing a resource room where students and their families can study, get help from teachers, work on assignments and receive help from volunteers and school workers. The grant funds will go toward computers, printers, furniture, reference books and supplies for the resource center.
Congratulations to all of the Givers Gain® Grant recipients. We wish you success in your endeavors.
How do you develop a relationship that can stand the test of time? This is something that all business professionals aspire to, as the most effective (not to mention profitable) referral-generating relationships span many years and decades.
Having these strong relationships that can help your business flourish, a tactic called relationship marketing, is largely what BNI helps members accomplish. Getting to know referral sources and their businesses, identifying ways that you can help them hit their goals, and sharing elements of your business are first steps in developing these relationships. Perhaps welcoming your new relationship into your office to let them see you at work, helping them get to know you, and learning about their business, life and goals, helps them to see you as a potential referral partner.
Once you have established yourself in their circle, you’ll begin to see trust growing between you. Perhaps you pass them a referral, and they shortly after reciprocate. Maybe they passed a referral to you, and you exceeded expectations, giving their mother-in-law a fantastic experience. Building this rapport helps strengthen relationships, and is necessary to continue developing lasting referral-generating relationships.
Another part of developing this credibility is also having other strong relationships with people who are willing to sing your praises if called upon. Not having any relationships can seem questionable, with a few exceptions. If you have lived in the same town for 15 years, have operated your business for 12, and have no relationships, potential new referral partners may see this as a red flag.
Developing relationships that last is a time commitment. There is no magic formula, no quick solution to building relationships. Some relationships will develop quickly, while others take years. The key to ensuring you are building a strong foundation for years to come is putting in the time and effort needed to establish trust and reliability with your new referral partner.
Accountability helps us build relationships, meet goals, and develop personally and professionally. When you’re on a team, you hold those around you accountable for their ends of the projects, and your company or clients often hold you accountable for providing excellent service and products.
However, too often, professionals and entrepreneurs struggle to hold themselves or those closest to them accountable. For whatever reason, you can easily hold your employees to the standard which you expect, but will sometimes find yourself letting yourself off the hook where you shouldn’t.
This is why it helps to have an accountability partner in your life to help you achieve your goals. This person can be someone who works closely with you on a project, could be a close friend who you simply share updates on a project with, or could be someone you hire, like a business coach.
When looking for someone to act as your accountability partner, look for someone who you respect, who you would never want to disappoint, and who has time to help you. Most importantly, you need to look for someone who knows you, who understands the struggles you face in getting work done.
Your accountability partner also needs to know the other priorities in your life – perhaps if you always spend Sunday unplugged with your family, your accountability partner needs to know that you won’t make any moves toward your goal on Sunday. Setting these boundaries is fine, but part of accountability is knowing that you have unplugged time coming up, and getting work out of the way in advance so you don’t shirk responsibilities.
As a major factor in your success, accountability is crucial. As one of BNI’s Core Values, we see our members hold each other accountable each week – chapter attendance, following up on referrals, and bringing visitors to chapter meetings, among others, are elements which our members know they can count on others in their chapter to help motivate and encourage them to do.
Submitted by Steve Litwok, Network 1 Financial, Shore Money, BNI New Jersey/Pennsylvania
December is the season of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday.
At the Shore Money chapter of BNI in Belmar, NJ, we meet Thursday mornings. And at Shore Money, Giving Thursday happens every Thursday, not just once a year.
BNI is a business referral networking group. Our philosophy is Givers Gain®, and the way we do that is by passing business referrals to other members of Shore Money. Our group of 30+ members thrives on giving referrals. And of course, we also get referrals, which leads to more business.
This summary could describe many BNI chapters. But Shore Money is different and unique. The chapter is 15 years old and it includes two charter members. Add to them another 9 members who are 10-year members, and you have a chapter with a solid foundation. After all, why would someone be a member of a business referral network for over 10 years, if they weren’t making money and having fun?
If you visit Shore Money you will see a chapter that passes referrals, does plenty of business, and a chapter whose meetings are filled with levity and humor.
In our 15 year history we have been through difficult times such as when one of our meeting venues burned down! Then there was the time Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey shore and the venue where we met was flooded and shortly thereafter torn down.
Most devastating to our chapter was when our beloved member Warren Wolkenberg passed away after an illness. Warren was a long-term member who had held leadership positions and became a BNI ambassador/director. Many of us attended his funeral but none of the long standing members will ever forget that next Thursday morning meeting when we invited Warren’s wife and adult children to join us. We went around the room telling our Warren stories and we all laughed at some of those precious memories. For everyone in attendance that morning it was a very healing group therapy session.
A number of years ago, someone suggested collecting money for the local foodbank. So we started collecting money weekly and making donations on a regular basis. Then one of our members introduced us to K-9s for Warriors, a non-profit organization raising money to train dogs who are then paired with veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. So we changed our focus to support the K-9s for Warriors Project.
Shore Money has taken Givers Gain to a new level. Over the past two years, we have sent 2 checks for $1000 to K-9s for Warriors. When we discovered that a local boy was suffering from cancer, our members opened their hearts, wallets and purses and made generous donations to his family. We also made a donation to another NJ-based organization helping families who have children suffering from cancer.
I am proud to be a member of Shore Money for the past 14 years. Our group understands that the purpose of BNI is not just to make money. It is also about making friends and establishing long-term relationships. However, our purpose is also to give back to the community. If it is Thursday morning in Belmar, NJ, it is Giving Thursday at Shore Money.
The one secret is…there is no “one” secret. In order for members to be successful in BNI it’s a formula of four important elements that members need to apply in order to achieve success.
This is the formula for success in BNI:
Quality
Growth
Engagement
Stories
1. Embrace Quality
Quality is first on the list for a reason. The process begins by being very selective about who you bring into a chapter. You want quality business professionals who have a positive, supportive attitude. You also want people who are good at what they do. It is aptitude and attitude. We all assume aptitude but we often forget about attitude and after three decades in BNI, I can tell you that this is critical.
Effective networking is dependent on the quality of the relationships that you actually develop in the group. If your network is a mile wide and an inch deep, you won’t be getting the referrals you expect. Therefore, it is important to build deep relationships with your referral partners if you want to generate more referrals. This means that you need to know, like, and trust them.
In order to ensure quality participation, there has to be accountability in a group. One of the strengths of a good network is that many of the members are friends. One of the weaknesses of a good network is, ironically, that many of the members are friends. Friends don’t like to hold friend accountable. However, BNI is not a friendship organization. It is a referral organization. Thus, in order to generate quality referrals – members must hold their fellow members accountable for their participation in a group.
If you expect the best from your members, you’ll get it. If you expect less than the best from your fellow members, you’ll get it. Why accept mediocrity when excellence is an option? Accountability in a group will help you achieve excellence.
The last part of “quality” that is important to mention is the application of our core philosophy,
Givers Gain®, in a chapter. The more members who live this philosophy (particularly as it relates to referrals), the more successful a group will be.
2. Grow Your Team
Years ago I learned that there is a dramatic correlation between the size of a quality group and the number of referrals that are generated by that group. Groups under 20 do not generate as many referrals (proportionately) as do groups over 20. The math proves it. If you have a group of 16 people, that group has 256 connections (16×16). [See Diagram A] However, a group of 32 people has 1,024 connections (32×32)! [See Diagram B] In BNI, critical mass for a group begins in the 20s (the average chapter size worldwide is roughly 24)
DIAGRAM A
DIAGRAM B
This multiple of connections gets even more interesting as it gets larger. For example, if you double a group of 24 members to 48 members, that group goes from 576 connections to 2,304 connections (double the size – quadruple the connections)! In a network, the number of relationships (or members) leads to a number of connections that is a squared multiple of the actual membership. I call this ratio of people in a group compared to the total connections that are created the “Squared Connection Effect.” Hence, the quantity of members truly makes a difference in the total number of connections and inevitably the amount of referrals that can be generated in a group.
Sometimes this begs the question: When is a chapter too large? That’s difficult to answer; however, I can tell you that less than a fraction of 1% of our chapters have ever gone over 80 members (by the way, a group of 80 members has 6,400 connections!).
The bottom line is that the more connections you have (based on quality relationships of course), the more referrals you generate. For decades, I have seen groups that are twice the size of other groups in an area generate several times more referrals than their smaller counterparts. The math is pretty significant and consistent.
3. Seek Engagement
Engagement involves a promise and an action. In order to achieve success in a group, the members must promise to support one another and take the actions necessary to fulfill that promise.
There are many ways that members can be engaged in a group. They all begin with the group as a whole being immersed in a culture of learning. Has everyone in your group listened to the BNI Orientation audio material? Have they all gone to Members Success Program training? Have many members taken it a second time (or more)? Do most of your members listen to the weekly podcasts at www.BNIPodcast.com,? Do they read SuccessNet regularly? Are your members reading my blog at www.IvanMisner.com or viewing our videos on the Networking for Success Channel? The higher the number of members engaged in these activities, the more likely the entire group will be generating more referrals. The reason for this is a shared vision of success and a shared implementation of that vision.
Another way to be actively engaged in a group is to do regular and consistent 1-2-1s (meet with members outside the regular BNI meeting). Over and over, I see that members who do regular 1-2-1s tend to both give AND get more referrals.
Lastly, are you and your members doing really effective introductions every week? The best introductions are ones that focus on breaking your business down to laser specific elements of your business. Sharp-shoot your talks; don’t shotgun them. Each week, talk about one key element, product, or benefit of what you do.
According to Psychology Today, research has found that people who are “actively engaged” in a business environment are “43% more productive” than those who are not.
Furthermore, they state that engagement includes “regular dialogue, quality of working relationships, perceptions of ethos and values of the organization, and recognition.” Does any of this sound familiar to what is done in good BNI groups? It should. There’s research behind our recommended action for engagement, and it’s critical to the success of members in a group.
4. Share Stories
The last piece of the “3+1 For Success” is to tell stories. Listening closely to your member’s weekly presentations will help you in telling positive stories about your fellow members. Doing regular 1-2-1s will help you to tell stories when you give referrals. Think about your many experiences and write them down.
A number of years ago I met Robert Dickman, author of The Elements of Persuasion. He taught me the formula for a good story:
A story is a fact
Wrapped in an emotion
That compels us to take action
That transforms us in some way
The key here is that a good story compels people to take action, and this action transforms or helps them in some way. I always try to re-live a story, not just re-tell a story. Make it sound fresh and alive. That is an important aspect of storytelling.
Can’t think of a story? Look here at SuccessNet. There are a ton of stories that you can share.
Remember that facts tell, but stories sell. If you want to build your group in order to generate more referrals, overlay storytelling on top of your efforts. This is particularly true regarding the testimonials you give at a chapter meeting.
The Formula for Success in BNI:
Embrace Quality
Grow Your Team
Seek Engagement
Share Stories
Why accept mediocrity when excellence is an option. Excellence is an option in BNI. Understanding and applying this success formula will transform your group in amazing ways.
Submitted by Stephanie Starr, BNI Foundation Executive Director
The BNI Foundation is delighted to announce a handful of exciting updates for the month of June. Check out the updates below!
Website The BNI Foundation is proud to announce the launch of its new website. The team at Scion Social, led by Sean Fernandez, has done an extraordinary job making our vision a reality by creating a visually exciting, informative and easy to use site. The updated website serves as the first stop for information and resources related to the BNI Foundation, Business Voices™ and the Givers Gain® Grants.
Toolkit The new BNI Foundation website is launching alongside the Business Voices™ Toolkit. Many of you have requested additional guidance and information about how to get involved with Business Voices™. The colorful, twenty-page toolkit is an invaluable resource for those interested in launching a new Business Voices™ team. It includes step by step instructions, event ideas, promotional templates, presentation talking points and much more. We believe that the toolkit will prove to be extremely helpful to BNI chapters. It is available for download on the new website right now.
Business Voices Stories Please tell us about your Business Voices™ activities so that we can share your stories, photos and the impact your team is making on local schools and educational organizations. Here is a form that will be sent out monthly to Business Voices™ teams. Please complete this for any projects your team has completed this year between January and May. This information is a vital part of our effort to report and celebrate all of the incredible things Business Voices™ teams are accomplishing for schools all around the world.
Any time I am asked to attend an event where I may not know someone, there is a certain amount of anxiety. Will I run into somebody that I know, so I won’t be standing by myself? It is important for every chapter and every member to reach out to our guests. Warmly welcome them to your meeting. Ask them if a specific member invited them. Introduce them to a fellow member who works in their contact sphere so they might see the potential of business referrals.
I’ve been invited to different social or business functions where I’ve not known any of the folks in attendance and there is a certain amount of anxiety when that occurs. Let’s make sure that every member, whether they are a visitor host or not, welcomes our visitors and interacts with them so they are not left alone. Remember, the first part of our meeting is Open Networking.
While chatting with them ask them how they heard about BNI? Have they attended other meetings? If so, what did they like about the meeting
When I invite folks to my home for dinner or to socialize, I make sure that my home is welcoming and inviting for my guests. We only get one opportunity for a first impression in most cases, so we need to make it our best. Are the Visitor Hosts in place with the welcome table set up? Pre-register your guests so they receive the welcome email prior to your meeting.
We all work hard to invite new visitors to our chapters and we want to make every effort to provide the best experience for the visitor.
Have we prepared the visitor for the meeting?
Explain the timing and agenda of the meeting.
Ask them to bring business cards.
Let them know that they will be given the opportunity to introduce themselves and their business if they do not conflict with a member.
Where should they park.
Where is the meeting space.
The objective of BNI is to help each other grow our businesses.
Visitors can provide the following:
Business for the members
Potential new members for the chapter which provides additional opportunities.
They also can promote our network to other non-members to broaden our reach.
The next time a visitor comes to your chapter, warmly greet them and make them feel at home. Be genuine in your conversations and provide them a great experience. Even if we are not assigned the specific role of Visitor Host, we are all Visitor Hosts.
