Visualize Success

From September 2017

 

October 1st starts the New Year for BNI Chapters and their members. Leadership and Support Team training is scheduled for 9/18 and 9/27. Chapters are asked to set their goals and put in place their plan and mechanisms to meet their goals. Because without a plan, goals are only a 'Wish List.'

 

As I have visited chapters over the past couple of weeks, a thought struck me in regards to setting goals. We are taught to set goals and make a plan, but rarely do you hear anything about planning for success. What do I mean about planning for success?

 

What are your Chapter's goals?   What would the end result of meeting those goals look like? To plan for success, you have to start building the infrastructure in order to accommodate the success when you achieve it.

 

For example, is one of your chapter's goals to grow the chapter membership?

-        Will your current space accommodate the number of new members you want to add?

-        Does the chapter need to raise their dues to pay for a larger venue?

 

Another example, does your chapter want to increase referrals/revenue/TYFCB?

-        What type of members are you looking for?

-        Does your venue attract quality members?

-        What would your Power Teams look like for a 40+ member chapter? Who needs more people on their power team? Perhaps take a survey and ask your members who they could pass business to? That's who you need to be recruiting.

 

I have been involved with a couple of new forming chapters, who from the very beginning said they were going to be a 40+ member chapter. They set up their chapter from the very beginning as if they were already a 40+ member chapter. This is what I mean by planning for success.

 

From the beginning, they set their standards -

-        Selected a venue that would accommodate 40+ members

-        The Venue was selected to attract the right business types

-        30 second infomercials from the beginning

-        2 speakers each week - 8 minutes each

-        Members held accountable regarding attendance, participation, etc.

-        A strong Membership Committee that does their due diligence in screening new members and turning down those that do not meet their high standards.

 

One of these chapters is now on target to hit 50 members because they planned and expected success. They put in place, from the beginning, what they needed to be successful.

 

So, my advice as chapters set their goals for the new year, is to visualize what you want the end result to look like. What would you need or to do differently when you reach your goals?  Start to build the infrastructure and start implementing the plans for when you reach your goals. It's like asking yourself, what would you do if you won the lottery? What would you do differently than you're doing now?  Start doing those things you would do then - Do it NOW!