Why Attendance is a Key Success Factor in BNI

All of these podcasts and articles are very good, and I encourage you to listen/read all of them.  The paragraph in Podcast #274 – Did I Miss the Memo bests sums up why attendance is important.

‘BNI members who treat their BNI meetings like an appointment with prospects and fellow business associates are much more likely to be successful in this program, because these are appointments. These are appointments with your best referral partners, and you don’t want to miss an appointment with your best referral partners. It’s very important. I think that the chapters that have this sense of accountability where the members understand that this is an appointment and you need to treat it like a good appointment should be treated, and you don’t want to just not show up and have poor attendance.  I think that those people tend to be stronger business professionals and more successful, and they certainly are going to build better relationships because of their regular participation in their chapter.’

And I would add, when you’re looking at your calendar and making appointments, schedule around your BNI meeting. Think about it.  If you had another client meeting, you would tell your prospect, I have another meeting at that time and then give them the times you are available.  Nine times out of ten, your prospect will understand, because they want to deal with someone who is successful.  Having appointments on your calendar shows that you are successful.

Thinking that your fellow BNI members will understand that you have a client appointment instead of attending your BNI meeting is OK, will not last. It speaks to your creditability. Every member made a commitment to the attendance policy. It’s about honoring that commitment and the best way to honor that commitment is to treat your BNI meeting as an appointment with your best referral partners, and they will be committed to you. BNI is your prospecting and networking time to create new Business.  If you start thinking this way, you will get much more out of BNI.

Podcast #490 – Show Up – Make Money

Podcast #436 – Low Absences = More Referrals

Podcast #218 – What is a Quality Member

Podcast #236 – Behaviors and Credibility

Podcast #545 – Full Participation

Podcast #261 – The Art of Being There

Podcast #681 – Mindset is Everything

Podcast #533 – There’s No Substitute Like a Good Substitute  

Podcast #274 – Did I Miss the Memo

Podcast #583 – How Late is Late?

Podcast #579 – Sub Abuse

Podcast #387 – Using or Abusing

13 Years of in BNI – My Secrets to Success - https://bniblog.co.nz/be-inspired/13-years-in-bni-my-secrets-to-success/

In appreciation,

Annette

Area Director

What did I sign up for?

From July 2019

Why did you sign up to be a part of BNI?  Different people have different reasons.  Some are looking for more business, more referrals.  Some are looking to build relationships and meet referral partners.  Some are looking for training to become a better business person.

Those are all great reasons, but none of this comes overnight.  It takes time and for some it takes more time than others.  It's more of a marathon than a sprint.

Last Thursday I participated in my 6th Peachtree Road Race.  Each year has been a different race.  The first year it was cool.  There were people sitting along Peachtree Street wrapped in blankets.  One year it was raining and they flagged some of the late corrals and stopped the runners for awhile because of lightning.  The other years, it's been a typical Peachtree Road Race - hot and humid - with this being the hottest on record.  By the time we crossed the finish line it was at a red alert.

And why am I telling you this?  As we were heading up Peachtree getting ready to make the turn to head towards the finish line and Piedmont Park I saw a man holding up a sign similar to the one above, it did make me smile.  This year was a hard one.  First because it was so hot and humid and I had not quite trained as hard as I had in past years.  And instead of doing my run/walk intervals, we walked the majority of the course.  You would think that by walking, it would have been easier, but my legs are still screaming with soreness.  I'm still questioning why I'm so sore.  Was it the conditions, my lack of training, or because I walked instead of run/walk?  I think it was that I did something different than what I trained for.  I trained to run/walk, but walked the majority of the time, thus using different muscles.  I finished standing up and for that I am grateful.

Again what does this have to do with BNI?  Over the last couple of days, as I've thought about what topic to write about, that sign keeps coming to mind.  As I've been on Facebook and saw many of my friends and of the many BNI members I know post their photos of the Peachtree, it brought to mind the relationships I have with these individuals and their commitment to most everything they do.  They signed up and paid their money to participate in the Peachtree Road Race.  They trained.  They participated.  They crossed the finish line and they got the T-Shirt.  Because the Peachtree Road Race is the only race where you don't get the T-Shirt until after the race.  They committed and they accomplished their goal.  Isn't that what BNI is all about?  You don't get the results until you do the work required?

I believe BNI is a lot like the Peachtree Road Race, in that you're not going to reach the goal you want to achieve and get the t-shirt, unless you make the time and commitment to put forth the effort to do what it takes.  It takes the commitment of making the time to do the activities, i.e. training, one to ones, meetings, etc.  And it's also about putting forth the effort to not just do the activities, but to learn to do the activities effectively.  It is true, what you put in, you get out.  

So what did you sign up for?  To immediately start getting referrals and business?  Without putting in the time and training?  Like going from the couch to a 10K, it's not likely there will be a good finish.  And even if we did the initial training, we have to keep training and sometimes do different training to keep up with the times and the conditions.  Like, if I'm going to walk the course in 90 degree heat and humidity, then that's the way I have to train.  BNI is the same.  In order to stay competitive and up to date, we have to learn new ways of doing things if we want better results.

I'm the type of person that it takes me a while to make a decision and make the commitment, especially when it comes to putting my hard earned cash down.  But once I do, I'm all in.  I'm going to set a goal and do my best to learn what I need to learn to do what I need to do to recoup my investment.  So if you paid to do this, what are you doing to get the most value from your investment?

Here are some of those people who made the commitment, did the training, and got the T-Shirt for the 50th running of the Peachtree Road Race. If you were one of them, please let us know.

Congratulations!!

Karren Amidon - Record Busters 

Jeff Cavender - BAG 

Rodney Davis - BLAZE 

Susan Geaslen - Success Alliance 

Tracy Jardine - Success Alliance 

Annette Mason - BNI Director

Here are some additional resources:

Interviewing Prospective Members

Full Participation

Are You All In?

 15 minutes a Day

I encourage you to access the podcasts via BNI University so that you show up on the Leaderboard for your Chapter and your area.  To make it easier, you can also download the app to your smart device.  It's available from ITunes and Google.  Also, be sure and report your CEUs, 1 hour = 1 CEU.

Let me know if you have any questions and how I can be of help.  

Happy Networking,

 

Annette Mason

Area Director Consultant

Annette@BNIatl.com

  

Please let me know of other topics you would like to know about that I can add to future newsletters. 

Excellence or Mediocrity

From May 2019

So what is the difference between excellence and mediocrity?  Excellence is passion, commitment, midnight oil, and elbow grease.  Excellence doesn't come easy.  Mediocrity is getting by.  Excellence is about striving to be the best. Mediocrity is about performing the minimum requirements. Excellence is about going the extra mile.

Midnight Oil 

Excellence can't be achieved by doing the minimum requirements.  We receive what we give.  The dreamers and the doers who change the world put in extra hours thinking, planning, and working towards their goals.  It is believed that those who think, dream, and reflect on their actions are the ones working towards excellence.  Rather than just taking whatever is thrown their way and settling for the average.  

Yes, average tends to be easy while excellence is somewhat hard.

Mediocrity is performing the minimum requirements. Excellence is going above and beyond what is required sometimes in unexpected ways.

A life of excellence can't be achieved in an 8-to-5 window. This isn't a call to workaholism, but rather a challenge to realize that dreamers and doers who change the world put in extra hours thinking, planning, and working toward their goals. Our minds and bodies obviously need an appropriate amount of rest, but our spirits need time to cultivate a vision for excellence.

Practice makes perfect, right? Maybe close. The point is, people who do things well have usually spent a lot of time doing those things poorly, learning, and improving. This takes time. It takes years. Excellence is only possible when we're willing to transition from dreaming to doing. We have to be willing to devote time, energy, and resources toward our big goals.

Every day is a brand new chance to decide to reject passivity and mediocrity and choose intentionality and excellence. So which do you choose, mediocrity or excellence?  What do you expect from your team?  From yourself?

Remember the phrase - 'If it's to be, it's up to me.'  Sometimes if things aren't going the way we think they should, it's time to take a proactive approach and step up and take action.  Perhaps taking on a Leadership role to make a difference.  'Be the change you want to see in the world' or in your BNI chapter.  Instead of settling, strive for the best results.

Remember the story about the Little Red Hen.  Everyone wanted to eat, but no one wanted to do the work.  

What are some things you have tried/changed?  What was your experience?

Here are some additional resources:

I Hit HidWall

Rules, Rules - Everywhere Rules

Addition by Subtraction 

I encourage you to access the podcasts via BNI University so that you show up on the Leaderboard for your Chapter and your area.  To make it easier, you can also download the app to your smart device.  It's available from ITunes and Google.  Also, be sure and report your CEUs, 1 hour = 1 CEU.