Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts

Sunday, March 21, 2021

ACTIVATE

 


Hopefully, by now you have heard of ACTIVATE. If you have been around BNI for a while you've heard of Member Extravaganza, which is our Spring Membership Drive. BNI has rebranded and revamped this program and for Spring 2021 it is called ACTIVATE.

Each Chapter and Core Group is asked to choose from 3 Growth Accelerators and appoint Growth Champions to lead the activities to help their chapters grow their membership. There will be training webinars and support material for each one of the Growth Accelerators.

There will be lots of recognition, cash prizes, as well as a grand prize! Each member who sponsors a new member will receive $50 and for those chapters/core groups who sponsor a total of 6 new members, the sponsoring member's names will go into a drawing for a new iPad or $1000!

The three Growth Accelerators are a Visitor's Day, BNI Game, or Contract Spheres. Get with your Leadership Team to find out which one your chapter will be doing.

So how can you prepare and participate?

  • Start making your list of Referral Partners you would like to have on your team.
  • Go through your database and see who you know who has a business. And/or follow up with friends and clients you haven't talked with in a while. Some may be looking for an opportunity to network.
  • Ask people you know if they know people in the industries that you want as referral partners, i.e. if you need a web designer, then ask everyone you know if they know a good web designer and ask for an introduction. Contact them and ask if they are looking to grow their business. If so then invite them to come to your chapter meeting to meet other business professions who can pass them referrals.
  • Ask on social media for a good web designer. From the replies and testimonials, do a search and find their contact information. Contact them and ask them to come and network as described in the bullet point above.
  • Do you get phone calls from salespeople and vendors? Tell them you would like to introduce them to some business people who can help them get referrals. Invite them to network.
  • Do you get mail, both emails and snail mail from people advertising and soliciting for business? Contact them and offer to introduce them to your referral team. Tell them you don't currently have anyone in your group to pass referrals to.

Get the idea? It's all about having an inviting mindset. For instance, recently a BNI member was pumping gas, and next to him was a person in a truck with a sign on the truck for his business. The BNI Member started a conversation with him and asked him about his business. Guess what? The BNI Member invited the person to their BNI meeting and they attended. Are you looking for opportunities to invite?

So why do you want to invite visitors to your chapter meeting?

  • Visitors are consumers. As business owners, we are all looking to get in front of new people. Visitors can use the products and services of the chapter members. So when you meet someone new, rather than trying to sell to them, invite them to come and network. It's all about Givers Gain. They come to your meeting. They not only get to hear about what you do and the other members, but also they have an opportunity to present their business.
  • Visitors add energy to the meeting.
  • Visitors know people. I often hear from members that some of their biggest and best referrals come from visitors.
  • Visitors become members. We all want more referrals. The more members a chapter has, the more referrals will be passed.


Click Here to watch a short video of Dr. Ben McDowell telling about how he learned to invite with some help and coaching from one of his fellow members, David Kapper.

It's up to every member to do their part. Don't be that member that sits back and expects everyone else to bring visitors. Everyone knows someone they can invite.

If you have questions about ACTIVATE or need help and support, reach out to your Support Director Consultant.

Here are some additional resources:


For previous articles refer to the Notably Green Blog.

And join the Facebook Group - Notably Green



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

Annette Mason
Area Director Consultant
  
Please let me know of other topics you would like to know about that I can add to future newsletters. 

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020

In Order to Grow We Must Retain


Years ago when I first became a sales rep I was presented with this statistic - 'By retaining 5% of your customers you can double your income.'  I didn't understand the math behind this, or that acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive and time-consuming than retaining an existing one. Now, many years later, it makes sense: you don't have to spend time and resources going out and finding a new client - you just have to keep the ones you have happy.  And by increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%.  Another important factor to these numbers is, if we create raving fans of the customers we keep, they will not only keep doing business with us but will refer new business to us.

So in thinking about these statistics, doesn't it also apply to BNI members?  If we want to grow, we must retain and keep the members we have.  Chapters spend a lot of time inviting, growing the chapter, getting new members, training new members, etc.  What if we spent an equal amount of time on retaining the members we have and make them raving fans of BNI.

I just completed reading the book, Retention Point, which by the way, is available on BNI University.  I recommend every member concerned with growing their chapter, especially Presidents, Community Builders, Mentor Coordinators, Mentors, Growth Coordinators, etc. to read this book.  It's a short quick read but packed with 'food for thought' in regards to retaining customers/members.

Every chapter typically has a goal to increase its chapter size.  Why?  Because we continuously provide statistics that show that more members equal more referrals.  Typically when a chapter doubles in size, the referrals triple.

Also, we have discussed that creating more balanced Contact Spheres will help with retention because most members receive 75% of their referrals from their Contact Spheres.  

Do you know what your Chapter's current retention percentage is?  It is part of your monthly Traffic Light score.  You can look it up on BNIConnect or you can ask for VP.  Of the chapters that I support, the average retention is 60% while the average retention for the NW region is 65%.  My BHAG for my chapters is 85% retention BTW.

So if your chapter has a goal to increase the number of members in the chapter, why not also add increasing the chapter's retention rate.  When you set the chapter's next six month's goals and mechanisms, I would like to challenge you to also add increasing the chapter's retention rate.

What are some things a chapter can do to retain its members?

One of the things that were mentioned in the book 'Retention Point,' is the author says that you're not successful with a new membership until the member renews.  If that's the case, then the first year is critical to member retention.  Statistics show that if a BNI member renews after the first year, they will stay a BNI member on average for 5 years.  So, wouldn't you agree that a crucial element for member retention is the on-boarding of new members?  

Key Elements of On-boarding - 
Getting a new member up to speed and producing takes a lot of time and work, but by investing the effort in new members, produces a successful member which equals a happy member who will gladly renew and be a raving fan of BNI.

Other Key Factors to Retaining members:

  • Mentor - Teach members how to be successful.  Never assume they know what and how to be a good BNI member.  Assign them a mentor that will 'hold their hand' and teach them how and what to do to be successful.  Each new member is different.  Each learns in a different way and at a different pace.  Take this into consideration when assigning them a mentor.

  • Recognition - One of the Core Values of BNI.  Celebrating the success of members. This is key in the beginning for a new member.  Recognize them for completing MSP and the Passport Program.  Celebrate the first time they achieve Green on the Power of One report, etc.

  • Balance -  Work to balance the Chapter's Contact Spheres which will help members give and receive more referrals therefore increase their revenue and give them the value of their membership.
  • Engagement - Have the current members reach out to the new members for One to Ones, especially the Passport Member Mentors.  Also, get new members involved.  One of the best practices of chapters is that everyone is responsible for a job within their chapter.  Many hands make light work, but also it gives members a sense of belonging and being part of the Team.
  • Accountability - Most people become part of BNI because they want to be part of a successful system.  Part of what makes BNI successful is accountability.  New members need to understand expectations and how certain recommended activities will help them be successful.  This starts when the President meets with the new member for their New Member Orientation and continues as they meet regularly with their Mentor.
Hopefully, this article helps in understanding why retaining members is equally as important as bringing in new members. In order to grow, Chapters must retain existing members.  If you need help with Growth and Retention or any other area, contact your Support Director.  They would be happy to help.  That's their job, to help and support you and help your chapter grow and be successful.
 
To Your Success,
 



Annette Mason
Area Director Consultant
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Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Balance = Retention

Does your chapter keep adding new members and you keep to seeing about as many leave?  Yes, life does happen and sometimes members move, change jobs, have health issues, etc. that necessitates them having to leave BNI.  But what about the ones that decide BNI wasn't right for them.  What do you suppose the reason was for them leaving?  Studies have shown it may be because they didn't have an equal opportunity to receive referrals.  How can that be you ask, if BNI provides all of these resources and the member takes full advantage and does all the activities that are suggested?  It may be that the chapter is not balanced.

So why is balance important to BNI Chapters?  For years BNI has said 'Grow your membership in order to make more money.'  Which is true to a point. in further research and tracking results for many BNI Chapters, what has been determined is that the more balanced the contact spheres are in a chapter the more opportunities members have to receive referrals and thus have the potential to make more money.   Why is that?

A member tends to receive 60 to 70% of their referrals from their contact sphere.  If they only have a few members in their contact sphere, then they are not going to get many referrals.  

Here are some examples of balanced and unbalanced contact spheres and their stats:


In the above example of an unbalanced Chapter, the Home Services Contact Sphere has the most members followed by the Trades and Financial Services Contact Spheres.  However, the Marketing and Health & Wellness Spheres have few members.  In this example, there are 36 members, the TYFCB reported was $420K and there is a retention issue.

In this example of a more balanced Chapter, the Home Services Contact Sphere is still the largest, however the other spheres aren't that far behind.  In this example of a 36 member chapter, the TYFCB was $1.2M and there is no retention problem.  Why? Because the contact spheres are more balanced and gives members more of an equal opportunity to receive referrals.

So, in order for a Chapter to give their members more equal opportunities to receive more referrals, make more money, and stay and renew, Chapters must ensure their Contact Spheres are as balanced as possible.  

Here are the steps to create balance:
  • The first step to creating balance is to figure out where you are.  Doing a spreadsheet like the ones above will identify which contact spheres (CS) are lacking in members and need to grow.  
  • Second is to devise a plan to even out the contact spheres by working to grow the smaller spheres to the same size as the largest contact sphere in the chapter.  Looking at the examples above, for the unbalanced chapter, the home services team has 13 members. The goal would be to grow the other contact spheres to 13 members each, starting with the smallest ones first.  To grow out the other CS would mean adding 41 new members.  Even the balanced chapter example has opportunity to grow and balance even more. To balance their CS would mean adding 13 more new members starting with the smaller CS of Marketing/Events. This needs to be an ongoing exercise in order to know at all times who the Most Wanted are for your chapter.  Typically this falls to the Membership Committee and the Community Builder which includes the Growth for the chapter.
  • Once you determine which CS needs more members, then comes the task of determining which industries are needed.  Which industries can the members in that CS pass referrals to.  How do you find out?  Ask.  Seems simple, yes it does.  Are they currently passing referrals to other members in other chapters?  If so, to what industries?  Are they passing referrals to people outside of BNI?  If so, what industries?  Also ask, who is typically sitting on your referrals?  Meaning who can pass you referrals?  And who are their good referral partners?  
  • After asking the above questions, compile your list. There will be industries that are mentioned by more than one member.  Give that industry more weight. Rank your most wanted with the CS with the least amount of members at the top of the list.  For example, in our unbalanced chapter above, the Marketing/Events CS only had one member, so focus would need to be put of this CS and the industries needed to grow that CS, i.e. event planner, photographer, gift service, travel agent, etc.
  • On your most wanted list, determine the Top 5.  Have your Membership Committee announce during their report each week, who your Top 5 most wanted seats are.  It plants the seed in the minds of the members as well as the visitors. If a visitor is there who could fill one of your Top 5, that's a nice way to say, 'We want you in our Chapter!'
  • Publish your Most Wanted on your Facebook page.  This publishes to a larger audience of those people who 'Like' your page but aren't members of your chapter.  They may know someone they can refer.
  • Post your Most Wanted on the Notably Green page.  There may be members in other Chapters who have business colleagues who are looking for a BNI Chapter.
  • Each time you add a new member, take their photo of their induction and announce on your Facebook page.  'We are very excited to have Jane Smith joining our Marketing & Events team filling the Event Planner seat. We are still looking for a Photographer, gift service, and a travel agent to pass referrals to.'  People who follow your Facebook page will want to help you find prospects to fill these seats.
  • Ask on social media, do you know, i.e. 'I'm looking for a good family photographer, who would you recommend?'  Usually you'll get many referred and many recommended more than once.  Take those that are recommended the most, give them a call and tell them that you belong to a referral group who is looking for a photographer to pass referrals to.  Would they be interested in meeting your referrals partners?  If they say yes, invite them to your meeting.  If they say no, ask who would they recommend.
  • Have 'Focused Inviting' Days.  Invite prospects just for a particular Contact Sphere, i.e. Marketing & Events.
  • Have 'Stack Days.'  Focus on inviting one of two from a particular industry, i.e. photographers and travel agents.  Usually you'll have several from each industry.  Which is usually a good thing because it creates a sense of competition and often one will submit an application.
  • Use your Most Wanted list and have a full blown Visitor Day. By focusing on just the industries needed for the chapter, rather than come one come all, it will lead to a more focused approach and be a more successful event.
  • Keep track of where you are as you add new members and as members leave.  Adjust your focus accordingly.  It will take time to get your chapter more balanced, but the more balanced your chapter, the more of an equal opportunity for ALL the members to receive referrals and make more money, thus a happy member.  Happy members renew and stay thus the chapter has higher and better retention and thus more growth.
Growth and Retention go hand and hand.  You can't have one without the other.  New Members are great, however renewing members mean you have a happy member that has seen the value in their membership.  Statistics have shown that the longer a BNI member is a BNI Member the more successful they are.

 
To Your Success,
 



Annette Mason
Area Director Consultant
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Wednesday, November 6, 2019

What is the Value of Your Chapter's Visitor Experience?



For the last few weeks or so, I have been enjoying and learning from the videos a by Hazel Walker, who is a BNI Franchise Owner and Author.  She has a YouTube Channel called 'Walker this Way,' Queen of all things BNI.  She provides a wealth of information and knowledge and delivers in a poignant and humorous way.

In one of her videos, she asks the question, 'What is the value of your Chapter's Visitor Experience?  Are you providing a $1000 Experience or a $300 Experience?'  I highly recommend every Chapter Member, especially all of the Visitor Hosts view this video.  I believe it will explain the importance of providing an outstanding Visitor Experience at every Chapter meeting.  After all, if you want more referrals, you need more members, and to get more members, you need more visitors.

So let's go over some of the Best Practices for providing an Awesome Visitor Experience.

Prior to the meeting - 

- Have members register Visitors prior to the meeting. Training members to register their visitors provides the Visitor Host Team with the information they need to prepare the pre-printed name tags.  Some chapters also have a 'Welcome Visitors' section on their printed agenda and lists all the registered visitors.

- Make Contact with Visitors prior to the meeting.  A best practice is to call all of the registered visitors. In some chapters the president does this.  In others, a member of the Visitor Host Team calls the registered visitors.  The purpose of the call is to give the visitor an idea of what to expect at the meeting.  Make sure they have the directions to the location and ask them who they would like to meet at the meeting.  By promising to introduce them to whom they would like to meet, perhaps a referral partner, it gives the visitor more incentive to show up.  Also, follow up with an email or at least send an email with the pertinent information to the registered visitors.

Day of the meeting - 

- Welcome the visitors.  The Visitor Host Team should arrive early and have the Visitor sign in table set up at least 20 - 25 minutes prior to the start of the meeting, as visitors tend to arrive early.

- Have the Visitor Sign in sheet ready for the Visitors to attach their business card.  Give them their pre-printed name badge and hand them off to one of the In Room Visitor Host.

- The In Room VH helps the Visitor find a place to sit.  Goes over the agenda, etc.  Introduces the visitor to the person they wanted to meet and/or a referral partner and gets the conversation started.  The In Room VH then goes back and gets the next Visitor.  There needs to be 2 or 3 In Room VH and all of the members need to understand this process and the importance of making the visitors feel welcome.
 
During the Meeting - 

- Ensure the Visitor is sitting next to someone who can/will assist and answer questions during the meeting. That could be the person who invited them, the referral partner they wanted to meet, or one of the In Room VH.

- At the beginning of the meeting, the President makes it a point to welcome the visitors and introduce each one, stating who invited them, if they are a visitor or a sub, and explains to them they will have an opportunity later in the meeting to tell the group more about their business.  An easy way to do this is to use the Visitor Sign In sheet with the visitors business cards stapled to it.  If there is a name that may be difficult to pronounce, the VH should write the name phonetically so that the President will have a better chance of getting it right.

- After the members and subs have done their infomercial, the President can use the Visitor sign in sheet to call on the Visitors to do their infomercial.  By calling on them, the President has more control in case there is a sub representing the same company or someone whose seat is already filled, the President can call them by name, thank them for coming and say something like, 'since you're representing the same company and have already given us information about your company, we'll go to the next person.'

- For the Contribution portion of the meeting (AKA 'I Have,' the President asks the visitors to also participate by stating one thing that they enjoyed most about the meeting.  (Ensure this portion of the meeting is being timed for members as well as visitors.  Most chapters allow 15 to 20 seconds.)

At the end of the Meeting - 

- The Sec/Treasurer reads the Call to Action and announces that Visitor Orientation will be held momentarily.

- The President announces Visitor Orientation, thanks the Visitors for attending, and lets the Visitors know that this is the portion of the meeting when the visitors will have an opportunity to learn a little more about BNI and get their questions answered and then they will have an opportunity to come back and network.

- The person sitting with the visitor ensures that the visitor gets to the Visitor Orientation.

- The Visitor Orientation Team gives a brief overview of the benefits of becoming a member and provides applications to those who are interested in membership.  This should take about 5 to 7 minutes.

After the Meeting - 'The Fortune is in the Follow Up'

- Following the meeting and within 24 to 48 hours, the Post VH calls each one of the visitors to thank them for attending and to ask if they have any questions.  Dependent on the response of the visitor, the Post VH provides the information to the appropriate person, i.e. if the member wants to move forward an apply for membership, the Post VH could email them an application or direct them to the BNIATL website and instruct them on completing the application and how to pay.  They would also notify the VP and Applications Specialist.  If the person is interested, but the time and/or location is not conducive to their schedule, the Post VH would put them in touch with the Director for the chapter who can assist in finding a more suitable location.  Also, for those who do show interest, let the visitors know that they may attend a second time.

- An email should also be sent as a follow up with all the pertinent information to reiterate the conversation and also to those the VH could not reach.

- The VH provides a report back to the President, the person who invited the visitor, the Quality Assurance Specialist (to follow up if appropriate), and to the Director Consultant (if the visitor wants to visit another chapter).

- The Visitor information should be accepted and/or entered into BNIConnect as part of the Palms report within 24 to 48 hours of the meeting.  This triggers the 'Engagement System' so that the visitor can receive information directly from BNI.  This includes a email survey as to what they thought about the BNI meeting they attended.

For Visitor Days and/or Stack Days reports can be run for past visitors and invite those in the chapter's targeted positions to these meetings.  Sometimes this will spark more interest and persuade them to submit an application.

I hope this information is helpful.  Here is a four minute video from a chapter in North Scotland that shows an exceptional visitor experience - Click Here to watch. 

Here are some additional resources:

I hope you found this information helpful.  If you have questions and/or need help, reach out to your Director Consultant, Area Director, or Senior Director.

In appreciation,
Annette
BNI Area Director
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Friday, October 4, 2019

Teamwork


Happy New Year!  Yes, October 1st starts a new year for BNI Chapters.  The new Leadership Teams are set to start their new term as of October 1st.  For BNI Chapters to be successful as a whole and for chapter members to be successful, it takes everyone in the chapter working together and doing their part.  It takes Teamwork.  

So what is Teamwork?  I like this definition - 'A cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team in the interests of a common cause.'
 
Here are the ingredients that I believe make a good recipe for a successful Team and for a successful BNI Chapter.

Goals - Every BNI member becomes a part of a BNI Chapter to receive referrals in order to make money.  But in order for the individuals to reach their goals, the chapter has to have a set of goals and a plan to be successful, which in turn will help each individual member reach their goals and see the value in their membership. What are your chapter's goals?


Everyone doing their fair share - I believe that every member in a chapter needs to have a role/responsibility.  As the description says, 'everyone working together as a team.'  Like a football team, the water boy's role is essential to the quarterback staying hydrated in order to make a touchdown.  Every role and responsibility contributes to the success of the team.  What role/responsibility do you have in your chapter? What skills do you have that would benefit your chapter?


Communication/Feedback - BNI chapters are made up of a diverse group of people with different backgrounds and different styles of communication.  When issues are raised, it's not necessarily a complaint, but an awareness that needs attention.  Perhaps it is a lack of understanding of the process or the procedure.  How does your chapter handle feedback?  The Chapter Success Meeting provides a great place for sharing information, providing feedback and working out issues.  Does your chapter have a monthly Chapter Success Meeting that is open to all members?  Do your members know the process for handling issues?

Growth - Just like every business wants to grow to make more money, BNI chapters need to grow in order for their members to have more opportunities for referrals.  What is your chapter's plan to have more visitors and to grow the membership?


Accountability - This is a hard one for some chapters.  In BNI, members get to be friends and it is sometimes hard to tell your friend they are not doing their fair share.  But in high functioning teams, it is a necessity to provide feedback and hold members accountable.  Think about if you were part of a rowing team and one member was not doing their fair share of rowing or not rowing in the right direction, what would happen?  You would be going in circles, staying in one place, or going backwards.  In order to be part of a high functioning team and reap the rewards, you have to be willing to work at the level expected of a high functioning team and give and accept feedback on ways to improve.  What are the expectations for the members of your chapter?  


Continuous Improvement - I like Maya Angelou's quote, 'Do better until you know better and then do better.'  In order for teams to be successful, they have to have goals and a plan and they need to review their progress continuously to see how they are doing.  By reviewing, analyzing, making adjustments, etc. they can keep the chapter on course to reach and exceed their goals.  What goals and mechanisms does your chapter have in place for making improvements?


Fun and Recognition - Lastly and one of the most important parts of a successful recipe of successful teams is to have fun and celebrate success.  Celebrating individual as well as group achievements gives a team a since of accomplishment.  With every accomplishment it gives encouragement to work for more.  How does your chapter have fun, celebrate, and recognize success?


Your Support Team is here to help you, i.e. Your Director Consultant, Area Director, Senior Director, and Executive Directors.  If you or your chapter needs help or have questions, reach out.

 
To Your Success,
 



Annette Mason
Area Director Consultant
404-376-9180
  
Please let me know of other topics you would like to know about that I can add to future newsletters. 
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Sunday, July 7, 2019

You're Invited to Get More Referrals & Make More Money

From January 2019
 
How did you find out about BNI?  
Were you invited to a BNI meeting?
Why did you want to become part of BNI?  
To get more referrals and make more money?

BNI's philosophy is 'Giver's Gain.'  If we give more, we will receive more.  We typically think of that in the context of giving referrals, but inviting is also a way of giving.  So let's examine the benefits and value of inviting visitors so that we understand 'Why' we should invite.

Let's start with the Value of a Visitor - Did you know that each visitor brings an additional $1000 to $1500 to the chapter in TYFCB even if they don't join.  Your fellow members offer products and services that visitors may be looking for.  Plus the visitors you bring to your meeting also get to see and hear about why you do.  So by inviting visitors, you are bringing potential referrals to your fellow members.

Here are some statistics from a couple of local chapters and the TYFCB they have reported from their Visitors:

Jul - Dec - 2018
Chapter A - $49,300
Chapter B - $29,900

Benefits of Inviting - In addition to bringing potential referrals to the other members, there are other benefits of having visitors at your meetings.  They add energy to the meetings.  Have you ever noticed that when visitors are present, the meeting is more energized?  Members tend to want to do a better infomercial when visitors are in the room.  They have the opportunity to meet new people who might be interested in their products and services or may be a potential referral partner for them.  Every person knows between 250 and 500 people.  That's the potential of introductions when you have visitors as explained by Tim Roberts in his podcast on 'Inviting.'

And -  Yes, Visitors often times become Members of BNI.  How did you find out about BNI?  Did someone invite you?  Did they give you a reason, a benefit, for attending a meeting?  Think about, when inviting, giving a benefit as to why a person should attend.  By doing this, they are more apt to attend.  This simple script is an easy way to invite.

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Growth is NOT the Goal

July 2018

At the BNI National Conference Tim Roberts, who the U.S. National Director gave a presentation  entitled 'Growth is NOT the Goal.' (You should be able to access it via BNI University.)  I think it is an excellent presentation to listen to in order to understand the 'Why' behind Growth.   

This is a great information for every BNI Chapter member and especially good for the Leadership Team, Membership Committee, Growth Coordinator, and Power Team Coordinator.  In fact, I will be assigning this to these incoming positions.

In Tim's presentation he gives the 'Why' behind Growth.  It's not just to build a chapter to a certain number, but it's more about being strategic and growing the chapter with a purpose - to balance the chapter, so that every member has an equal opportunity to succeed.



When you access the presentation on BNI University, you will be able to see Tim's Power Point presentation and some other resource documents to help you map out and see where your chapter is perhaps out of balance and needs to grow.  Because if everyone has a strong Power Team, then every member should be benefiting from their membership.



After you listen to the presentation, I would love to hear your feedback.
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Stop Interviewing for Members and Start Inviting Visitors

From March 2016

Do you have a child selling girl scout cookies right now? I love the enthusiasm of a girl scout!
Have you been to the grocery store lately? They usually stop you on your way in or on your way out...right. They ask EVERYBODY!
Now what does that have to do with BNI you ask?
Do you remember when you first started out in Sales? Did you just ask everyone you knew to buy your product or service? You got a few no's didn't you. But you have to Go Through the No's to Get to the Yeses!
How many times did someone you know - that you just thought your product or service would be perfect for them - Said NO.
How many times did that person who you thought would never in a million years be interested in your product or service - Buy? Total surprise! Right?
My point here is - sometimes we are to discerning....to judgmental about the people we invite to BNI. We want to analyze. Interview. Only pick the perfect one. The one who is going to make the Perfect member.
Here are the People to invite:
-        People who want to Grow their business
-        People who sell a product or service-        Entrepreneurs, Business owners, Sales People
-        People who depend on referrals
These people are EVERYWHERE in the community and are looking to network. They are looking to meet other business professionals. They are looking to Meet You! We just need to find them and invite them to BNI.

How did you get to BNI?  Most people were invited to a meeting.

Have you ever had your neighbor, past co-worker, etc. show up at your BNI meeting?  Little embarrassing isn't it that someone else invited them instead of you.  Don't let this happen to you.  Reach out.  Go through your database of contacts.  Make a phone call to see how they are doing.
So back to the Judgmental part - Are you NOT inviting because you think they wouldn't be interested in BNI, wouldn't make a good member, don't look the part? You don't think they can afford the membership?
             *****That's not your job as a BNI Member****
 
If they are trying to grow their business, then lend a helping hand.  Have a givers gain mindset and invite them to BNI. Let them experience a BNI meeting. Let them decide if BNI is right for them. And then if they do submit an application - let the Membership Committee do their job. The MC's job is to interview applicants to see if they are right for your BNI Chapter.
Think in terms of your company having job openings - But in this case Your Chapter has Job Openings - Hold an Open House. Invite business owners, Sales people, and Entrepreneurs to come and observe and meet other business professions who are helping each other grow their business.
HR (The Membership Committee) decides who is right for the positions you have open.

 
So Why do we want Visitors to attend Your meetings? 
-        We want to help them grow their business - Givers Gain
-        Visitors on average bring in on average about $1000 to $2000 to BNI Chapter Members
  • They use the products and services of the members whether they become a member or not
    • One president of a BNI Chapter recently said that 15% of the business he receives from BNI comes from visitors.
-        Visitors create excitement and energy
  • Most members seem to be more responsive when there are visitors in the room.
-        Grow the Chapter - Remember the 5 M's -
 
More Members Mean More Money
 
So what are your Top 5 seats you are wanting to fill?
So How do you find these people to Invite?
-        You may already know them - Call them and invite them
-        Who do you do business with? Follow the Money
-        Google search - Cold Call
-        What about your network? If you were looking for a product or service, would you ask your friends, neighbor, co-worker, who they would recommend? Ask them if they know a (One of your Top 5 Openings)
-        Social Media - Connections I Have/Want on Facebook
-        LinkedIn - Again, ask if anyone knows a good (One of your Top 5 Openings)
-         Signs - People are advertising everywhere - billboards, vehicle wraps, magazines, The Little Coupon Book, etc.  These people are paying for advertising to grow their business.  Call them and invite them to BNI.
How to Invite - Use the G.R.I.P. Method
-        Are you looking to Grow your business?
-        Do you depend on Referrals to Grow your business?
-        Would you be Interested in meeting other business professionals who meet to help each other grow their business and exchange referrals?
-        Great! Here is the Place and Time of the next meeting
  
According to the Traffic Light program, each member should have at least one visitor per month. So for a 20 member chapter that's at least 5 visitors per week. 30 member Chapter that's about 8 visitors per week, 40 member chapter 10 visitors per week.  
 
So Stop Interviewing for Members and
Start Inviting Visitors and Guests !!
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Mary, Mary...Quite Contrary... How does your BNI Chapter Grow?

From March 2015
 
GOE watering can

In order for a BNI Chapter to be successful it must GROW! 

Why is Growth so important, you ask.  Growing the chapter grows members businesses.  BNI members may not be excited about doing the work to grow the chapter, but we should be excited about growing our business.   The chapter needs to grow in order to grow everyone's business.  If we want more referrals we need more members.   Members come from Visitors.   To get more referrals INVITE!

I believe that in order for a Chapter to grow and be successful, it takes a vision, goals, plan, and strategies.

It takes Every team member's commitment to work as a team towards the vision for the better good of the Chapter.

It takes having an 'Inviting Mindset.'  Always being on the lookout for other like-minded business people who could benefit from having a BNI Sales Force.

Where do you find other business people to invite?

- Who do you do business with?
- Who are your clients?
- Who are your neighbors?
- Family/Friends?
- Other networking meetings, i.e. chamber, business associations, civic organizations, etc.
- Social Media - LinkedIn, etc.

How do you ask?

G - How do you Grow your business?
R - Do you prefer receiving Referrals for business?
I - I meet with a group of Individuals for the purpose of exchanging referrals.  Would you be interested in meeting them?
P - Place and time of meeting.

Every member should be extending an invitation to at least 5 people per week to attend their meeting.

So as your new Director, I challenge you, as a Team Player, to get back to the fundamentals and commit to do your part to Grow you Chapter and make Your Chapter 'Green Light' material.
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3+1 = Member Success

From April 2014

A formula for transforming your chapter.
By Dr. Ivan Misner

What is the one secret to success in BNI?  The one secret is... there is no "one" secret.  In order for members to be successful in BNI there are four things that a member and chapter need to focus on (three core concepts and one theme that applies to each of the three core concepts).

For members, these elements are:
1.   Quality
2.   Growth
3.   Engagement
+1  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.  Effective networking is also 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.

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 (16x16). [See Diagram A] However, a group of 32 people has 1,024 connections (32x32)! [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.

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 BNI Podcast?   
  • Do they subscribe to and regularly read SuccessNet?   
  • Is your chapter participating in the BNI FastTrack program/60 Days to Success?   
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 good 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.

+1 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:
  1. A story is a fact

  2. Wrapped in an emotion

  3. That compels us to take action

  4. 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 here starting with the "My BNI Story" section.

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.

3+1 = Member Success
1.   Embrace Quality
2.   Grow Your Team
3.   Seek Engagement
+1  Share Stories

Understanding this formula can change your group in amazing ways.  Share with me what resonated most with you from these ideas and/or how you think you can use these concepts in your group.  If you've experienced success already from practicing any of these concepts, tell your story!  
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