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.

Here are some additional resources:

Creating a Great Culture

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

Good to Great

5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Behaviors and Credibility

For previous articles refer to my Notably Green Blog.

And join the Facebook Group - Notably Green

I encourage you to access the podcasts via BNI University so that you show up on the Leader board 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.  

 

To Your Success,

 

Annette Mason

Area Director Consultant

404-376-9180

Annette@BNIatl.com

  

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

What to do when you get a Bad Referral

From time to time we receive referrals from other members that are not good referrals.

So what is a bad referral?  Most often, the complaint I hear is, a referral that does not have valid contact information, no phone number or email.  The member states - 'I gave them your card.'  'I referred you on Facebook, Nextdoor, etc.'  I agreed, these are not valid referrals.

While giving member's business cards to prospects is good, the member should ask, 'May I have them call you.?  If yes, then you provide the contact information and that is a good referral.  If no, then send the member an email and tell them you gave someone (give their name) your card.  If they call you, let me know if they contact you so that I can turn it in as a valid referral.  Same for recommendations made on Facebook/Nextdoor.

So what do you do when you get a bad referral?  Talk to the person who gave you the bad referral. Ask questions about the referral. Ask for the contact information.  If the member says they don't have it or perfers not to give the information to you, explain that you would appreciate next time that they wait until the person is ready and willing to talk and provide their contact information before passing the referral.  Refer to Podcasts #281 and #439.

Other steps that can be taken, schedule a One to One.  Educate and discuss in detail with the member on what are good referrals for you and what are bad referrals for you.  Ensure that you are being laser specific in your weekly and featured presentations what good referrals are for you.  So are you receiving bad referrals because you are being to general in your Ask?

When you give a bad referral you are damadging your credibility.  From podcast #303 Dr. Misner says, 'The first time I give a poor referral, it's my fault.  But the second time I give a poor referral, it's probably the receiver's fault.  Why?  Because they didn't provide me feedback the first time or they aren't educating me on how to find good referrals for them.'

If you have given feedback to the person who is giving you bad referrals and it continues to happen, go to your membership committee with examples.  Chapter Membership Committees can set rules in regards to what is a valid referral.  Chapter are also encouraged to have 'Referral Reality' checks each week.

What is a 'Referral Reality' check?  The Membership Committee pulls a couple of referrals from previous week's slips and asks the receiver if the referral was a good referral.  Typically if it was a good referral, they call on the member who received the referral and ask them to tell about it at the next meeting.  If it was not a good referral, then the Membership Committee needs to explain to the giver of the referral the parameters of what defines a good referral.  Refer to blog post - 'Definition of a Good Referral' for what is considered a good referral.

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

 

To Your Success,

 

Definition of a Good Referral

"A Referral is an opportunity to do business with someone in the market to buy your product or service."

It is not a guaranteed sale, but an opportunity to discuss the possibility of doing business.

In BNI we are all about Referrals and Lead is considered a four letter word.  What most people sign up for is to give and receive qualified referrals, not leads.

What is the difference in a Referral and Lead?  

- A Lead - The prospect is not expecting a call and it's really not much better than a cold call.
- A Referral - You've been given the prospect's contact information.  The prospect knows who you are and what you do.  The prospect has talked to your mutual acquaintance and is generally expecting your call.  They know you'll be calling and they know what the topic will be.

There are three people involved in a referral - 

-  Referer or the Qualifier - This is the member who is giving the referral.  The member who is asking the questions to qualify the referral.
- The Receiver - Is the member who will be receiving the referral and is expecting the referral to be qualified.
- The Referral - The person is wanting/needing the product or service.

There are Three Key Ingredients of a Quality Referral - 

1. You talked to the prospect about your fellow BNI Member
     - Bonus - You gave a testimonial about your fellow BNI Member.
2. You asked permission for the BNI Member to call/contact the prospect
     - You gave them the BNI Member's card/contact information
3. You gave ALL the pertinent information, i.e. Name, phone number, email, details of the referral, and level of interest to your fellow BNI Member.
     - via BNIConnect in a timely manner.

Anything short of the description above, send an email to your fellow BNI member and tell them that you passed their card or information to someone (give their name) and if they contact them, to please let you know so you can turn it in as a true referral.

Remember the philosophy of BNI is Givers Gain.  You receive what you give.  By giving quality referrals, you will receive quality referrals.

So what do you do if you get what you consider to be a bad referral?  Read the blog post - 'What to do when you get a bad referral.'

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

To Your Success,

 

Leadership

This time of year the new incoming Leadership Team is getting prepared to take on their new positions as of October 1st.  There is BNI University online training as well as their attendance at one of the BNI Regional Summits.

So what does it mean to be a leader in BNI?  It means that the member has made the decision to step up and serve his or her chapter beyond that of just being a member.  This gives the member an opportunity to build their credibility within their chapter as well as the BNI community.  Often times members who make this commitment are tenured members, but then again it can be a newer member who is looking to be more involved.  Either way, BNI provides the training, mentoring, and guidance for each member to learn what they need to carry out their role and responsibilities successfully.

One of the most valued aspect of BNI is the training that is provided.  In Podcast #214, Dr. Misner asks the question, 'Would you want to fly in a plane with a person who had not been to pilot training?'  Yes, I realize that BNI training is not quite as critical as a pilot's training, however we do want our leaders trained in the best practices of their position.  

Many times I hear, well I've been with BNI for a number of years, why do I have to go thru this training?  Because things change.  BNI is always working to improve and to provide better ways of doing things.  And BNI wants everyone to be the best at their position as possible and for them to know what resources they have at their disposable to do their jobs successfully.  After all, most people are expected to take additional training in his/her given business to stay up to date with their field.  

The Leaders in a BNI Chapter set the tone and the pace of the Chapter.  If they are positive and working towards the good and goals of the chapter, then the members also want to be a part of that.  Speaking of Goals, now is the time the Leadership Team set the Goals for their upcoming term.  Where do you want to see your chapter a year from now?  What do you want your legacy to be?  How do you plan to achieve your goals?  Success just doesn't happen by accident, it takes creating a vision, establishing goals, and creating activities (mechanisms) to achieve those goals.

Keys to a Successful Year in Leadership:

1. Get Everyone on the Team Trained - Online and Live Summit

2.  Create a Chapter Vision and Set Chapter Goals

3.  Set Expectations - Share the Vision and Goals with Chapter

4.  Track Progress and adjust as needed

5.  Provide ongoing Recognition and Celebrate 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 need help or have questions, reach out.

Here are some additional resources:

Why Leadership Training

Host Leadership

5 Dysfunctions of a Team

8 Rules for World Class Leadership

Dog Sled Leadership

Behaviors and Credibility

For previous articles on Leadership refer to my Notably Green Blog.

And join the Facebook Group - Notably Green

I encourage you to access the podcasts via BNI University so that you show up on the Leader board 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.  

 

To Your Success,

 

Building Credibility - Using Substitutes Effectively

During the summer months there tends to be more substitutes than normal at BNI meetings.  How can we build credibility when we need to have a sub?

The original intent of the sub program was to have someone to represent the member when they could not be at the weekly meeting, i.e. vacation, corporate conference, etc.  Interestingly, it was never Dr. Misner's intent for substitutes to be able to give their own infomercial presentations. When the same substitute attends frequently and talks about his or her own business, it's good for the individual, but not for the chapter.  As important as substitutes are to a membership, I think it is also important to understand the effective use of the substitute program. Your sub is a reflection of you and you want to position your substitute to maximize your credibility as a member of the chapter.  

There are some real positive uses of the substitutes, one of which is bringing in fresh faces rather than the same person coming for a member again and again.  From the very beginning, the sub was there to represent you, not just to fill a void. So if you are just trying to fill a void you are missing the point of the whole substitute program. It has to be somebody who is there to represent you and support you and also be of value to the chapter.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Ask a good client to sub for you.  Instead of giving your client a written infomercial, ask them to give a testimonial about the work you've done for them.  When you have a sub there who really hits the nail on the head and talks about you and how good you are at what you do or how good your products or services are, that is almost better than you talking about yourself.

2. Ask someone who might be a potential member. Perhaps someone you've asked or wanted to ask to attend your BNI meeting.  This gives another opportunity to see what BNI is all about and may encourage them to become a member.

3. Try to use a different sub each time, rather than the same person from your office each time.  By bringing in fresh faces each time, you're bringing potential business to your fellow members.  Remember visitors/subs to your chapter typically brings $1000 to $1500 worth of business to the chapter and your fellow members.  So it is potential TYFCB to you.  This builds your credibility with your fellow BNI members.

4.  Carefully choose who you are going to use as your substitute and train them about the meeting, what to expect.  When they are to give your infomercial.  When they will give their infomercial.  When they will give your referrals, testimonial, etc.  

5.  Plan ahead. Make a personal sub list of several people who would be willing to sub for you and represent you well.  Ask them ahead of time if they would be willing to sub for you when the need arises.

Other thoughts and considerations -  

As a member, you bring value to your chapter meeting. When you are absent, you bring negative value. When seeking a substitute, strive to replace your value with a positive professional who could potentially become a part of your referral network. They may be willing to help you out by substituting for you, and they will have the opportunity to see the value of BNI® for themselves. An excellent substitute may also be someone who may bring referrals to the other members or a client/customer whom would provide a positive testimonial about your products and services. 

Some Chapters mistakenly believe that having a list of willing Members and ex-Members from other Chapters is a good way to solve the “substitute problem.” In reality, while it undoubtedly appears easier for Members if they don’t have to find a substitute for themselves, in the long run, they, and everyone else in the Chapter, will get less business. 

Every substitute should be a potential customer for other Members in the Chapter. This is an important entitlement of BNI Members, which is lost when the same few faces turn up every week, representing a different Member’s business on each occasion. More importantly, while many genuine substitutes become interested in joining the Chapter they visit, “professional” substitutes never do because they realize they are getting a free membership in your Chapter. Not only do the Members pay for their membership, they also ascribe to the BNI Code of Ethics and the BNI Policies. Substitutes are not held accountable for their professionalism. 

Chapters are stronger, grow more quickly, and pass more business when they discourage regular substitute lists and encourage all Members to find their own substitute when necessary. 

To discourage repeat substitutes, it is strongly suggested that repeat substitutes do not give a Weekly Presentation on their business and only represent the Member’s business. 

Excellence is an option with a BNI chapter and with the substitute program, but you have to use substitutes in the proper way and not use them as a crutch. Instead, use them as a benefit to what you have to offer.  If you expect the best, you tend to get it. If you expect less than the best, you tend to get it.  You have to have high expectations and invite people in to support you.  By effectively using the substitute program you are building your credibility with your fellow members which will lead to more referrals and profitability. That is what makes the most successful members and the most successful chapters.

Here are some additional resources:

There's No Substitute for a Good Substitute

Sub Abuse

Behaviors and Credibility

Your Business has a Confidence Curve

How Late is Late?

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

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.