| | Networking Tips | | | | 5 Lessons from BNI that Many Members Miss | | | | The danger of forgetting the basics. | | By Jon Colson, Assistant Director - BNI of Southern Idaho | | | | Sometimes we miss that which is right under our nose. Whether we are new to BNI or have been a member for several years, we often miss the forest for the trees. Here are five of the most overlooked lessons I have found in BNI. |
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| | | 1. The most important part of the meeting is everything outside the meeting.
The structure of the meeting is great for introducing visitors to BNI. However, it is at the one-to-ones and functions that we learn more about who and how to refer to each other than during the meetings. Has your business changed over the last six months? So have the other members' businesses. If you have not had a one-to-one with every member recently, it is time to catch up. Also take full advantage of education offered in your chapter. It is a great place to learn and network at the same time. | | | 2. Treat your Sales Manager Minute as a sales training moment, not a sales pitch.
When you spend the bulk of your 60 seconds reminding the members what you do each week, it does not leave time to educate them as a sales force. Once in a while, say what makes you fabulous and unique in your industry, but do not spend ½ of your time each week on it. If you had 60 seconds to train a sales force, you would spend the bulk of it teaching them specifically who and how to refer business to you. | | | 3. Asking to be introduced to referral sources will get you more business than asking for referrals.
It is great to ask for someone who could use your product or service, and you should sometimes. You should also ask for referrals to people who can refer you to many potential clients. Why do people use your product or service? Who uses your product or service? Answer these questions, and then figure out who can connect you with several potential clients.
For example, an event which often leads to the purchase of a home is a wedding. A realtor does well to ask for people who are getting married, but that same realtor can create a career by connecting with the right wedding planner, jeweler, photographer, etc. If a doctor is a good referral for you, ask to meet the chief of staff. If you can get them as an advocate, you have a steady stream of business. Massage therapists: Would a sports coach be a great referral for you? Think a level deeper to find a stream of referrals. |
| | | | | | Chapter Meetings |  | Every Friday from 6.45am to 8.30am |
| | | Why not Join In? | | | | Phone Frank on (01) 460 4556 |
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| | | 4. There is no such thing as a bad visitor.
We often act like a one-person membership committee. We consider whether or not a person would benefit from BNI or be a contributing member to our chapter. But think again. You may not know an aspect of their business that would be a great fit in BNI. Also, a single, stay-at-home mom is a great visitor. It is unlikely that she will join BNI, but how many people in your chapter might she be a client for? It is also possible that she knows quality professionals who would be great BNI members. Invite everyone. Leave it to the visitor and the membership committee to decide whether they will be a good member. | | | 5. As important as stating who is a great referral, is how to make that contact.
This one came to me as a blinding flash of the obvious. If you are a printing company and specifically ask for a referral to the owner of a local lotion manufacturer, your BNI sales force needs a little more information on how to make that connection. Why is that a good referral for you? If I know that owner, what should I tell them? What should I ask them? How can I get you in front of them? When it is not obvious, it is your job to bridge that gap by training your fellow members how to generate this referral. | | | | | Jon Colson is a national speaker and author of If Your Product Sells Itself, Shut UP! – available at Amazon.com.
For more information on seminars and upcoming books, go to www.TheColsonTeam.com |
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| | | We welcome all visitors! | | | We meet every Friday morning from 6.45 to 8.30am in Bewleys Hotel, at Leopardstown,
Why not visit us in the Castle Chapter at one of our regular weekly meetings? | | | | | | | |
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