30/12/09
The next couple of weeks will see many New Year resolutions made and most broken! So, what will you do differently this year to change that pattern?
And no, don’t make any is not the right answer!
I don’t really like Smart Goals (S - significant, M - meaningful, A - achievable, R - realistic, T - timely), but most New Year resolutions are broken because they are unrealistic and to you, at any rate, are not meaningful.
In business, and therefore in BNI, as BNI is very much a part of our business, it is exactly the same. What business plans will you make for the New Year that will have gone astray by the beginning of February?
We all want to be more successful in 2010, and the best way to start is by reviewing this year and then making plans for next. Plans that mean something to us, we can see their value, and, most importantly, plans that are possible to achieve.
So, what does this mean in terms of our BNI membership?
Well, for example, it doesn’t mean planning to go to a training workshop every month, if you only managed to attend one workshop in the whole of this year. Sorry, but it’s not going to happen – it’s just not realistic.
What I believe would make the most difference is a small improvement in each of four areas: attendance (including subs), training, visitors and referrals. Have a think about how you have done in each of these areas this year. If you really have no idea, ask your Membership Co-ordinator for the information. Then aim to improve each just a little. When asked what do I think the minimum requirement of an average chapter member is, I say the following: no absences, an average of one referral per week, a visitor every two months, and attending a workshop twice in six months. Would this be a realistic plan for you, or are you already way ahead of this?
If you are great at bringing referrals, maybe you need to improve your visitor bringing - or, vice versa. You might be pretty good in three of the areas, so increase these a little, and poor in the fourth, so concentrate your efforts there.
The main thing is to review your past year and then plan improvements for next year that you see value in and want, and can, accomplish.
The bottom line is more business in 2010 and what you will do with the extra money!
1 comment:
Great advice David,
I plan to stop setting so many goals this year - and start achieving more! So much time is spent setting goals in the new year, while we review the ones we gave-up-on the year before.
Focussing on the four key areas of our BNI contributions is a great idea - givers gain - and these key areas make the greatest impact to our giving.
Wishing you a happy, effective and prosperous new year!
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