Does inviting by postcard really work?

14/12/10

It’s a question that I am often asked, both by new and longer term members. And, I have to say from my own experience, yes without a doubt. Plus it can be one of the easiest ways to invite people that you will ever come across.

Last year I took twenty seven visitors along to my chapter and a fair number of them were invited by postcard. As I say, it’s one of the easiest ways to invite and I use postcards every single week. And, here’s how.

All you need are two postcards. Fill them out now, with the details of your next meeting, and put them in your jacket pocket or handbag. Okay, you now have a week to use those two postcards, otherwise they will be wasted. And, it’s simple! Whenever you are out and about, it really doesn’t matter where, and you get talking with someone about business and you get to ‘could you handle more?’, no matter how much time pressure your are under, you have the answer. Give them your prepared postcard and ask them to call you. If they really are looking for more business they will call, if not, nothing has been lost, but they might just keep that card for future use. Someone turned up at our meeting once with a card that had been sent out by post six months earlier – I’ve still got it somewhere.

If all else fails, put your card under the windscreen wiper of a trade van!

Then of course there are the 20 postcards that every new member should bring to our chapters. How many new members do you know that have brought these in? Did you? These postcards are sent to the new member’s best contacts: just imagine the results that we could get if they did!

And there are some chapters who know just how easy postcards are to use that they design and print their own. Now I don’t know if the results are any better than using those postcards supplied by BNI, but it does show how effective chapters believe postcards to be.

So, do postcards work? Yes, as I say without a doubt. Why not try them and let me know how you get on?

Below are a couple of examples of chapter postcards I picked up a while ago. Please remember, if you would like to design your own chapter postcard, get your design passed by your BNI Director.