1/4/11
In the last four days I’ve heard four remarks about travel and it was the fourth that got me thinking.
First there was someone who had gone to Manchester for a party, there and back in a day, a four hundred and twenty four mile round trip. Then there was a mother who had been to their son’s university in Bristol, a two hundred and twenty mile round trip, again in one day. That was followed by a couple who had visited the Bluewater shopping centre for the day, a round trip of ninety six miles.
I guess nothing special in any of those. It was the last one that got me: twenty five miles was too far to go for a BNI workshop!
From there my mind jumped to when I was in Kenya last year with my wife and we visited a school run by a charity. A school of just thirty two lucky children. A little boy we spoke to, aged seven, walked 7k every day in the dark by himself to get to the school.
And yet the member that I was talking to thought forty minutes to get to a workshop was far too long.
What I don’t understand is why? Ninety miles for some window shopping seems to be fine but thirty odd miles to improve a business is not.
BNI workshops can only improve a business: it’s impossible for them not to. Why? Well, however often you have been before, you will always learn something, the room is always full of different people and you never know just who you might meet (it could be your next best client), and it builds your credibility.
All of which will help grow a business: your business. It’s just a matter of priority, of value. What you will do for the success of your business.
So, I guess my question is: was the workshop too far? I don’t think so. More like their business wasn’t worth the effort! What do you think?
3 comments:
I very much agree with this, it's something I was thinking about recently myself as well.
I've come across people complaining about how difficult it is to get business but are unwilling to invest some time and effort to get results.
A great quote I heard 'you've got to learn more to earn more.'
James
You make a really valid point here. I wish children in the UK would value their education as much as the little boy in Kenya (mine included).
However, it is the point about investing in one's business that is so important. If we give off the impression that we can't be bothered to invest 3-4 hours to get to, and participate in, a training session that will benefit our business how are prospects going to believe that we will go the full mile (let alone the extra one!) for their business?
I like James' quote 'you've got to learn more to earn more' and not just because I'm in the training business!
Great post! A little over my head, but informative nonetheless :)
Post a Comment