Would you buy your own 60 Seconds?

If you could be another you, exactly, and be at your next chapter meeting and watch and listen to you giving your 60 Seconds, would you be tempted to buy?

It’s a serious question.  How good do you really think your 60 Seconds is?  How enthusiastic are you in the delivery?  What do you look like?

Okay, let’s run through your 60 Seconds.

It’s a bit of a struggle getting to your feet.  You’re not exactly looking happy to be there and you haven’t smiled yet.  Shirt looks like it missed the iron that morning.  Still, here we go.  “Morning” you mutter; obviously you had a late night.  It’s going to be a challenge this one.  Well guess what? You tell us exactly the same as you did last week.  You’re looking for anything really.  You can do most things, just about anywhere.  So if we know anyone, well that would be a great referral for you.  And we don’t catch the last part as you were already back in your seat.  Oh. Well, there’s always next week.

So, what did you think?  Would you buy you?  I’m guessing maybe not.  So, why would anyone else?

Well that’s what a great many 60 Seconds are like.  Don’t believe me?  Well really listen at your next meeting.

I really can’t stress enough how important your 60 seconds is to the level of success you will achieve in your chapter.  In fact, in many ways, to the success of your whole business.

You see your 60 seconds encapsulates everything there is about you and your business.  Your attitude.  Your enthusiasm for what you do.  The way you look and prepare yourself.  Your target market.  Your message.  Your credibility.  What you have to offer.  How you can help people.  It’s all there.  Everything that will bring you more, and better, business.

So, if you are looking for more referrals, more business, there’s no better place to start than by giving a great 60 Seconds every week.

Look at your numbers!

Every successful entrepreneur, in fact person in business, knows that knowing their numbers is a key component to their success.  And, as both a member and as a chapter, in BNI we are fortunate to be supplied with some great data (numbers); to name just two, our PALMS report and the Traffic Lights.

But, we have to be careful that we don’t become too ‘number’ led. What I mean is that thinking the PALMS report and the Traffic Lights are the only things that matter. BNI is a people business and we must always remember that.

Now I’m not suggesting for one moment that a member’s PALMS report and Traffic Light score shouldn’t be good; of course it should.  For one thing I believe that all members should be ‘Green’.  But, that’s not my point.

My point is that we shouldn’t just get caught up in the numbers; we must be careful that the numbers don’t become all-consuming.  The numbers should be the result of our actions.  In my opinion it’s far better to be in the green because you are a good member, than to be in the green because you are ‘encouraged’ to do the right things.  It’s a slight difference but, to my mind, a very important distinction.

In one of his books, Steve Jobs explains that he didn’t set out to be super-rich, he set out to change the world. He just got super-rich doing it.  And that’s what I think a BNI member should be like and encouraged to be like.  We should all want to be great members, because that’s how we benefit most from our membership.  And the result will be great PALMS data and ‘green’ in the Traffic Lights.

So, what do you want to change that will make a difference to your BNI membership?  It might not have the same effect that Steve Jobs did, but you might just find it improves your numbers.

Do you listen?

Something that Ivan Misner, the BNI Founder, recommends, and something that you will hear a lot in the BNI workshops, is that you should listen more than talk.  And that is why we have two ears and only one mouth.

But listening is not nearly enough, because you then need to act upon what you have heard.  Otherwise you may in fact have just talked.

Now it can be very simple.  For example, the plumber in your chapter stands up to do his 60 Seconds.  As usual he talks about central heating and boilers; you know all that.  However, if you had really listened, you would have heard that he had a special offer on for this week only.  But, even then, as I said earlier, you then have to do something with that knowledge; it’s no point just listening.  Who are you going to tell?

But, there is another type of listening.  One that is very easy to overlook because we are so wrapped up in what we are doing.  Listening to your customers.  Worse still is listening and then carrying on just as you were.  And this one really worries me.  Because sooner or later, if customers aren’t listened to, and feel as if they are being listened to, they have a nasty habit of becoming ex-customers! 

So, what’s my point?  Well simply, are you giving your customers what they want, or just what you want to give them?  There’s a big difference and a big difference in your reward if you can get it right.

No need to bring a Door prize!

I heard recently that a Chapter Director had told their chapter that there was no need to bring a Door Prize in future. Well firstly there is no option on bringing a Door Prize; it’s something that as the 10 Minute Speaker you have to do.  See BNI Policy No. 8.  But, that’s not the point!

The members, and certainly this Chapter Director, are missing the point of the Door Prize.

At the very minimum the Door Prize is a Thank You from the 10 Minute Speaker to the chapter. But it goes much further than that.  The Door Prize is proof.  Proof that the member can plan, is organised, and does what they say they do.  And, if nothing else, cares about their fellow members.

But, let’s look at this a little closer.  What do I mean by 'it means the member can plan and is organised'?  And why does that matter.  Well, as a 10 Minute Speaker you get six weeks’ notice of your slot.  That’s six weeks to plan and organise what you are going to bring.  Why does this matter?  Well, if I’m going to give you a nice referral from one of my best contacts I want to know that you can plan and that you can organise.  I also want to know that you care.

But, how about the Door Prize itself, and the way it is wrapped?

Again, it proves a great deal.  In a 10 Minutes just about anything can be said; after all words are cheap.  The only time there is any real proof that you can deliver what you are talking about is the Door Prize.  How much time did you take sourcing it?  How well is it wrapped?  No time, and badly!  What does that say about you, your business, and the product/service you provide?  To be honest, not a great deal.

Whereas a beautiful Door Prize which was wrapped with care?  I think you get the picture!

So, please never be tempted to forget your Door Prize as it will affect your referral rate.

What’s the point of email?

I sometimes wonder why some members have an email address.  After all, what is the point of having an email address if you aren’t going to check it or, worse still, answer it.

Now as a business mentor I’m the first to say that you mustn’t be ruled by your email, but there is a big difference to being a slave to your email box and not looking at it at all.

Over the last two days I have sent three emails to three different members with the potential of work.  One is a definite job.  But I’ve not heard back from any of them.

Now it’s possible that an email hasn’t been delivered; but all three?  And of course I could pick up the phone and call them.  Often far better than an email or text in fact.  But that’s not the point.  Especially when I’ve been told by someone who knows one of the members that he never answers his emails.

So I guess that’s my point.  If you don’t want to communicate by email, don’t publish your email address.  And, if you do publish your email address, you have to appreciate that people will use it, and you will need to check your inbox and answer any emails.  Because, believe me, you will be losing business and maybe, in the long term, even customers.

Rant over.  I’m going to check my inbox!

Does it add up?

There are many reasons why people join BNI but obviously, by far, the most important is business; after all we are a referral organisation.  So it surprises me how few members keep any record of how much business they get from being a member.

And this fact has never been more sharply brought to my attention than in these past few weeks when three members, from different chapters, all asked me for 1-2-1s to discuss if it was worth them renewing their membership.  All three didn’t think that they were getting much business from their chapters.

Having met with the three members I discovered a common theme.  They had no records of how much business they received from BNI. But, more importantly, when we really looked into where each got their business from, a great deal was in fact from BNI. And in one case, almost 90% of their business came from BNI.  So the big question?  Why didn’t they know?

Well, the first reason was obviously lack of record keeping, but it went much further than that.  You see they focused on their weekly referrals.  And in all three cases, they were not getting as many referrals from their chapters as they used to. (They all need to find out why.) In fact, one of the members hadn’t received a referral from their chapter in over two months.  However, they had all missed out the business they were in actual fact getting.  So, where was this business coming from?

The answer to this was from all sorts of places: other chapters, workshops, online.  But, the two main sources, they had all overlooked were repeat business. One had a repeat monthly order that they didn’t even think about anymore, and third party recommendations.  Third party recommendations can be huge.  You know the sort of thing; someone in your chapter gives you a referral, you do a great job, and that person recommends you to one of their friends, you do a great job for them and they recommend you to one of their friends.  And so on.  Now by the third of fourth recommendation you might be thinking “what’s that got to do with BNI?” Well, the big thing is you wouldn’t have got the recommendation (any of the recommendations) without BNI.  So I would suggest  - everything.

So, even if you are extremely happy with your BNI membership, I would advise that if you don’t already, keep a record of all business, and I mean all business, you receive from BNI, that you do so from today.  You might just be surprised!

Note: All three members renewed.

That’s my seat!

Have you noticed how some members always sit in the same seat at your meetings?  In fact maybe you are one of those people.  Now I’m not talking Leadership Team here, I’m talking about the member who, no matter what, sits in the same place every single week, month after month, probably more out of habit than anything else.  And you might also be thinking: so what?

There might even be a group of members who sit in the same places - a clique.  Now a clique can be a good thing. After all it is a group of ‘persons who interact with each other more regularly and intensely than others in the same setting’ (dictionary definition), just like a Power Team.  However, both sitting in the same place every week, and being part of a clique, can be bad for both you and your chapter.  Let me explain why.

But first a short story. 

Part of your training as a BNI Director is to visit a chapter to get a feel for how you are going to help the chapters you will be looking after. You arrive very early, before even the Visitor Hosts, then sit at the back of the meeting, observing and taking notes.  These notes will then be discussed back in the training room.  Well on my first visit, long ago, the Leadership Team were already there setting up the room when we arrived.  They had a problem with members always sitting in the same seats and as a way of dealing with the challenge they were laying out the members' business cards where they wanted people to sit.  Then the most amazing thing happened; as the members arrived they found their business card and swapped it with the one in their usual seat.  So everything went back to normal!  As trainee Directors we couldn’t say anything; we just smiled and made our notes.

So, what’s my point?

Well, cliques can be bad for a number of reasons but I think the two main ones are; 1) some visitors are put off by the cliques and so won’t join your chapter, and 2) some new members discover the cliques after they join, find it hard to break into the groups, and end up leaving.  Both of these mean a loss of potential business to the chapter.

But, what about always sitting in the same seat and chatting with your friend.  How can that hurt?  Well I know members in chapters who have never spoken to all of the other members of their chapter.  Many of these same members complain about not getting enough referrals.  See a connection?  Unless you are at least attempting to build a relationship with your fellow members, getting to know them, like them, trust them, you may, and so may they, being missing out on potential business.

So, how about giving up your favourite seat next week and sitting next to someone new?  You just never know where it might lead!

Did you say Thank You this week?

Saying thank you can pay big dividends in life and nowhere is this more the case than in business and your BNI chapter.

We all like to be thanked for things; it makes us feel good, and certainly in my case it makes me happy.  It also annoys me when people don’t say thank you; like when I hold a door open for someone or pull in to let a car pass on a narrow road.  But that’s another story.

Saying thank you can really make you stand out from those around you and, if done well, will bring you more opportunities and more business.  A very simple example is in the giving and receiving of referrals.  I’ve seen a referral received with barely an acknowledgement from the member receiving the white copy.  What incentive is that member giving the person who is giving the referral to look for another?  Almost none!

But that, as I say, is just a very simple case.  There are many, many more.  And of course lots of ways to say thank you.  I have some specially printed ‘Thank You’ cards.  They have a lovely picture on the front and on the back my company logo and a motivational statement.  I don’t know about you but I love getting cards in the post.  And I always keep them.  Imagine if that was happening with the cards you send out.  What might the results be?

So, what can we thank members for?

Well, obviously a great referral.  But how about when that referral becomes business, a testimonial, repeat business, for being given good advice, for being given exposure online, for being given a great contact, if you win a really useful door prize (might be a business book that helped you).  What else can you think of?

Saying thank you will make a big difference to your business, and your life, why not try it and let me know how you get on?

150!

One of the most important things that we do as business owners is getting and then keeping customers.  In fact it is so important that it really should be the first thing we do every single (business) day.

And it doesn’t matter what you do or what you are: accountant, solicitor, plumber, web designer, copywriter, cake maker, garage owner, driving school, because in effect you are a marketing company for your product or service, and unless you market your business the simple truth is that you won’t have a business.  It really doesn’t matter how good you are at what it is that you do because unless people know, and a good number of people at that, you will go hungry.

Now the great thing about being a member of BNI is that you are marketing your business at the very minimum once a week and that you have your fellow members helping you.  But my question is, are you one of the 87% of chapter members missing out on a massive business opportunity?

Most successful entrepreneurs will tell you that their ‘list’ (their database) is their most priceless business asset.  Buildings, plant, stock, even staff, can be replaced, but lose your database and your business is pretty much dead.  The amazing thing is that most small businesses don’t have a database and those that do rarely use it.

Now building a useful database will take time: people that you have, and can build, a relationship with.  But, here is the crazy thing, most BNI chapters have three visitors a week, and most chapter members have no idea who they are.  150 business owners a year that every member has a relationship with, however small, that could be put on to a database and kept in contact with.

Then over time a relationship has the chance to grow and you never know where that might lead.

Don’t forget – BNI is all about farming.

Let's meet Face to Face!

BNI Build a Better Business Conference 2013

Don't know if you have heard but Dr Ivan Misner, the Founder of BNI, is coming to the UK in October and you can see him at three special conferences.

Monday 7th in Bolton
Wednesday 9th in Co, Kildare
Friday 11th in London - Hammersmith

Book by 30th June and save a massive 50% on the ticket price.

Full details here: www.bni.co.uk/babb

And the great thing about these events is that you can invite your friends as they are open to all.

Have you seen Ivan?

Your chance to win a FREE ticket!

Wear your Ivan mask in the strangest place you can think of, snap a photo, and send to: helena@eurobni.com or Tweet to @BNI_National using #whereisivan.

For full details have a look here: http://www.bni.co.uk/whereisivan

Have fun!

BNI: One Bite at a Time

This is what the Founder of BNI Ivan Misner said in his foreword for my book 'BNI: One Bite at a Time'.

"BNI: One Bite at a Time is an invaluable, easy-to-read handbook on how to approach BNI membership for truly powerful results. Filled with practical and fresh nuggets of wisdom, tips, ideas, and strategies that are essential for BNI members worldwide in maximizing their return on investment from BNI membership, this book should be in every BNI member's library as a go-to informational resource and it is especially essential for those filling the role of Education Coordinator in their BNI chapter."

Well having sold 600 copies of my book I've run out of printed copies and instead of reprinting, as everyone seems to have an ipad, Kindle, Smartphone, or similar, I've decided to go digital.

So, 'BNI: One Bite at a Time' is now available on Amazon; and I have to say getting some wonderful reviews.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BNI-One-Bite-Time-ebook/dp/B00D1708W4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369737674&sr=8-1&keywords=bni%3A+one+bite+at+a+time+kindle#_

Sorry No Visitors this week!

Now I’m sure you know that as a BNI member you should have a positive contribution to give at your chapter meeting every week, but I also wouldn’t mind betting that, like me, you have seen a member get up and say, “Sorry no referrals this week”.  In fact I was told by a member that this happened in their chapter just this week.  What’s more, by three members in a row!

But that’s not why I am writing this particular blog.  What really gets me is that I’ve never heard anyone ever say, “Sorry. No Visitors this week”.  Why is that?

Well I have a theory and it goes something like this.  It’s all about the bigger picture; about thinking.  The BNI philosophy is ‘Givers Gain’ and those members who succeed as BNI members truly embrace this; they have a contribution every week (their mindset is about giving). But then there are those members who in truth only belong to their chapters to get business and therefore see the Referral as the only thing that matters.  Hence the “Sorry, no referrals’. they don’t see the long term benefit of visitors, so visitors don’t enter into their minds.  There is no direct correlation between a visitor and the referrals that they are looking for; well not in their minds anyway.  They can’t see the bigger picture.  No thought is given to a month, six months, a year, down the line.  In truth they are more hunter than farmer; or just people that don’t think.

Put simply, they don’t see that the member giving them a referral was once a visitor.  That in fact they, like every other member in the room, were once visitors.  And, what’s more, that even if a visitor became only an average member they would be giving 50 referrals a year.  But of course that’s in the future, and that’s not referrals for them; it’s where ‘bigger picture’ thinking has to come in.

So, how about this as an idea?  Should you ever find yourself in the position of not having a contribution, instead of saying, “Sorry No Referrals…”, how about instead saying, “Sorry No Visitors this week”.  You never know visitors may just become as important as referrals seem to be.  And, guess what?  There would be more referrals given; just what was wanted in the first place!

But, better still, really get ‘Givers Gain’ and ensure that you have a positive contribution every week.

A Chapter of Blue!

No it’s not a typo; I really do mean blue.

I’ve written about the blue Notable Networker Badge before and do so again because it’s surprising just how differently the same thing can be viewed and, I believe, sometimes misguidedly.  First let me stress that the badge must have been given for something Notable. For example, I don’t believe that one visitor or five referrals in a month is notable.  I’m not even sure that two visitors in a month is truly notable; but that debate is for another day.

So, what do I mean by a Blue Chapter?  Well, I would like to see chapters (lots of them) where most of the members are wearing blue badges.  Now this is where the disagreement comes in.  It’s been suggested to me that if you have more than a couple of members wearing a blue badge in a chapter it devalues its worth.  How can that be possible if it was given for the right reasons?  I’ve then been told that if everyone has a blue badge the badge looks commonplace - it’s not special.

Well, all I can say to that is that I would like to be a member of a chapter where everyone had a Blue Badge, where every member was Notable.  Wouldn’t you?  Try telling Alex Ferguson (Manchester United), that he could only have a couple of Internationals in his team!  I don’t think anyone thinks having a team of internationals devalues the club or any of its players.

But how about on a more practical level?  Do you know the members in your chapter who wear a blue badge?  How many are there?  Now imagine, if just about every member of your chapter was wearing a blue badge, wouldn’t you want one too? And if every member of your chapter was really notable, what do you think the outcome would be?

I wouldn’t mind betting your chapter would be green and passing a lot more business.  What do you think?

Just One Estimate!

I’m guessing that if your business only did one estimate a week it wouldn’t be in a great position; under normal circumstances that is.  You might price the job more keenly in order to give yourself a better chance of winning the work.  You would be hanging by the phone willing it to ring, desperate to get the job.

Now just think what better and more marketing could do for your business.  More estimates to do.  Which would mean that you could charge more.  You could pick and choose what jobs you did.  You would have less stress.  Make more profit.  And, maybe, even have better holidays.

Well, at the recent Leadership Team Trainings for our new chapter teams, according to Phil Berg, this is exactly what having just the odd visitor to your chapter meetings is like.  Read one estimate as one visitor.

Why?  Well, with one visitor, you are desperate for them to apply (dare I say join) and at almost at any cost.  If they have a heart beat they are in.  And, I can assure you, that isn’t the best way to grow a strong and profitable chapter.  Whereas, with lots of visitors, and many more applications, a chapter has a choice of whom they accept into their chapter.  There is less pressure to take on just anyone.  The long term result of which is more and better business.

And the real benefit of having more visitors?  You will be able say goodbye to that One Estimate.  Because more visitors, means more and stronger members, which means more referrals, and that means more estimates!

Mr. Berg certainly got me thinking.  What about you?

Do you still deserve your Blue Badge?

5/3/2013

I love the Blue Badge – Notable Networker – when it’s given for the correct reasons but it has crossed my mind on occasion that it should come with a time limit.  You hold the badge for, say, one year.

Well recently, I visited a chapter where that is exactly what happens; a member only gets to keep their blue badge for a set amount of time.  And I have to say that I think it’s a good idea.

Let me tell you why.  I don’t think a Blue Badge (or for that matter a Black - Gold Club - Badge) is like an Olympic Gold Medal.  Olympic medals come with a date; like 2012.  Everyone knows that Mo Farah was Olympic Champion in 2012 and at no other time.  Whereas a Blue Badge awarded years ago says that the person wearing it is a Notable Networker today and yet it’s possible that they may have only been ‘notable’ that one time.

Now maybe I’m being a little harsh but, if you are wearing a Blue Badge, are you happy that you still deserve to be wearing it?  For example, are you a Green Member?  Thinking about it, maybe there shouldn’t be a time limit on having a Blue Badge. Instead, if you become a Red Member you have to hand your badge back.

What do you think?

Shakespeare alive and well in Business Class

I’m sure that you have heard that ‘facts tell: stories sell’, but why is that?  Well, from the beginning of time man has loved a good story and we all know stories that have been passed on and on for thousands of years.  We can relate to a story; we can imagine ourselves being part of the story, and, this is the clever bit, if we allow our customers to be part of our story we will have more success.

Something that I also suggest to my members is that they become the story.  So what exactly do I mean by that?  Well you want people to talk about you; that you are a ‘story’ worth passing on.  Think of you going viral!

So, what is it about you and your company that is worth talking about?  What could you do to become a story?

Now to be honest I’m not really into Shakespeare, although ‘Shakespeare in Love’ is one of my favourite films, so poems don’t usually 'do it' for me. However, I was at the Business Class chapter in Richmond this week when Rick Joseph of Aztec Removals got up to do his 60 Seconds.  Maybe I think it’s great because it has my name in it, or it might be because of the clever way he hands back to the Leadership Team (Garry is the CD and Yvonne the MC), but what I do know is that I’m talking about Rick.

Rick’s 60 Seconds

Hello friends, my name is Rick

I live in a house near Hampton Wick

Aztec Removals is the name of my firm.

I hope this rhyme doesn't make you squirm.

My last sixty seconds was all about storage,

But today I'm gonna start with the City of Norwich:

A lovely town up the a-eleven;

But the a-three-o-three goes down to Devon.

I've moved people's homes to all those places.

They go where the work is, meet new faces,

Get out of the Smoke, kick over the traces.

They call me up: Do you do long-distance?

'Cos if you do I'll need your assistance.

Pack my stuff into cardboard boxes,

Load 'em on the truck, shoo away the foxes,

Dismantle my bed and re-assemble it.

I'd even do a job for David Wimblett.

That's all folks. That's my speech.

I hope you liked it one and each.

Do I have a cheerful note to leave on?

Nah. I'll pass you back to Garry and Yvonne.

So, what do you think?  Don’t know about you, but I know Aztec Removals does storage and moves homes up and down the country.  And, that he’s probably fun to work with.

If you get people telling stories about you, mind they are good ones, you will do more business.

Please do not come to a workshop to learn!

I guess what I really mean is please do not come to a workshop JUST to learn.  Now I’m not suggesting that learning isn’t a good thing.  Of course it is.  But learning is only part of the job, and I guess that is my point.  You have to implement what you learn, otherwise, to some degree at least, what you learn is just a waste.

Members often say to me, “Oh, I’ve done that workshop”, as a reason not to attend, while some that do attend say afterwards “I’ve heard it all before”.  The thing that gets me is that these members aren’t doing the stuff that they learn.  Learning on its own will not bring results; you have to put into practice what you have learnt.

So, please don’t come to a workshop just to tick a box or fulfil an obligation.  It’s a waste of both your time and the trainer's.  Instead, attend because you see the benefit and have a plan.  And your plan doesn’t have to be anything too complicated.  So how about this for a very simple plan?

Next time you attend a workshop look for just two things that you will implement.  The first might be something that you already know but aren’t doing and the second something new, or at least a new way of doing something.  Write both of these things on a new sheet of paper (or new page on your ipad!).  These are now the two things that you will implement beginning the next day.  I promise that if you do this you will see an improvement in whatever it is that you are doing.

Then, once these two things are working well (are second nature) find another thing that you can implement by going back to your notes and doing that.

No matter how many times you attend a workshop there will always be something to find that, if implemented and not just learnt, will make a difference to your business.  You just need to find that one thing and use it.

So, please make your plan not to attend a workshop and learn but rather to implement what you have learnt, as only then will you see the true value of the workshops that BNI make available to you.

And, as a bonus, you might even meet your next best contact!