How to get more referrals…

 It doesn’t matter who you are, or how many referrals you receive, because getting some more would be very useful. Plus, if you are unlucky, and don’t get the number of referrals that you would like, then this would be amazing.

Now before you think, he’s going to say, ‘You've got to do lots more work’, let me stop you, because you don’t.

You have to do a little, but small changes can make a large difference to the number of referrals you get.

Just imagine improving by just 10% on the things you already do, what effect that would have combined in total. It would be massive.

Here are a few things to think about: attendance, 60 Seconds, your Feature Presentation, referrals given, visitors, workshops, One-2-Ones, testimonials, social events, your Power Team - for starters.

Just a small improvement on all of those, would have a very visible result overall. More referrals.

One of the things that you could do is to update your BNI Chapter website; certainly your part of it. What’s your presentation like on it?

I looked at some BNI Surrey chapter websites last week and many members could do a little more. In fact some members could even make a start!

More than one member, not only didn’t have a photograph of themselves, but worse still, had no copy at all. This will mean that they are losing referrals.

Trust me, it’s a fact.

This one thing will take just a few minutes. Add a photo and some text. Talk about how you help people, not about you. Try to avoid using, ‘I ….’

Doing this will improve your referral rate, as over the years I have meet many people who have ‘passed on’ when they have found a member with very little info about themselves on their BNI website.

Make a start now – it will only take a few minutes. And, you will be one step toward a better referral rate.

Your great photo!

That’s assuming you have one and it’s good.

A fair number of BNI members don’t have their photo on their BNI Chapter Website; instead there’s just a silhouette of their head.

Then of course, some members even have a misleading photo, which, trust me, hurts their referral numbers. And, please do believe me, as I have a lot of knowledge on this, based on the experience gained from members over many, many years.

First you need a good photo; one that clearly shows who you are. It needs to be up-to-date, with a good pose, nice lighting, and, of course, in focus. Now I’m not saying it needs to be the perfect professional portrait, but it does need to be a good photo. Which means not using the first thing you find; on holiday, down the pub, blurry, from 15 years ago, just a mess.

Why? Because a good photo seen on your BNI website will save you losing referrals.

No photo of a member on your BNI website may not affect how you think about that person but, it’s how other people think that matters, not you. I know of many people that have left a BNI website because of the lack of a photo (also a bad photo) of the member they were considering.

So, if there is no photo of you on your BNI website, then I recommend you get a good one put up as soon as possible. I promise, you are more than likely to receive more business.

Printinc

 ‘If you can think it…We can ink it’.

I’ve just been looking at the new website of Printinc: the printers in BNI Elmbridge run by Carolyn and her husband Ian.

It’s a lovely new design with a really good first page. It has everything there: telephone number, email address, what they can do for people (including their primary purpose – which is to serve their customers) and the opportunity to get a quote. You can also see recent work they have done and customer testimonials. There is everything you need as a new prospective customer and, without doubt, it will increase the number of people contacting Carolyn.

For Printinc it’s perfect, but it’s also great for Owen Carr the web designer, as he has put together a wonderful new site for Carolyn (and I’m sure other people were involved). However, it can go much further than that.

Now, for the moment, let’s just think about me. I’m looking at the first page right now, I love it, but what does that mean? Well, one I’m writing about it, but more importantly, I will be sending it on to people I know, to show them what Printinc can do for them. So, just imagine the result, if the 37 members in the BNI Elmbridge did the same. Carolyn’s referrals would increase even more.

However, it can go far further than this. I’ve looked at members' sites and discovered things I didn’t know about them; so the possibility of referrals to them increased.

So, I have a question to you (yes, you). Have you looked fully at the website of every member in your chapter? If not, then I recommend you do. The result? You will get the opportunity to give more referrals, but it goes further than that; imagine what might happen to the referrals you receive if every member in your chapter studied your website as well!

Why not start looking today?