26/5/11
I visited a chapter recently and became aware of a member not giving out the best of signals. Anyone can have an off moment but, as with all things, with repetition you notice things; that’s why marketing and branding works. And I guess you could say this was personal marketing and branding. Only of the negative kind!
The first thing I noticed was that the member spent a lot of time texting, not paying any attention to what was going on in the meeting. Then, when they did their 60 Seconds, they had one hand in a pocket and it sounded like they were ‘winging it’. No preparation. Most of the remainder of the meeting they just looked plain bored. Finally they had no contribution.
On the whole not a great advert for someone I would want to work with!
Now, I don’t know anything about the person concerned. They may have been feeling ill, have major problems at home or at work, or just crashed their car. Maybe they are just like the impression they gave me and everyone else in the room. I don’t know.
But, what I do know is this and it is really important. If you are going to maximise your referral potential, however you are feeling, you must take part fully in your BNI meetings. As, if even only a few people notice that you are not giving the best signals, it will affect your referral rate.
So, please always give your fellow chapter members the courtesy that they deserve and that they hopefully give you.
The result will be more referral opportunities.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Saturday, 14 May 2011
I didn’t join BNI to help grow the chapter!
14/5/11
I heard of a member who left his chapter last week because he was asked to help the chapter in bringing visitors to the group. He said that he didn’t join BNI to help grow the chapter. I have to say that I wasn’t surprised to hear this, knowing the member concerned, but I did wonder how he ever became a member in the first place.
Question 7 on the BNI application form asks: ‘What is your ability to bring qualified referrals and/or visitors to the chapter?’ I would love to know what his answer was.
But what did surprise me was some of his other comments. One was that he only joined so that other members could give an easy referral! Can you believe that?
Another was that he didn’t get enough business. He actually received more referrals than any other member of the group and yet he wasn’t prepared to help grow the chapter so that he would get more. Truly unbelievable!
But, it was his last comment that really stunned me. In fact I really can’t believe he said it. And, if it should happen, I hope that whatever chapter committee it is acts as I’m sure you will think it should, as he finished by stating …
“I’ll think about re-joining when the chapter is bigger.”
I was speechless!
I heard of a member who left his chapter last week because he was asked to help the chapter in bringing visitors to the group. He said that he didn’t join BNI to help grow the chapter. I have to say that I wasn’t surprised to hear this, knowing the member concerned, but I did wonder how he ever became a member in the first place.
Question 7 on the BNI application form asks: ‘What is your ability to bring qualified referrals and/or visitors to the chapter?’ I would love to know what his answer was.
But what did surprise me was some of his other comments. One was that he only joined so that other members could give an easy referral! Can you believe that?
Another was that he didn’t get enough business. He actually received more referrals than any other member of the group and yet he wasn’t prepared to help grow the chapter so that he would get more. Truly unbelievable!
But, it was his last comment that really stunned me. In fact I really can’t believe he said it. And, if it should happen, I hope that whatever chapter committee it is acts as I’m sure you will think it should, as he finished by stating …
“I’ll think about re-joining when the chapter is bigger.”
I was speechless!
Monday, 9 May 2011
BNI: One Bite at a Time
9/5/11
I have been writing my blog now for over three years and a number of people have suggested that I should publish it as a book. The result is ‘BNI: One Bite at a Time!’
The book has also had testimonials from a number of BNI Directors:
“I frequently use David's blogs as Education slots because they are so practical, easy to deliver. This book will make a great resource for Education Coordinators and members alike.” Sid Grant, Executive Director BNI Scotland North.
“David is an experienced and successful BNI member and his book is full of real life practical examples of how to make BNI work for you.” Tim Cook - National Director BNI UK & Ireland.
"I often refer to articles from David's blog when I train members in Japan. Simply because it helps them be more productive as a BNI member." Asato Ohno – National Director BNI Japan.
I have included an index by subject so all blogs on a particular topic can be found easily: for example Visitors, Referrals, 60 Seconds, Substitutes, Credibility, etc.
Should you like a copy of my book it can be ordered via the link below at £10.00 + £1.50 post & packing (UK) or by email from david@7training.co.uk.
You can order you book here.
If you are outside the UK and would like to order a copy please send me an email and I will check out the postage cost for you.
Thank you - David
I have been writing my blog now for over three years and a number of people have suggested that I should publish it as a book. The result is ‘BNI: One Bite at a Time!’
Dr. Ivan Misner has written the foreword and this is part of what he has to say: “David Wimblett has compiled this invaluable, easy-to-read handbook on how to approach BNI membership for truly powerful results.”
The book has also had testimonials from a number of BNI Directors:
“Congratulations on such an excellent blog! As you know I regularly make reference to the material contained on this site on the NZ blog and am constantly impressed by the fresh and practical nature of the material.” Graham Southwell - National Director BNI New Zealand.
“David is an experienced and successful BNI member and his book is full of real life practical examples of how to make BNI work for you.” Tim Cook - National Director BNI UK & Ireland.
"I often refer to articles from David's blog when I train members in Japan. Simply because it helps them be more productive as a BNI member." Asato Ohno – National Director BNI Japan.
I have included an index by subject so all blogs on a particular topic can be found easily: for example Visitors, Referrals, 60 Seconds, Substitutes, Credibility, etc.
Should you like a copy of my book it can be ordered via the link below at £10.00 + £1.50 post & packing (UK) or by email from david@7training.co.uk.
You can order you book here.
If you are outside the UK and would like to order a copy please send me an email and I will check out the postage cost for you.
Thank you - David
Friday, 1 April 2011
It’s too far!
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?
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Oh. They’re not here!
27/3/11
Has that ever happened to you? You have a visitor and you have told them that you have a great contact that they should meet. But, when the visitor arrives the member concerned isn’t there. In fact they turn up late. I’ve even seen it happen that the member concerned is absent!
The visitor doesn’t get to meet the member before the meeting starts and the member is gone when the visitor returns from Visitor Orientation.
It’s bad in so many ways!
First, the visitor has been let down. They were promised a meeting with a great contact for their business or them personally.
Second, it has made you look bad in the eyes of your visitor. Not so bad if they are a great contact of yours, but, if the relationship is new, damage may have been done.
Third, the member has lost out. They didn’t get to meet the visitor and it’s just possible that they may never now.
Fourth, it reflects badly on the whole chapter. Are the members reliable? It may seem like just a small thing, something that really doesn’t matter, but, we all know of things that have been won by the smallest of margins: of things that happen, because we were in just the right place, at just the right time.
So, what time will you arrive at your next meeting? 6.30am at the latest (unless you are a lunchtime group)? If you do, I’d almost guarantee that you will get more business from your chapter if you are there every week at that time!
Has that ever happened to you? You have a visitor and you have told them that you have a great contact that they should meet. But, when the visitor arrives the member concerned isn’t there. In fact they turn up late. I’ve even seen it happen that the member concerned is absent!
The visitor doesn’t get to meet the member before the meeting starts and the member is gone when the visitor returns from Visitor Orientation.
It’s bad in so many ways!
First, the visitor has been let down. They were promised a meeting with a great contact for their business or them personally.
Second, it has made you look bad in the eyes of your visitor. Not so bad if they are a great contact of yours, but, if the relationship is new, damage may have been done.
Third, the member has lost out. They didn’t get to meet the visitor and it’s just possible that they may never now.
Fourth, it reflects badly on the whole chapter. Are the members reliable? It may seem like just a small thing, something that really doesn’t matter, but, we all know of things that have been won by the smallest of margins: of things that happen, because we were in just the right place, at just the right time.
So, what time will you arrive at your next meeting? 6.30am at the latest (unless you are a lunchtime group)? If you do, I’d almost guarantee that you will get more business from your chapter if you are there every week at that time!
Friday, 4 March 2011
All cleaned up!
4/3/11
I’ve written several times on the value of One2Ones, as there is no better way to increase the amount of business done between members. A really effective One2One will allow you to get to know the other person better, to build trust, to find out what sort of business they are looking for, what kind of business they don’t want, and how to start conversations about them. You will learn a great deal about them and they a great deal about you. You will build a deeper relationship and, hopefully, like them more!
All of this will result in more business for both parties. So, I really can’t recommend having One2Ones anything like enough. In fact, if you are not having regular and effective One2Ones you really are missing out on business.
Going to a fellow member’s place of work is one of the best ways of having a One2One, as it often tells you things that would never come up in the course of a One2One, held, say, in a coffee shop. For example what the offices are like, the other people in the business, how busy the firm is. Pictures hanging on the walls often lead to interesting stories. All build a greater understanding of the business and a deeper relationship with the person.
It also means that you need to have another One2One!
Okay, some members don’t have an office but it’s very few, and I’ve learnt a great deal about someone by going to their ‘home’ office. If a trade, why not have your One2One on site? It’s a great way to see how they work plus the quality of the work done. All very important information if you are going to refer someone with confidence.
But, my main reason for writing this blog, is a testimonial that was read at a recent meeting I attended. It was for a One2One! Very unusual, but a member had become a story worth talking about. It’s what we all need to become: someone that people will talk about. As I am doing now!
A member had gone for a One2One at another member's place of business: Dominion Auto Services. Two things stuck in my mind: the member said that they had never seen such a clean workshop, but the thing that really impressed me was that when the member returned to their car it was gleaming. It had been given a full wash and polish. Now that is really adding value to a One2One and what a brilliant way to be remembered!
So, what can you do that will really add value to your next One2One to ensure that you get talked about?
Harry Dass - Dominion Auto Services – 020 8813 8350
I’ve written several times on the value of One2Ones, as there is no better way to increase the amount of business done between members. A really effective One2One will allow you to get to know the other person better, to build trust, to find out what sort of business they are looking for, what kind of business they don’t want, and how to start conversations about them. You will learn a great deal about them and they a great deal about you. You will build a deeper relationship and, hopefully, like them more!
All of this will result in more business for both parties. So, I really can’t recommend having One2Ones anything like enough. In fact, if you are not having regular and effective One2Ones you really are missing out on business.
Going to a fellow member’s place of work is one of the best ways of having a One2One, as it often tells you things that would never come up in the course of a One2One, held, say, in a coffee shop. For example what the offices are like, the other people in the business, how busy the firm is. Pictures hanging on the walls often lead to interesting stories. All build a greater understanding of the business and a deeper relationship with the person.
It also means that you need to have another One2One!
Okay, some members don’t have an office but it’s very few, and I’ve learnt a great deal about someone by going to their ‘home’ office. If a trade, why not have your One2One on site? It’s a great way to see how they work plus the quality of the work done. All very important information if you are going to refer someone with confidence.
But, my main reason for writing this blog, is a testimonial that was read at a recent meeting I attended. It was for a One2One! Very unusual, but a member had become a story worth talking about. It’s what we all need to become: someone that people will talk about. As I am doing now!
A member had gone for a One2One at another member's place of business: Dominion Auto Services. Two things stuck in my mind: the member said that they had never seen such a clean workshop, but the thing that really impressed me was that when the member returned to their car it was gleaming. It had been given a full wash and polish. Now that is really adding value to a One2One and what a brilliant way to be remembered!
So, what can you do that will really add value to your next One2One to ensure that you get talked about?
Harry Dass - Dominion Auto Services – 020 8813 8350
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
How well do you perform your chapter role?
2/3/11
Every role in your chapter, be it the Chapter Director or the Events Coordinator, is uniquely responsible for the ultimate success of the chapter.
The Chapter Director needs to run a brilliant meeting, motivate the group, and ensure that the agenda is followed and meeting finished on time. The Membership Coordinator needs to run a strong committee, so that the polices are followed, for the benefit of all, and to plan the continued growth of the chapter. The Secretary/Treasurer needs to keep the group in profit and organise the speakers.
Then we have the Visitor Hosts, those members that are at the chapters bright and early, and make that vital first impression on our visitors. The committee members, who along with the Membership Coordinator, help and support the whole group. The Mentor Coordinator, and mentors, who help new members, and others, to feel welcome in the chapter and get the very best from their membership.
And, of course, the Education Coordinator who organises our education and the Events Coordination who arranges socials and gets us all to the workshops.
Every one of those people who does a great job will help the chapter grow and each of us in turn to earn more money.
But, have you, if you hold a role, ever thought about what happens if you do a bad job? Or, at least, not a very good one.
We talk a great deal about VCP in BNI. Visibility, credibility, profitability and assume that it is a good thing. As if by being visible, it will make us credible, and therefore profitable. But, I have news for you – it won’t. Visibility isn’t enough on its own. You also need to be very good.
And, I have two examples for you to prove my point. The first member had been a member of their chapter for some time and considered a pretty reasonable member, then they joined the Leadership Team. Every week they forgot something, so no-one had any idea what was going on. They were totally disorganised. Their referral rate dropped as members lost confidence in them.
The second member took over a role half way through a term because someone had left the chapter. They were a long term member and were considered to be, well to be honest, fairly average. But the way that they performed their role transformed how people thought about them. Their credibility soared and with it the other members' efforts to find them referrals.
So, my question to you is this. Is the way that you perform your chapter role making you look like a credible business person? If not, you could be getting a lot less referrals than you might if it did.
Every role in your chapter, be it the Chapter Director or the Events Coordinator, is uniquely responsible for the ultimate success of the chapter.
The Chapter Director needs to run a brilliant meeting, motivate the group, and ensure that the agenda is followed and meeting finished on time. The Membership Coordinator needs to run a strong committee, so that the polices are followed, for the benefit of all, and to plan the continued growth of the chapter. The Secretary/Treasurer needs to keep the group in profit and organise the speakers.
Then we have the Visitor Hosts, those members that are at the chapters bright and early, and make that vital first impression on our visitors. The committee members, who along with the Membership Coordinator, help and support the whole group. The Mentor Coordinator, and mentors, who help new members, and others, to feel welcome in the chapter and get the very best from their membership.
And, of course, the Education Coordinator who organises our education and the Events Coordination who arranges socials and gets us all to the workshops.
Every one of those people who does a great job will help the chapter grow and each of us in turn to earn more money.
But, have you, if you hold a role, ever thought about what happens if you do a bad job? Or, at least, not a very good one.
We talk a great deal about VCP in BNI. Visibility, credibility, profitability and assume that it is a good thing. As if by being visible, it will make us credible, and therefore profitable. But, I have news for you – it won’t. Visibility isn’t enough on its own. You also need to be very good.
And, I have two examples for you to prove my point. The first member had been a member of their chapter for some time and considered a pretty reasonable member, then they joined the Leadership Team. Every week they forgot something, so no-one had any idea what was going on. They were totally disorganised. Their referral rate dropped as members lost confidence in them.
The second member took over a role half way through a term because someone had left the chapter. They were a long term member and were considered to be, well to be honest, fairly average. But the way that they performed their role transformed how people thought about them. Their credibility soared and with it the other members' efforts to find them referrals.
So, my question to you is this. Is the way that you perform your chapter role making you look like a credible business person? If not, you could be getting a lot less referrals than you might if it did.
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