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!

Newsletters a pain!

14/12/12

Don’t know about you but I wish every member produced an email newsletter about their business.  Now I hope none of you are thinking “Well I don’t!”  Because you don’t want all that rubbish filling up your email inbox – and if I didn’t ask for it, it’s spam!  Now I am the first to admit that most newsletters leave a great deal to be desired in their content.  However, that’s only because the person concerned doesn’t know how to write a great newsletter (I could give a few pointers there), but their intention for having a newsletter is in fact sound.  Done in the right way newsletters are one of the best ways that there are to market your business.

Now as an Area Director, if all of the members I know produced a newsletter, I guess that I would receive about 200 of the things.  But what does that really mean?  Some might be weekly, some monthly, others twice a year, yet others once a year, and even a few might be just one-offs.  So, what’s that, maybe five a day?

But how about being real for a moment?  You are in a chapter with 35 members of which 25% produce a monthly newsletter.  That’s nine people.  It’s highly unlikely that they would all produce their newsletters on the same day, so let’s say the split is even across the month.  We are now looking at just three newsletters a week dropping into our email boxes.  Now that can’t be too much trouble for anyone!

So, what’s my point?  Why do I wish more members produced a newsletter?

Well, more business of course.  More referrals.  Newsletters are a great way of finding out more stuff about your fellow members.  More about what they do.  How they help people.  The type of business they are looking for.  The history of their company.  What their staff are like.  Their interests.  Why they are so good at what they do.  The more information you learn about your fellow members the easier it is to refer them.

So, if any of your fellow members has a newsletter please subscribe to it; they can almost be as good as a One2One.

A word of warning.  Never unsubscribe to a fellow member's newsletter.  Why?  Well, what are you saying?  I’m not interested in you.  Don’t bother me.  I’ve no intention of buying from you.  I’m too busy to read your news.

It happened to me once.  What did I think?  “So you’re not interested in helping me..”  And guess what, I was no longer interested in helping them.  Might be sad, but it’s true!

Too busy to invite!

11/11/12

I asked a member recently why they didn’t invite anyone. I expected all sorts of excuses but all I got in reply were two words: too busy. Now I expect the person was indeed busy. But really, any more busy than the next person? Any more busy than me? I don’t know. But what I do know is the damage that they are doing their business. Or, should I say, their future business.

You see if they are too busy to spend a few minutes inviting a visitor, and let’s go mad here, a couple of hours, I can’t possibly refer them, can I? They have just told me that they are too busy to spend some time inviting, so, by definition, that also means that they are too busy to take on any more work.

I mentioned this fact to the person concerned and they said that of course they would take on more work. But, that now means I could never refer them. Why? Because it’s not that they are too busy to invite, they just can’t be bothered. Inviting isn’t important! So, how can I refer someone who isn’t bothered about helping their chapter? Their fellow members. Me.

Everything we do in our chapters has an effect on our credibility and, ultimately, the number of referrals we receive. Put simply, if you have no time to help other people, others will have no time to help you.

BNI put it pretty well. Givers Gain!

Sitting on the bus!

18/10/12
I was talking to Lisa Ruff (Balanced Rewards), Membership Co-ordinator of Tudor, this week about visitors. More specifically, about members who don’t bring visitors. Please don’t get me started on the subject as the blog would run to many pages. Let’s just leave it at I really can’t understand why any member wouldn’t want to grow their business.


Anyway, Lisa agreed with this, and we were discussing what could be done to help these members and then, if all else failed, what should be done about it.

The thing that really gets me is that inviting is so simple and Lisa had a great example of this. What’s more, the thing that Lisa was talking about is covered in the Chapter Development workshop. It’s so easy!

So, what is it? What’s so simple? Answer: inviting by text. It’s so simple that people without any contacts can do it! Members that really don’t like talking to people can do it! And, it takes just seconds, not even minutes.

The best part? You can do it sitting on the bus.

What did Lisa do? She was on a bus travelling to Richmond. She could have gazed out of the window, deep in her own thoughts. Maybe have read a book. Or even just have watched people getting on and off the bus.

But instead, as she went past businesses with mobile numbers displayed, or stopped near a sign-written van, she tapped the number into her mobile and sent them a text. She sent five texts on her trip and received three replies from people interested in visiting her chapter.

How great is that!

So please, never make an excuse for not inviting; just grow your business instead.

Your Top Three?

11/9/2012

I visited BNI Commonwealth this week who meet at The Caledonian Club, Hyde Park, London. In fact I was substituting for Paulina Sygulska of Grant Tree and I must thank her for asking me.

You see, believe it or not, I had never been to a lunchtime meeting before, and I have to say that I really enjoyed myself. The meeting was well run and business focused but also nicely relaxed. Of course that may have just been the chapter and nothing to do with the time, but it did feel different.

What Paulina also did was to ensure that all of her fellow members knew that I was a visiting BNI Director. It was in the 60 Seconds that she gave me to read on her behalf, advising that they should take advantage of me being there!

Two new members were inducted during the meeting, which is always great to see, and, as it turned out, one of them (Jo Rogers) was sitting next to me.

At the end of the meeting Jo turned to me and asked what my Top Three Tips were for a new member. Nothing like being put on the spot!

Below are my Top Three Tips. Do you agree?

1) Really get involved

2) Attend workshops

3) Bring lots of visitors

Why be green?

9/9/12

A member asked me recently why they should want to be a green member and, I guess because the answer seems pretty obvious to me, it took me a few seconds to answer. Having replied to the question, what I realised was that the answer I gave barely touched the surface of why all of us should want to be a green member. So I thought I would have another go at answering the question here.

I guess first of all, why wouldn’t you want to be? But, I guess that is too simple.

Because I suppose we don’t all want to be the best at everything we do. Average for many people is okay. Even below average is okay for some.

But is it that really? Would you recommend an average business (business person) to your best friend? Let alone a business below average. Somehow I don’t think so.

It’s also about credibility. How credible can a grey member be?

And there is something that you might not know about members in the grey; pretty much all of them leave BNI. Why? Lack of business. But, if you think about it, why would a member in the grey be given loads of business? They are below average as a member and give very little. The answer really is pretty clear for all to see.

Then of course there is pride in what you do. That’s not the same as being the best, as you can be proud of what you do without being the best.

Of course there is ‘Givers Gain’ : our BNI philosophy. It’s what we all believe in and, in general, green members give the most to their fellow members.

Then of course there is the money; green members and green chapters tend to pass more business.

The trouble is, and I can hear you saying it, it’s not always that way. And, of course, you are correct. There are always exceptions to the rule. That’s what makes life interesting. But, if you want the best chance of getting the best from BNI you will be a green member in a green chapter.

And how about this for a thought?

In English football we have the Premier League and the FA Cup. In the FA Cup any team can have a good day and beat a team far better than themselves; the FA Cup can even be won by a team way down in the leagues (I’m an Arsenal fan I know!). But, the Premier League is always won by the best team over the course of the season.

Yes, a grey member can have a ‘good day’, but over time a green member will always do better.

So, if you really want to get the best from your chapter then green is what you need to be. And the best part? Every single one of us can be a green member – it just takes a little effort.

Are you outside of the medals?

16/8/12

At most of our workshops we get the opportunity to introduce ourselves and recently, as it was during the Olympics, I decided to add a little twist. As well as the member's name, chapter, how they help people (note: not what they do) - I asked who was their Olympic hero and why?

There were some interesting heroes, including a couple of members who didn’t have one (not into sport), but in the main they were all gold medal winners. Eddie the Eagle and Eric the Eel were also mentioned because they were people that just never gave up.

And, as usual, it got me thinking!

If BNI were an Olympic sport, would I, would any of us, be a medal winner? Up there with Sir Steve Redgrave, Lord Coe, Steve Ovett (my hero), Bradley Wiggins, or even Eric the Eel - who just never gave up.

Most of us love winners. A great many of us would love to be photographed holding a gold medal (as I discovered a few weeks ago). So, I guess my question is – would you be a medal winner in your chapter? And, if not, could you be? Or, maybe, you could just improve your PB (Personal Best). For example: 23 referrals in the last 26 weeks, how about 25 referrals in the next 26 weeks? Or, maybe 4 visitors in the last 26 weeks, how about 6 visitors in the next 26 weeks?

Our medal haul at the Olympics was amazing and had the whole country buzzing. How about helping our BNI team to do the same and, maybe also, winning a personal gold medal along the way?