I’d like to introduce…

If your chapter doesn’t get its members to introduce their visitors it is missing a trick; a very large trick!

You see there are three great reasons why a member should introduce the person they have invited to your chapter.

1)    It gives added importance to bringing a visitor and also gives the visitor a lovely introduction.

2)    It gives special recognition to the member who has brought the visitor along in front of the chapter.

3)    And, this is really important, it has a hidden element to it.

What’s this hidden element?

Well let’s consider two possible introductions of the visitor. The first, ‘I would like to introduce Sarah, we met in the pub last night and as she is looking for more business, I suggested she came along this morning.’ And second, ‘I would like to introduce Sarah, we have been friends for over 10 years now, and I’ve lost count of the number of times she has helped me and my business.’

These introductions are valuable for two reasons and both are useful for the members and Membership Committee alike. The first tells everyone that you know nothing about Sarah, so you know nothing about her or how well she runs her business. Whereas the second is a wonderful reference and your members know that they would be safe in using her services.

The introductions are also extremely useful to the Membership Committee should she apply to join your chapter as, in the first example, they would have to spend more time following up on references and researching her business details.

So, I strongly recommend that if your chapter doesn’t already let members introduce their visitors that they do so very soon.

Are you in the Frame?

I made my first visit to BNI Surbiton recently and was made to feel very welcome. I saw a great meeting with a lot of business being passed but what really impressed me, because it stood out as being special, was the way members presented their testimonials.

A verbal testimonial is always better than a ‘nothing today’ during the Contribution Round. However, a nicely printed letter is by far the best way to give a testimonial. Always remember to give two copies: one for the member and one for the chapter's Testimonial Binder. Often the testimonial will also be added to the chapter’s website and, of course, the member’s website. It might also be used in advertising and - even better - framed and displayed at the member’s place of business.

All of these things are extremely useful, not just for the member receiving the testimonial, but also for the person giving it.

But at BNI Surbiton they take the giving of a testimonial a stage further. They present one copy of the printed testimonial already framed. Not only does this look great when it is presented but the person receiving it is able to display the testimonial immediately; no having to go and buy a frame (or not getting round to it).

Dave Goodman - Utility warehouse

Often as these things happen, a few days later I visited Amanda Lord, of Ad Alta Sports Therapy, for some physio, and on display was a framed testimonial given to her by Dave Goodman of the Utility Warehouse. The testimonial reassured me that I was in good hands and, of course, I noted Mr Goodman’s name and business.

Although this might seem like a small thing and certainly a little effort is required but, if you are looking for ways to improve your business, then I think it’s well worth the investment in time and money.

What’s up your sleeve?

Recently I was at a meeting when a member gave five referrals, read out a testimonial and had also brought along a visitor. It was great. And they received, a deserved, standing ovation.

It reminded me of an occasion in my own chapter a few years ago when one of our members did a similar thing. However, there was a big difference between the two members. You see for our member it was pretty much a one-off event as they were often short of a weekly contribution (a member in the red), whereas for this recent member it was common place, they are amongst the best ‘givers’ in their chapter; always at the top of the green in the traffic lights.

A weekly contribution is key to your success in your chapter as members tend to forget the great one-off contribution but they remember someone who gives every week. And that is very important to you (being remembered for giving every week) if you are going to get the best from your chapter. It will mean more referrals.

Now, as you will know if you regularly read my blog, I don’t think members bring enough visitors to their meetings but the other thing they don’t do is give as many testimonials as they could. Now I’m not talking rubbish testimonials here (Fred did a great job), but really useful feedback on work done. Testimonials that truly build the credibility of the member (receiving it), in the minds of everyone who hears it.

The reason I don’t think enough testimonials are given is because every good referral given could lead to a useful testimonial. And more testimonials would lead to more business for every member, due to increased credibility, not only for the person receiving it, but also the member giving it.
And the great thing is that there is no real time pressure on a testimonial. So if you struggle a little for a weekly contribution why not keep a good (written) testimonial ‘up your sleeve’ for a week when you have nothing else to give.

Feature Presentation is a bit of a Lottery!

Sometimes it can be hard to think of a topic for your Feature Presentation; sometimes the thought of doing one can be just plain scary. So how about this for an idea?

I saw this presentation some time ago but was reminded of it while attending a recent Member Success workshop. It’s clever, easy to put together and requires no special presentation skills. But what I like best about this presentation is that you are totally in control.

It’s a variation on the ‘Any Questions?’ presentation where you just spend 10 minutes answering questions and of course giving the answers. The problem is, and I’ve seen it, with this type of presentation is that often members can’t think of any (or enough) questions to ask. And there are worrying silences. Then, of course, you have the pressure of having to ‘think on your feet’ to give good answers, added to which the questions asked might not be the ones you really wanted to answer.

So how was this presentation different?

Firstly, it got every member involved and so was very interactive. As I’ve already said it was fun, there were more than enough questions, but the best part was that the only questions asked were the ones that demonstrated exactly what the presenter did and how he could help them.

He gave one member a bingo machine to operate (with 49 balls in) and every other member a folded piece of paper with a number on (1 to 49). Some members were given two numbers.

The bingo machine was spun, a number popped out, and the ‘caller’ gave the number. Then the member with that number, unfolded their paper, read out the question and the practiced answer given.

It was the perfect answer, to the perfect question. Just brilliant!

Just one thing to note; you do need to prepare 49 questions in advance.

So, if you are ever stuck for an idea, or nervous about giving a Feature Presentation, then why not give this a go?

I’ll see you at the match…

Imagine the scene the Real Madrid team are getting off the team coach, having just beaten Barcelona 4 – 0, Cristiano Ronaldo having scored a hat-trick turns to his team mates and says, “I’ll see you at the match next week”, smiles and walks away.

 Now of course this would never happen, even for the best player in the world (some say second best), because he would report for training along with the rest of the team the next day. He may be the best, done it all before, scored more goals than any other player, won more awards, but like every other member of the team he will attend training. I’ve also read that often he is the first player to arrive and the last to leave.

So why does he put in all of this effort when he is already one of the very best? I’m sure there are many reasons but three instantly come to mind. He wants to stay one of the very best, he is part of a team and he is a leader. Thought of a fourth. He wants his name to be the first on the team sheet for every game.

Now what has Cristiano Ronaldo got to do with BNI you are probably thinking?

Well that’s easy!

Very soon the new team to run your chapter will be picked and after that team training will be held.

Over the years I’ve heard many excuses for not attending this training, with the most common reason being ‘I’ve done it before.’ Well don’t you think Cristiano Ronaldo has been to training before?

However good a member you are, however many times you have done the training before, you will always learn something. And even if you don’t you will be meeting new people (networking), but even more important than that is that you are part of a team and a team works best when they train together.

I said earlier that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to be the first name on the team sheet. Have you ever wondered what it says about you if you aren’t asked to be part of your chapter team? I know members that breathe a sigh of relief when they aren’t asked but what they don’t consider is that maybe they weren’t thought good enough to help run their chapter.

So, teams are currently being put together and I hope that your name is on the ‘Team Sheet’ and that you already have your chapter training date in your diary just in case.

I’ve not got a referral yet!

It’s not something you want to ever hear from a member, unless of course they have only been a member for few weeks, but I have to say that I was stunned this week when I heard the words.

You see I was visiting a chapter and sitting in on the Visitor Orientation. So was one of the substitutes that day, and it was the substitute who chipped in with ‘Well, I’ve not got a referral yet’.

It soon became clear that out of the five people sitting around the table only one was a true visitor. There were two ‘visitors’ who had been a number of times before and were never going to apply to join (I asked them), and two substitutes, one an ex-member, and one, the person without a referral, who subbed so often that they were in effect getting free membership.

There are a couple of important lessons that can be learnt here:

1) A visitor may attend a meeting up to two times but obviously if it is clear that they are not going to apply on their first visit then there is no second visit.

Personally I don’t have a problem with a visitor attending for a third time as long as they are coming with a completed application form.

But have you ever wondered why we have this policy? There are in fact a number of reasons and two that are key, which would have avoided the situation at Visitor Orientation, are first that they are not going to see or hear anything different the third or fourth time but can be a negative influence and second, are most likely only attending in the hope of getting some business. Neither of these things benefit the chapter or its members.

2) Likewise the Substitutes. A substitute really shouldn’t come to a meeting more than twice and certainly not more than twice within a six month period. And to be attending so regularly that they expect referrals is a definite sign that something is very wrong.

Again I can see why you might think differently about this; in fact in my own chapter we had a police officer who came along a few times for a member.

But there were a couple of important factors here which you could argue make it different. He didn’t become the ‘chapter's sub’ and also he didn’t have his own business to promote.

A substitute who is eligible to apply (and doesn’t) and attends so often that they are getting, in effect, free membership (not even paying for their own breakfast), is totally different and again of little benefit to the chapter and again can be a negative influence, as this one was.

Substitutes on occasion can be hard to find but if you put in the effort to find them you will see the rewards and your chapter will be the better for it.

This blog might help you - http://bnigivers.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/death-and-taxes-only-certainties.html

A Service Manager

The following happened at my own chapter some time ago, but I recently told the story as a mini-education slot and it occurred to me that the lesson would make a great blog.

For nine weeks in a row one of our members asked for an introduction to a service manager at a garage. He changed around what he said each week but at the end he always asked for the same thing: a service manager at a garage. I would write this on our ‘Referral to look for’ sheet, racking my brain for a Service Manager, while making sure I didn’t miss the start of the next 60 Seconds. No one ever came to mind.

Between meetings nine and ten the member went to a Referral Skills workshop. At the next meeting once again he did pretty much the same 60 Seconds but at the end he changed it. He asked for the Service Manager at Vauxhall in Chiswick. He was very specific. This time I instantly thought "I don’t know that person" (it was easy) but, my next thought was, I did know the Service Manager at my local Alfa garage. Because that’s the make of car I drove at the time.

After the meeting I spoke to the member and asked if this contact would help him. And of course it would; he said he had been asking for just such a contact for 10 weeks. Obviously I contacted the service manager and was able to pass the referral later that same week.

Now you might be thinking I’m a little, or maybe rather, stupid, and that might be so, but by being specific the member made it easy for me, and it led to a referral.

So my message is to be as specific as you can be. Don't think by trying to cover everyone it will give you a better chance of getting someone. If you can make connections easy for people you will get more referrals.