Synopsis

Dr. Misner is beginning to shift his conception of BNI from “Think Globally, Act Locally” to “Local Business, Global Network.” BNI is developing its own social network, and BNI members are traveling and meeting each other in distant locations. BNI has more than 100,000 members worldwide and chapters in 40 countries.

As you see conferences announced on BNI.com, make plans to attend as many as you can. You can get million-dollar referrals at conferences. A dentist from Malaysia connected BNI member Marcus Emery to MAS Cargo at the International Member Event in Kuala Lumpur. (Watch the video here.)

You never know who your fellow BNI members are going to meet. If you surround yourself with quality professionals, the sky is the the limit on the referrals you can get. Service-based businesses are particularly well suited to doing business internationally. The key is finding each other: reach out and participate in online networks, go visit BNI chapters when traveling, and go to conferences.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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 BNI 060 Local Business, Global Network [12:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Please read Episode #60 (above) for details on this video recording.

Marcus Emery of Emery Worldwide in the UK shares his referral success at the BNI Worldwide Members Event in May 2008.

 

 KL08 Success!: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Synopsis

Dr. Misner continues his discussion of BNI traditions this week.

Testimonials

This is one of the earliest traditions of BNI. It came about when a member wasn’t getting a business, tried offering an initial consultation, and received a spontaneous testimonial from another member who took him up on it. The more you have third-party endorsements, the easier it is to give referrals to people. It mitigates the risk of referral marketing.

Caring About People

BNI is all about people, from the top down. Remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. The best way you can show you care is to be there and help. One of the reasons Dr. Misner does these podcasts is to show that he cares about BNI members.

Walking the Talk

What you do thunders so loudly above your head I cannot hear you speak. There are many ways to contribute to BNI. Bring visitors. Welcome visitors. Don’t let a week go by where there’s not a tidbit of information you offer to your fellow members.

Investment to Join

Getting business out of BNI is not a guarantee, it’s an opportunity. You can turn a $10 bar of iron into $250,000 worth of springs for watches. Turning your BNI membership into value involves understanding the traditions of the organization.

The Secret to Success

The secret to success without hard work is still a secret. The things Dr. Misner talks about in Givers Gain are simple, but not easy. You have to work to succeed in BNI.

If you’re interested in traditions within organizations, read Inside the Magic Kingdom.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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 BNI 059: Givers Gain, Ch 10, Part 2 [13:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Synopsis

Dr. Misner has just returned from BNI’s global conference in Malaysia to tell us about BNI’s traditions. In this episode, we hear about the first half of the chapter; the second have comes in Episode 59.

The Mission of BNI

Any discussion of BNI’s traditions has to begin with the mission: to help members increase their business through a structured, positive, and professional word-of-mouth program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals. It’s important to remember that because people often suggest that BNI should be doing other things, which are good things, but not part of the mission.

The Philosophy

BNI accomplishes its mission through the philosophy of “Givers Gain:” when you contribute to the success of others, that will contribute to you. That’s why every new member gets a copy of the book. Dr. Misner illustrates this with a story of a prize-winning Nebraska farmer who won the State Fair four years in a row by giving away his specially developed seed to his neighbor.

Training and Education

This is one of the most important traditions of BNI. BNI spends hundreds of thousands of person-hours a year training members, and that’s one of the main reasons BNI is the world’s most successful networking association. Participate in as many trainings as possible.

Keeping the Fun in the Fundamentals

Never forget about having fun. Chapters that have fun are always the strongest. Meeting stimulants can really help with this. Try the NAT Radio exercise, or the candy bar exercise. Talk to your leadership team if you’re not familiar with these.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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 BNI 058 Givers Gain Ch 10, Part 1 [13:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Synopsis

Dr. Misner has just returned from the Canadian conference, where he had the opportunity to network with people from all around Canada.

Referral marketing is not the safest form of advertising. There are unique risks which are not an issue in other forms of marketing. When you give a referral, you give away a little piece of your reputation. That means you have to have confidence that the person you refer is going to do a good job. Therefore it’s important to have strong relationships with people you refer business to.

The fact that BNI has a membership committee in place to keep an eye on the long-term relationships within a chapter helps reduce the risks. And because BNI meets weekly, you can check up on referrals. It’s important to bring up any problems and give your fellow members the opportunity to address them and make the client happy.

Dr. Misner recommends the book The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey, (the son of the Stephen Covey who wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People). Trust can save you millions of dollars in legal and accounting fees.

Be aware that building trust takes time—a good relationship can easily take a year to develop. And remember, referral marketing may not be the safest form, but it’s the most effective.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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 BNI 057: Referral Marketing is a Risky Business [9:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download