Episode 152: “Do Unique Professions Work in BNI?”

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Synopsis

Note: you can search the podcast website for topics you’re interested in—that’s how Dr. Misner discovered that he hadn’t covered this topic before.

About 20 years ago, Dr. Misner met a commercial light bulb salesman who wanted to join BNI. He was a little concerned that a person in such a unique profession might not do well, but the prospective member had no doubts.

First, he wanted people he could refer his clients to, because that would strengthen his relationship with them.

Second, he knew he was the kind of networker who could get business anywhere.

He was right. During his first year in BNI, 40% of the sales he got came from referrals from his BNI chapter.

Success in BNI doesn’t depend on the profession, but on the person. If you’re willing to give and help and learn, you’ll succeed in BNI.

Brought to you by Ask Ivan Misner.

Complete Transcription of BNI Podcast Episode 152 -

Priscilla:
Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Official BNI Podcast brought to you by AskIvanMisner.com, which is a Web site where you can ask Ivan any question you have about networking.

I’m Priscilla Rice, and I’m coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkley, California, and I’m joined on the phone today by the founder and the chairman of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner.

Hello, Ivan. How are you?

Ivan:
I’m doing great, Priscilla. And today I’m going to talk about an interesting topic. It’s kind of a fun story about unique professions in BNI. The topic is do they work, Do Unique Professions Work in BNI?

You know, I’ve done so many podcasts, I tell stories all the time, I’m a real believer that stories really educate. And I’ve told this story for many, many years, and somebody asked me about it. I said, “Well, I think it’s up on a BNI podcast,” and we did a search, and it wasn’t there. So I wanted to talk about this today, and I also wanted to bring up the search function.

If you are listening to the podcasts, from time to time use the search function that is up here on BNI podcast; it’s on the right top side; it says “Search.” Type in your phrase and hit Enter, and all of the podcasts that have different topics will pop up.

This one I did a search on wasn’t there, so I want to tell you about it today, and it’s a question that I get asked from time to time to unique professions work, the odd professions work. How do you give referrals to people in these unusual professions? And I used to think that there were some professions that just didn’t work very effectively. What I’ve learned over the years, it has very little to do with the profession and almost everything to do with the person. And I learned that about almost 20 years ago when I did a kickoff of a chapter, and we only had just over 100 chapters, so it was more than 20 years ago.

And I did a kickoff in Nevada for a chapter, and there was a gentleman who came up, and his name was Nordy. Nordy came up to me and Nordy sold commercial light bulbs, commercial light bulbs. And he told me he was going to join, and I said, “Really? Nordy, you’re interested in joining. Well, that’s great!” But again, he sold commercial light bulbs, so it wasn’t even like a regular light bulb. These were light bulbs that were in factories and in buildings, special light bulbs, so you couldn’t give him a mercy referral, buy a few light bulbs for your house. You needed specialized equipment, and he didn’t even sell the equipment; he just sold the light bulbs. He didn’t sell the fixtures, just the light bulbs.

So I said to him, I said, “Well, Nordy, I’m really glad that you’re interested in joining, but I’ve got over 100 BNI groups, and I don’t have” – this was a long time ago, obviously – I said, “I don’t even have single commercial light bulb salesman, and I’m not sure that this will work for you.”

And he looked at me and he said, “So are you telling me I can’t join?”

I said, “No, Nordy. I’m not telling you you can’t join. I’m just saying buyer beware; I don’t want you to sign up thinking , hey, there are other people doing what I do that are members, and there aren’t. And I just wanted to let you know that.”

So he looked at me, he said, “So are you telling me I shouldn’t join?”

“I don’t want to tell you you shouldn’t join either, but I just want you to be aware that you’re in such a unique profession, I don’t know of anybody else in that profession. And I just don’t know how well you’ll do, and I want you to know that up front.”

And he looked at me and he said, “Well, yeah, I’d like to join, and there’s two reasons for it.” He said, “First of all”— and this is what I thought was brilliant with this guy and this is why he was such a good networker. He said, “First of all, I believe that by being in this organization, I’m going to build relationships with a lot of other people that I can refer to my clients. And if I can help refer to my clients, if I can assist my clients in some way, it helps to enhance my relationship with my clients, and they’re more likely to continue business with me because of the relationship that I have.” But he said, “That’s the first reason, but secondly, you don’t know me, I’ll get business. I really believe I’ll get referrals. I just really network well, and I think I’m going to do well with this, but I’d be willing to join just to build the relationships to help my clients.”

So I thought, well, good answer, sure, feel free if you want. And so he signed up.

Well, I didn’t see Nordy for the better part of a year. I was back in the state about a year later, and usually, the BNI director, when I go speak in an area, I was there to do a big event, and usually the BNI director introduces me. But Nordy went to the director and said, “Hey, do you mind if I introduce Ivan?”

She said, “Sure, you go ahead. You introduce him.”

So he stood up and he did my bio, and then he kind of got off track and he said, “I’d like to tell you something personal, a personal experience I had.” And that always scares me when they go in that direction. He said, “Before I tell you the personal experience, I have an announcement to make.” He said, “I just found out last week, even my chapter doesn’t know this, that for the first time, and I’ve been with my company for many years, so the first time I won the sales contest in my organization, and I ‘m getting an all expenses paid trip for my wife and I on a cruise to the Bahamas for one week. And 40 percent of all the sales that I made during this contest period came from referrals that I got out of my BNI chapter, and the man I’m about to introduce tried to talk me out of joining.”

Priscilla:
Oh, God.

Ivan:
That was the last time I ever tried to talk anyone out of joining because they were in a unique position or a unique profession. I really went to school on this guy. Nordy knew how to network, and it was the first time I really started thinking about the fact that it has a lot less to do with the profession than it does the person. And if you have somebody who believes in the philosophy of Givers Gain, if you have somebody who is willing to continually work on their skill set as a networker, and man, he did, he was always working on that skill set, and you’re there to help other people and at the same time teach people how to refer you, you’re going to do well. And even in an unusual profession like that, I think you can do well in BNI.

I see people who are printers who aren’t getting a lot of business after a year. How can you be a printer and not get a lot of business after a year?

Priscilla:
Yeah, right.

Ivan:
There are some professions that are just so obvious that are going to get business, and there are others that aren’t, but what I’ve learned is that that’s really secondary, the business they’re in is secondary to them as a business professional, their commitment and their willingness to give and help and learn that that is so much more important than the profession.

And so the short answer to unique professions work is, yes, if the unique profession is the right person.

Priscilla:
Um-hmm, that is good. I think that makes so much sense.

Ivan:
Have you had any experiences, Priscilla, in seeing someone, unique professions in your group?

Priscilla:
Absolutely. We had a cement tester come in, a company that tested cement. I mean, that seemed really difficult. When he jointed, I thought, oh, no, we’re never going to be able to help this guy.

Ivan:
And it’s amazing how you’re able to help if you’ve got the right person. I know there’s somebody up in your neck of the woods in Northern California that was a blacksmith

Priscilla:
Oh, and he makes beautiful, beautiful gates and gorgeous custom –

Ivan:
Do you know, is he in your group?

Priscilla:
No, but he’s visited my group several times.

Ivan:
Yeah, blacksmith, what an amazing – and when I heard blacksmith, it was like, how is he going to get any business? And then one of the things someone showed me was how he does this branding iron with your company logo.

Priscilla:
Oh, wow! And what do you brand with that?

Ivan:
Steaks! So I had people over to my house. When I have a barbeque, guess that I have? I bought one of these branding irons from him. So it’s got the BNI logo, and when people are over at my house, I fire that baby up and I brand a big steak with the BNI logo on it.

Priscilla:
That’s funny.

Ivan:
It’s just amazing to me how people can be creative. You get the right person, they’re creative, they have interesting ideas, and they give you ways to refer them that just make it really easy, and it doesn’t really matter how unique the profession is; it’s the commitment and the willingness of the person to help other members that can make a big difference.

That’s all I’ve got for today, Priscilla.

Priscilla:
Okay, great. Well, that was a fun one. Thank you so much, Dr. Misner.

I’d just like to remind the listeners that this podcast has been brought to you by AskIvanMisner.com. Thanks so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we hope you’ll join us next week for another exciting episode of The Official BNI Podcast.