August 25th, 2010
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Synopsis
When Dr. Misner started BNI, he didn’t really think of it as a “knowledge network,” but your fellow BNI members can be a great source of knowledge as well as referrals. Here are some tips for getting advice from your BNI network.
- Ask about something they enjoy talking about, an area they have expertise in.
- Listen carefully. Pay attention. Take it seriously. Write it down.
- Direct your questions toward what your network member says in conversation.
- Have a logical reason for wanting the information.
- Don’t ask for advice that people would otherwise charge for.
- Ask clarifying questions, but don’t debate or argue.
Priscilla’s chapter has a Yahoo! group where members share tips and information. Your group might benefit from a mailing list or forum, too.
Brought to you by Networking Now.
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August 18th, 2010
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Synopsis
This week Tom Fleming, Executive Director of BNI West Central Florida, joins Dr. Misner on the podcast. The average number of members per chapter in Tom’s region of 40 chapters is thirty-eight.
Tom initially hesitated to implement Fast Track in his region because he’s on the CDs and didn’t want to appear to be promoting himself. But he saw the results the program was getting in other regions, and decided that he couldn’t deprive Tampa Bay BNI members of improvements to their referrals and thank you for close of business.
Tom chose to sell Fast Track into their chapters through referrals, by starting with one chapter and letting its members recommend it to others.
Tom created a script for facilitators to use to roll the Fast Track program out to the membership, and advises all BNI directors to do the same. BNI members need to know—and to remember—why they’re participating in this program. This is about Members Making More Money.
Get the BNI Fast Track program (BNI Networking Secrets) from Del Fuego.
Brought to you by Ask Ivan Misner.
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August 4th, 2010
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People sometimes come to Dr. Misner and ask about how to deal with competitors. His philosophy is best summed up by Henry Ford: “The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time.”
Everyone has competition, but it’s a waste of time to focus on it. Just go on making your own business the best.
Some people think this philosophy contradicts BNI’s policy of having only one member per profession in a BNI group, but it’s not an either-or scenario. BNI is supposed to be a safe environment where people can share openly, and that’s not likely to happen if a direct competitor is sitting next to you and taking notes.
When you encounter a competitor, look for opportunities to collaborate rather than competing. It will make both of you more successful. An example: Priscilla’s BNI group, No Ordinary Chapter, is a member of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce.
Read Dr. Misner’s blog post about competition on Entrepreneur.com.
Brought to you by Networking Now.
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July 7th, 2010
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Synopsis
Dr. Misner recently received an e-mail from someone who wanted to get the benefit of BNI without actually attending the weekly meetings. This is like wanting to win an Olympic medal without having to go through exhaustive physical training. None of us can do less and get the same results.
In the early days of BNI, experiments showed that chapters that met twice a month passed 52% fewer referrals than chapters that met once a week.
There is no lite version that gives you all the benefits with less work. Only BNI members who dedicate themselves to following BNI’s proven structure will achieve the optimum results and the maximum referrals. If you want to be a master of networking, “Don’t go into the lite.”
Additional meetings outside the regular chapter meeting can be beneficial, but once a week seems to be optimum.
Brought to you by Networking Now.
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June 23rd, 2010
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Today’s special guests are BNI Director Deanna Tucci-Schmitt from BNI Western PA and Brian Smith of Foulk’s Flooring America from the BNI Eagles chapter.
The carpet cleaner in Brian’s chapter suggested to a mutual customer that she visit Brian’s company to replace her carpet, but she expressed dissatisfaction with their previous work. Brian contacted the customer to find out what the problems were and fix them, and repair the relationship.
Without knowing about the problem, Brian would have lost this client’s business. His fellow BNI member did him a real service by coming to him with the client’s concerns. Clear, open, honest, direct communication can really help solve problems.
If you can address problems in your chapter the way Brian has here, you’ll have a stronger chapter.
Brought to you by Ask Ivan Misner.
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June 2nd, 2010
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In this episode, Dr. Misner is joined by BNI director Asa Davis, who shares his experience using the Fast Track program with the BNI Leading Edge chapter in Michigan.
BNI Leading Edge was already a successful chapter, but still wanted to try Fast Track. In the first 3 months, their referral numbers went down by 15%, but close of business went up almost 100%.
These results demonstrate the value of the culture of learning in BNI. Fast Track is not a replacement for training, but a supplement. After Fast Track, many of the members of BNI Leading Edge went back through Member Success Training for a second time. Leading Edge is now the number one chapter in all of Michigan.
Brought to you by Networking Now.
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April 28th, 2010
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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.
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April 21st, 2010
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This topic came up on the Ask Ivan Misner website, where you can type in a question and connect to a live teleconference where Dr. Misner answers it.
Several people asked about Contact Spheres and Power Teams in BNI.
A Contact Sphere is a group of professionals who complement rather than compete with each other.
A Power Team is a subset of your Contact Sphere that actively works together to pass referrals to each other. An example of a Power Team might be a caterer, a florist, a photographer, and a travel agent, the so-called “Wedding Mafia.” Priscilla’s chapter has a health care Power Team.
Every BNI group wants to create strong Power Teams, because they generate more referrals than groups without them. But it’s possible to go too far with Power Teams and leave other members feeling excluded. If your Power Teams meet separately from the rest of the BNI group, suggest that they invite other members of the group to visit their team meetings.
Brought to you by Ask Ivan Misner.
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February 27th, 2010
Download this .zip file with the BNI Visualized infographics for your chapter. It contains both Flash video files, PDF posters, and .jpg images for use in SendOutCards.
February 24th, 2010
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Synopsis
Today’s episode is inspired by a letter Dr. Misner got from the vice-president of a struggling BNI chapter who wanted to know how to keep the long-term goal of building the chapter in mind when facing personal attacks from members?
Dr. Misner’s response was to refer this VP back to an article he wrote in SuccessNet in 2006, called “Addition by Subtraction.” The chapter in that story was facing a problem with absenteeism.
In the article, Ivan and Beth Misner take turns explaining that the way to grow healthy rose bushes is to prune them back—and the way to grow a healthy BNI chapter is to get rid of the members who don’t show up or don’t participate. BNI thrives on accountability.
This episode is brought to you by our new sponsor, Ask Ivan Misner.
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