The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 237: Boost Your Referrals with Power Teams

Synopsis

A power team is a group of professionals in BNI who work in non-competing, related fields and have developed relationships so they can refer customers to each other.

Here are ten questions you should ask potential members of your power team to strengthen your connections and make it easier to pass referrals.

  1. How did you get started in your business?
  2. What do you enjoy most about what you do?
  3. What separates you and your company from the competition?
  4. What advice would you give someone starting out in your business?
  5. What are the coming trends in your business or industry?
  6. What strategies have you found to be the most effective in promoting your business?
  7. If there were anything about your business or industry you could change, what would that be?
  8. What is the next big event coming up for you?
  9. What’s your biggest challenge at the moment?
  10. What type of customers are you looking for? How will I recognize a good prospect for you? What kind of situations are your prospects facing?

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Episode 221: Your Business 101

Synopsis

A BNI member recently asked Dr. Misner how to promote second tier (outside) referrals, because the other members of his chapter weren’t likely to use his services directly.

The truth is that if you only focus on the referrals that  are sitting there in the room, you’re going to limit your success. The network beyond the network is what matters. Everyone needs the second tier referrals.

To get those referrals, you have to train members in how to refer you. Specific is terrific for “Your Business 101.” Pick topics for your 30-second pitch at the meeting each week, the way you would create a training curriculum. Bring photos, testimonials, brochures.

Think about how this applies to your business. Sit down and think of four topics, then break each of those four down into 2-3 sub-topics. Post your topics here—and use them at your meetings. You’ll get many more referrals.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Episode 212: The 8-Step Referral Process

Synopsis

Today’s podcast is drawn from Networking Like a Pro, pages 155-164 (first printing).

The referral process is a system with feedback built into it. There are 8 steps.

  1. Your source discovers a referral opportunity for you.
  2. Research the referral. (Very few people do this, but it pays off.)
  3. Check back in with your referral source to complete the research.
  4. Meet with the referral.
  5. Report back to your referral source on the outcome of the meeting.
  6. Your source gets feedback from the referral. (This is priceless.)
  7. Your referral source reports back to you.
  8. You close the deal.

If every BNI group listened to this episode, the quantity and quality of referrals passed in the group will grow exponentially. Try it and report back in the comments.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Episode 188: “What Does My Referral Network Need to Know to Pass Me Business?”

Synopsis

Mike Macedonio joins Dr. Misner again this week to pick up where Episode 187 left off. So, what does your network need to know?

  1. Referral marketing strategies. Invite a new BNI member to Member Success Program Training and go through it with them.
  2. Who to refer to you. Make it easy for them to identify good prospects.
  3. How to refer to you. Give them qualifying questions to ask, or a testimonial to share. Let them know your preferred next step.
  4. Why they should refer you. Your number one responsibility is to make the referrer look good.

It’s important to get all four of these elements in place in order to generate a steady flow of referrals.

Find out more about Mike’s work at the Referral Institute, which has a strategic alliance with BNI.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Episode 187: “The Three Core Competencies to Referral Success”

Synopsis

Mike Macedonio of the Referral Institute joins Dr. Misner to show us some genuinely effective techniques for referral marketing. (As co-author with Dr. Misner of Truth or Delusion, Mike has learned to separate the wheat from the chaff.) Here are three core competencies:

  1. Get the right education. Learn from the experts.
  2. Stay immersed with the information. Apply what you know.
  3. Educate your referral network. That’s what BNI’s Leadership Team training is for. (Hint—you don’t have to be on the Leadership Team to take this training.)

If you want to know more about the Referral Institute, you can visit their website or contact Mike at mikem [at] referralinstitute [dot] com.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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