The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 303: A Good Referral Is in the Eye of the Beholder

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Synopsis

Susan Goodsell, BNI Executive Director for BNI Riverside and San Bernardino Counties (and also a BNI employee who works on branding), joins Dr. Misner to explain why a good referral is in the eye of the beholder.

All BNI members understand that a referral is the opportunity to do business, not a guarantee of business. But not everyone educates their fellow members with enough specifics about what’s required for a good referral.

The first time I give a poor referral, it’s my fault. But the second time I give a poor referral, it’s probably the receiver’s fault.

Each of us has a different definition of what counts as a referral. Listen to what counts as a referral for your fellow members. Don’t try to define referrals for other members.

If you’re a printer and you don’t want referrals for business cards because you don’t make much money from them, stop mentioning them in your 60-second spot. Talk about the products that do make money for you. Mention the price point for referrals.

If you get an off-target referral, go to the member who made the referral, thank them for thinking of you, and educate them on the kinds of referrals you do want.

As long as you are laser-specific, you’ll get good referrals. Wherever you set the bar is the level of referrals you’ll get.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Podcast intro recorded by Tony Wolfe.

View the entire transcript of this episode

Episode 302: One-to-Ones and Van Gogh

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Synopsis

Andrew Hall from BNI Sussex, who brought BNI to Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, joins Dr. Misner on this week’s podcast.

You need to have a rota of one-to-one meetings of your members. Your 60-second intro is static. A one-to-one is a conversation. It’s dynamic. Nothing opens out your business to your fellow members as effectively as one-to-ones. Here’s a story to illustrate this: when Ken Wilkie was writing The Van Gogh File, instead of just reading all the other books about Vincent Van Gogh, Wilkie interviewed everyone who was still alive who had ever known van Gogh. In doing this, he discovered that Van Gogh had once been in love with his landlady’s daughter Eugenie. He visited Eugenie’s granddaughter and discovered a heretofore unknown sketch that Van Gogh had made of Eugenie.

If you make one-to-one appointments with your fellow BNI members, you might not discover a Van Gogh sketch, but you will discover things and make connections you couldn’t without those in-person meetings.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Podcast intro recorded by Tony Wolfe.

 

View the entire transcript of this episode

Episode 297: The Value of Your BNI Membership

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Synopsis

Dawn Lyons, co-author with Dr. Misner of the new book Room Full of Referrals, joins him on the podcast today to talk about assessing the value of your BNI Membership.

BNI members get more from their membership besides referrals and business. This assessment tool helps members realize how they have progressed in their businesses since joining BNI. Rate yourself on a scale of 0 (lowest) to 5 (highest) before BNI and now.

Some of the non-monetary benefits of BNI membership:

  • Feeling like you have a team people helping you in your business
  • Being able to speak clearly and confidently about your business
  • Being able to ask specifically for the kind of clients you need.

Leadership teams, take note: a good time to ask members to fill these out is shortly before renewals are due!

BNI Assessment Form Screenshot

Click the image to download the BNI Assessment.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Podcast intro recorded by Tony Wolfe.

View the entire transcript of this episode

Episode 293: The Secrets to Real Influence

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Synopsis

New podcast intro by BNI member Tony Wolfe.

Special guest Mark Goulston joins Dr. Misner on the podcast today to talk about his new book, Real Influence: Persuade without Pushing. Lasting influence

  1. Go for great outcomes
  2. Listen past your blind spots
  3. Engage them in their “there”
  4. When you’ve done enough, do more

If you can do these four things and listen without desire people will remember you for a lifetime.

Find out more at www.getrealinfluence.com.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

View the entire transcript of this episode

Episode 289: Thank You for Closed Business

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Synopsis

This week John Meyer, U.S. National Director of Field Affairs for BNI and Executive Director of BNI Ohio, joins Dr. Misner on the podcast to talk about the Thank You for Closed Business (TYCB) system, which measures the business passed between BNI members.

Why do we report closed business on TYCB slips?

  • We want to thank the people who give us referrals that turn into business and provide recognition.
  • We want to make sure that members pass qualified referrals.
  • We want to maintain accountability within the chapter.

 What is reported on TYCB slips?

This varies by type of business, but in general it’s the gross income to the BNI member as the result of the referral. For more details, click here to download the “Thank You for Closed Business” Explanation PDF.

How is TYCB reported?

You can either fill out a green TYCB slip at a meeting or online through BNI Connect, where you can also track your own closed business. If you are not on BNI Connect, or if the Member Module has not been enabled in your region, talk to your Executive Director.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

View the entire transcript of this episode

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