VCP - The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 181: “Turn the 80/20 Rule Upside Down”

November 17th, 2010

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Synopsis

Jim Butcher from Capital Trust Realty, “retired” president of the East Texas and Houston East region of BNI, joins Dr. Misner to talk about how his chapter used Fast Track to ensure that every single member brings 3-4 referral every week. That’s more than 300 referrals per month, up from 100-150 before the program.

The Pareto Principle says that 20% of the people yield 80% of the results. Chapters that find themselves in this position are usually operating at the Visibility level of the VCP process. Once you get to Credibility, you can get 80% of the members bringing results.

One technique they applied is to focus their 60-second commercials on asking for referrals, and even asking for introductions to specific people.

Sign your chapter up for the Fast Track program at www.bninetworkingsecrets.com. Make sure to contact Flynn or Sara to arrange for additional coaching.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Episode 179: “The Networking Disconnect”

November 3rd, 2010

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Synopsis

More than half the people at a 500-person networking event raised their hands when asked if they had come hoping to sell something, but not one had come hoping to buy something. This is the Networking Disconnect.

You don’t go to networking events to make sales. You go to develop relationships. To develop visibility and credibility. To teach people how to refer you. BNI’s VCP process is chronological. You have to start with Visibility and work your way through Credibility to Profitability.

If you meet a person at a conference rather than a regular networking meeting, make an appointment to follow up. Try connecting on an online network to maintain visibility and develop credibility.

Read Dr. Misner’s complete article on this subject at Entrepreneur.com.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Networking
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Discussion: 2 Comments

Episode 163: “Dos and Don’ts of Social Networking”

July 14th, 2010

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Synopsis

Dr. Misner is recording this podcast early because he’s going on Safari in Africa this week.

Here are some suggestions on how to use social media effectively.

If you have a social media expert in your chapter, talk to them.
Schedule your time with social media and make it part of a strategy.
Find the right social media for you. Facebook is not the only network.
Respond to comments. Retweet. Social media is a dialog.
Use non-productive time (when you don’t usually work) for online networking.
Use tools like Ping.fm, HootSuite, and Seesmic to save time.
Remember that V/C/P still applies. Building relationships on social media takes time.

Here are five common mistakes businesses make on social media:

Spending too much time on sites you enjoy without evaluating their value to you.
Visiting a site for work and getting distracted by interesting posts.
Not recognizing when it’s time to delegate certain social media responsibilities.
Not providing consistent fresh content on your blog.
Forgetting that social media is about engaging in a conversation, not about selling.

Brought to you by Ask Ivan Misner.

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Published In: Online Networking
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Discussion: 4 Comments

Episode 150: “Relationships Are Currency”

April 14th, 2010

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Synopsis

It’s not the number of contacts you make that’s important, but the ones that you turn into lasting relationships. You’ll always get better results trying to deepen relationships with people you already know than starting relationships with strangers.

Here are some tips for creating closer connections:

Give your clients a call. Find out how things went with the project. Ask if there’s anything you can do to help. Don’t ask for a referral at this time.
Make personal calls to all the people who’ve helped you or referred business to you. Find ways to help them.
Put together a “hit list” of 50 people you’d like to stay in touch with. Send them a card on the next holiday, then follow up with a phone call 2 weeks later. Then you can ask for a referral.

If you’re having trouble making calls, start with the people you’re at “Profitability” with in the VCP scale.

Dr. Misner recommends reading Stephen M. R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust for more on this topic.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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