Leadership

Over the next few weeks, your chapter will be creating a new Leadership Team to take over chapter management at the end of this tenure on April 1, 2013.

Managing a successful BNI chapter takes input and participation from everyone. Although your President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer are the folks at the front of the room, they can’t run everything without your help. In BNI, the management roles are designed so that with a little extra effort for each role, all the roles combine to run a profitable, successful referral chapter.

Which means everyone takes a role – even if it’s a role without title. Like any team, we’re all responsible for our chapter’s success.

Our most successful and profitable chapters have effective Presidents, Vice Presidents and Secretary/Treasurers, it’s true, but additional roles are equally important to a chapter’s success.

Active and visible Visitor Hosts are a crucial role in all chapters. When visitors have a positive experience they do business with BNI members and may even become a member themselves. A fully functioning Membership Committee supports chapter productivity for everyone. There are 4-5 active roles on every Membership Committee and they exist to help you get the greatest Return on Investment from your BNI participation.

A well-prepared Education Coordinator ensures that member’s receive ongoing BNI referral education which increases referral value. Our Event Coordinator ensures we have fun together making for stronger relationships. Our chapter Mentors help our new, and experienced, members get the most, and more, from their BNI membership.

Please take a few minutes to think about which leadership/management role you would like to take for 2013; especially if you haven’t yet had the opportunity to take an official role.

A successful team takes all of us.

Get Free from the Feast or Famine Cycle

How to find time to network when you are busy.
From BNI SuccessNet, by Richard White – BNI Cathedral chapter, Guildford UK

It was a Catch 22 of sorts: I would network like crazy when I needed more work; then when things picked up and client work started to flow the very thing that brought in the work—networking—I would cut back on.

The trouble with networking like this is you end up getting caught in the “feast or famine cycle” – I bet you know what I am talking about! One minute you are maxed out and dreaming of having more time to yourself, and the next minute you are wishing you were really busy again.

Riding this rollercoaster a few times, I finally realized I could not afford to stop networking during busy times. I began to look for ways to ensure that the sales leads would keep coming in during those busy times. Here are five strategies I now use to network, even if I am ridiculously busy with client work.

Click here for Richard’s advice.

Richard White is a sales consultant and trainer. He specializes in helping IT consultants win more sales through effective networking. Richard is the author of ‘The Accidental Salesman Networking Survival Guide’ and is a highly sought after speaker on the subjects of networking and soft selling.

Get a GRIP on Inviting to your Referral Network

It strikes me that the best way to encourage inviting to your chapter meeting is to make it as easy, and simple, as possible. And the best way to accomplish ease and simplicity is to know what you’re going to say when you invite.

Here’s a simple, easy script (I know, I know, you don’t like scripts…trust me this one is goodJ)

It’s based GRIP; which stands for Grow, Referrals, Introduce,  and Place. And the script goes something like this:

Scene: Networking Event. Enter Christel and event attendee.

Christel: So how’s business going for you?

Attendee: Pretty well.

Christel: Are you looking to grow your business this year?

Attendee: Yes!

Christel: Would more referrals help?

Attendee: Yes!

Christel: May I introduce you to a group of business associates who, over time, would like to give you referrals?

Attendee: Yes!

Christel: Terrific, we meet every Friday morning at Gerta’s Pancake House (place) at 7:00 am. Would this Friday work for you…….?

G = Grow

R = Referrals

I = Introduction

P = Place.

It couldn’t be simpler. To see Eric, the inventor of GRIP, share the script, click here. It’s worth a watch.

Why BNI?

Some very interesting stats from an article Dr. Misner wrote for SuccessNet a few months ago. BNI Merseyside in the UK hired an independent firm (Murray Consulting) to conduct a survey on the value of BNI membership.

Here are the results of the 2012 survey.

• The average amount of business gained from BNI referrals in the last 12 months was £23,700 (or $37,055).
• When asked about further orders they had received as the multiplier effect of BNI referrals, BNI members were able to think of, on average, an additional £11,300 (or $17,668) per year of membership.
• Combining closed business in the last 12 months with the average value of 2^nd/ 3^rd generation referrals in a year gives a true value of a BNI seat of £35,000 (or $54,720) per year.
• On average, members who were involved in BNI for 7 years generated £245,000 (or $383,038) since they joined, thereby underpinning the lifetime value of BNI.
• Value to the total membership in the region equaled £16 million or $25 million per year with over £300,000 or $469,000 per week for a single region of 500 members.
• BNI Merseyside created six millionaires.
• Members who attended training saw their business increase 58% compared to those who did not attend training programs.

The dollar values are shown in US dollars, but currently the Canadian and US dollars are virtually par.

“I had no idea how to network”

I’ve heard that comment from a couple of people this week and when I hear it, it always reminds me that effective networking is a business skill.

I sometimes lose sight of this because networking and referral generation are my business, so I assume everyone knows what to do. Not true.

In both cases, the above comment was made by women who had started their businesses within the past 3 years.  They’re both organized, realistic business women, who made a solid plan to start and manage their businesses. They both felt they had to network (mainly because other successful business people said they should), but they had no idea where to begin and how to network.

That’s a huge challenge for all business people – everyone says “Ya gotta network!” but no one says “Here’s how you do it.”

I’m here to help – here’s how you do it.

The first step is to decide what you’d like your networking activities to bring to your business. “New clients” is usually the response I get to this question. Which brings up the first challenge; believe it or not, networking events are not where you will find new clients. (It’s a shocking mythJ.) The good news is that at networking events you will find contacts that will lead you to new clients.

Understanding this helps make networking activities more productive.

Which leads to step 2: what would you like to accomplish with your networking activities?

If your answer is “Make meaningful connections” then you’re on the right track. The best approach, in my experience, is to decide who you’d like to be connected to before you attend the event. Then, at the event, look to connect with those people.

And, this approach works best when you are NOT looking for new clients. BNI Founder, Dr. Ivan Misner tells a story about an event where he was the keynote speaker. The audience was about 500 people. He asked the question: “How many of you came here today looking for new business?” Most of the hands went up. Then he asked, “How many of you came here to buy something today?” ZERO hands went up.  That’s a perfect example of the networking conundrum.

So, when you attend a networking event look for people, not clients. People who can help you with something; people you can help with something; and people who would be great connections for your clients. When you attend a networking event with a “How can I help you?” attitude, everyone wants to be connected to you.

And those people know the people who want to be your next, best, new clients.

Give it a try at the next networking event you attend.

Networking is “Worth It”

I’ve decided to attend a pretty large networking event next week.  I use the words, “I’ve decided” because I don’t do this very often, anymore.

When I first went into business, upteem years ago, I attended a lot of general business networking events – chamber mixers, business women’s dinners and luncheons. This was before I got into the referral marketing business. I would attend the event, meet some nice people, and collect 30ish business cards. Once back at my office, I’d start to feel anxious as I put the stack of business cards on my desk. How do I follow up? What do I say? I don’t have time to figure out what to do with these business cards….

So, I’d leave them. I might connect with a couple of folks who I met, but for the most part the stack would sit on my desk – for months. Causing me stress every time I looked at them.  Finally, I’d throw them out with a pang of “what if?”

That’s one of the reasons I stopped attending the big events. I didn’t know how to manage them. I found I was more successful and comfortable with smaller business groups, like BNI, where I could get to know people. I also took a few Referral Institute courses (now I’m a trainer) which taught me how to manage large business networking events.

The prevailing myth out “there” is that business people attend networking events to get business. It’s just not true. And when we believe this it sets us up for disappointment and instills the feeling that networking’s not “worth it”.

Networking is always “worth it” once you decide what “it” is.

While we won’t get “business” at a networking event; what we will get is people. And that’s why I’m going. I’m missing a few key business contacts for my network and I’d like to meet people who might be potentials to fill the gaps.

Before attending, I’ve decided on the businesses I’d like in my network – in this case it’s interior designers, interior decorators and professional organizers. That’s who I’ll be looking to meet. I’ll do this by asking the people I chat with if they are in that business. If they’re not, I’ll ask them who they know and if that person happens to be at the event. If the person’s at the event, I’ll ask for an introduction. If the person isn’t at the event, I’ll see if I can arrange an introduction through the person I’ve met.

Before attending the event I’ll also:

·         Decide how much time to spend at the event (usually an hour)

·         Decide how many people I’ll meet (usually 5)

After the event:

·         I’ll follow up with the 5 people I’ve met, and arrange a meeting to get to know them better and see if there’s a fit for my network.

I’ve been applying this approach for the past 10 years and it works beautifully for me. No more stack of stress-causing business cards and I’ve met some of the best people who have become great assets to my network.

Get a GRIP on Inviting

The best way to encourage inviting to your chapter meeting is to make it as easy, and simple, as possible. And the best way to accomplish ease and simplicity is to know what you’re going to say when you invite. Here’s a simple, easy script.

It’s based GRIP; which stands for Grow, Referrals, Introduce,  and Place. And the script goes something like this:

Scene: Networking Event. Enter you and event attendee.
You: So how’s business going for you?

Attendee: Pretty well.

You: Are you looking to grow your business this year?

Attendee: Yes!

You: Would more referrals help?

Attendee: Yes!

You: May I introduce you to a group of business associates who, over time, would like to give you referrals?

Attendee: Yes!

You: Terrific, we meet every Friday morning at Gerta’s Pancake House (place) at 7:00 am. Would this Friday work for you…….?
Grow, referrals, introduction and place. It couldn’t be simpler. Here's Eric, the inventor of GRIP.

BNI Powers Networking Extravaganza

Once again, back by popular demand (drum roll, please) it’s the BNI Power(s) Networking Extravaganza!

Here’s what they said about last year’s event:

“Terrific networking event. And,  I got business!!”

“This is a great chance to connect with members across the region. This event in invaluable.”

“I got to meet with other people in the same business as me and they generously shared some referral techniques that have been really successful or them. This event is Givers Gain in action!”

At the BNI Power(s) Networking Extravaganza we recognize the best of the best in the region – Gold Club Sponsors, longest serving members and….The Chapter of the Year!

When is it: Monday July 9, 2012

What time: 6:45 am – 9:00 am

Where: Oakville Conference Centre, 2515 Wyecroft Road, (QEW and Bronte)

Register for this event through your chapter Secretary/Treasurer so that he/she can register your chapter as a group. Don’t miss this extraordinary networking event!!!

If you don't yet belong to a BNI chapter, please visit the one closest to you and they can register you as a guest.

Hope I see you there!

The Four Pillars of a Successful BNI Group

Tim Paulin BNI Executive Director from BNI Louisiana Mississippi joins Dr. Misner on the BNI Podcast to discuss the four pillars of a successful BNI group:

1. Many (4-7) visitors or guests at each meeting. Not all of them have to qualify to join: bring people who can do business with members.
2. A well-run professional meeting. Pay special attention to the hidden elements. (See Episode 9 and Episode 16 for more about these.)
3. Follow-up post meeting. The leadership team needs to follow up with visitors and guests, and members need to follow up about the business they’ve passed.
4. Accountability for the chapter members. One of the most important parts of accountability is attendance, and it’s up to the membership committee to maintain this.

If you can do these four things well, you’ll have a successful chapter.

Unsolicited Advice Is Rarely Appreciated

Here’s an excerpt from Dr. Misner’s podcast that I think is terrific. As BNI members we can all apply this advice.

Every contact you have with someone is a chance to either construct or de-construct a relationship. Be sparing about the way you criticize people, especially if you don’t know them well. Before you either press the “Send” button or open your mouth to criticize, ask yourself

1. Is your criticism unsolicited? Unsolicited advice, especially from people you don’t know, is rarely appreciated.
2. Do you know the person to whom you’re sending the criticism? If not, why are you really sending it?
3. Is it your intention to give constructive suggestions, or just to vent? If it’s to vent, tell a friend who loves you instead.
4. Does this communication help construct a relationship? Remember what your mother said: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

More than £111,000 in Business in 4 Years

This is a story I read in BNI SuccessNet and I think that it succinctly describes the value of BNI.

Submitted by Alan Johnson (SuccessNet April 1, 2012)

I applied to join BNI at my very first meeting in November 2007 thinking, Why on earth didn’t I know about this earlier?
By Christmas, with not a single decent referral and not a penny invoiced, my mind was now racing: What have I done?
But luckily the relative peace and quiet between Christmas and New Years gave me some time to listen to the CD, read the manual and the book. In one of those eureka moments, I realized I had the whole concept wrong.

The people in the room weren't potential customers; they were my potential sales force. It seems so obvious now.

So I changed tack, rewrote my 60-seconds, and resolved to "train" these sales people in how to sell Teknicare; 1-to-1s frantically followed.

The results?

I've never looked back. January saw BNI related sales of £1,778 and February £10,208. In 2008 I made £27,832, in 2009 £23,571, in 2010 £25,250. And last year, (with all the doom and gloom, I hardly expected to do well) I made £34,949. This year is already looking good with over £3,000 invoiced.

Loving numbers as I do here are some more for you:
Total Invoices 303. Average Invoice Value £368.32. Number of weeks attended 208. Invoice value per week £518.53 (after costs).

So every Thursday morning I'm sitting in my van driving to meet a great bunch of friends and getting paid over £500 for the privilege.

Monetary benefit after four years: £111,603; personal benefit after four years: priceless.

 

25+ Equals $31,000 (a year… for you)

At BNI Leadership Team training in March, we shared the recent BNI stats indicating that a chapter with an overall average of 20 or fewer members exchanged a referral value of $9,500 per member per year.  A chapter with an overall average of 25 or more members exchanged a referral value of $31,000 per member per year.

That’s a huge difference.

Our mission is to have all chapters in the Golden Horseshoe Region exceed 25 referral partners because chapters with more than 25 members make more money for their members and have a higher retention rate which means the business model is sustainable long term.

To work toward this mission we shared the BNI Traffic Lights Agendas at Leadership Team training. We defined each chapter based upon the phase it is currently in and we distributed a customized Traffic Lights Agenda representing each phase.

The BNI Agenda has not changed, but the areas of weekly emphasis have. We have done this to better support every chapter in achieving their next phase. Over the next few weeks your Leadership Team will be presenting the agenda at your weekly meeting; because in BNI GH our goal is more referrals for you.

Would you like more details?

We Are Women - Watch Us Soar

Soar with us on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 when the Halton Region Small Business Centre is hosting an event for women entrepreneurs.

I’m delighted to be speaking at this event in celebration of International Women’s Day. The event is being hosted by Halton Region Small Business Centre in partnership with the Provincial Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation.

This event is designed for Women Entrepreneurs to learn, connect and soar!

The keynote speaker is restaurateur, Julia Hanna. Julia will share her lifelong philosophy regarding her friends, family and business practices.

Then my very good friend and marketing mastermind, Wendy Marlow of The Art of Marketing Inc. will present, “The One-thing, One-time System that will Save Your Sanity”.

After Wendy presents, I’m looking forward to sharing how to “Network Like a Pro”.

And there’s more: a panel of experts offering best advice for you and networking opportunities galore! To register for this event, click here.

This event is being offered for women entrepreneurs by women entrepreneurs. Don’t miss out.

And Here They Are…..

The Presenters for BNI Business Showcase 2012 

Not only does this event provide phenomenal networking opportunities, but a number of businesspeople are offering breakout sessions. I’ve listed the sessions below.

Remember, it’s all at no cost to you. The retail value for information like this? About $2,000.00. Give yourself the gift of attending.

The Presenters

2:45  & 5:45 pm          BNI – It’s for YOU! Presented by BNI Golden Horseshoe New Chapter Development Team: Marc Lachance and Fred Leblanc

BNI is the largest referral marketing organization in the world. More than 160,000 business people participate in BNI chapters in 48 countries and, last year, those members generated in excess of $3.1 billion in business for each other.

BNI’s success of is due in part to the fact that only one person per business profession can join a chapter. This approach creates a culture of collaboration, but it also means that some popular categories never have vacancies. Rather than turn away interested, motivated business people we offer to work with them to create their own BNI referral network.

If you’d like to learn about the BNI process, this session is for you.

2:45 pm     Who gives Away MONEY?  YOU DO!!! Presented by Judi Johnstone, First Vancouver Finance

If you are extending credit to your customers, you are willing to lower your profitability to attract or keep good customers.

If you are not paying attention to what credit does to your bottom line, you are missing out on important profitability.

Come out to “LEARN AND EARN."

3:45 & 4:45 pm     Business Networking AND SEX (not what you think)  Presented by Paula Hope, Referral Institute Peel-Halton

Takeaways from Dr. Ivan Misner’s new book on networking and sex. See the research! 12,000 business professionals (many of whom are BNI members) weigh in on the opposite sex.

Learn the secrets to accurately reading between the gender lines, and uncover a new edge for your business-the power to effectively talk business and successfully network with the opposite sex. You can take your new strategies to the BNI Business Showcase!

Dr. Ivan Misner’s latest (and most provocative) book is co-authored with Frank J. De Raffele Jr. and Hazel Walker, guest speaker at the Referral Institute’s 1^st Referrals for Life Day in 2008.

3:45 pm     Your Sales Materials on a Tablet. Presented by Renee Khan, RBK Artworks  

One of only a few GTA graphic designers trained in interactive tablet design, Renee specializes in print, interactive and exhibit graphic design.

Come hear Renee speak about the emerging trend of portfolios, catalogues and event publications designed to engage an audience and support business sales efforts using tablets. Click and change pictures, imbedded videos and audio clips, 360 degree product rotations and more are now available to companies looking to move their sales ahead of their competitors with this surprisingly affordable yet engaging option to print.

4:45 pm     Profit Building Boot Camp – Bulk up your profits in 30 minutes. Presented by Dan Holstein, Business Coach with ActionCOACH 

Attend this fast paced, action packed session and learn the 5 killer strategies you need to get your business off the couch and beach ready - NOW.

The 5 ways to increase your profits by 61% (that’s not a typo) that only successful entrepreneurs know, including:

ü  How to increase qualified leads coming to you

ü  How to dramatically increase your sales conversion rate

ü  Proven methods to ensure customers come back to buy from your more often – that work in ANY business

ü  Strategies to ensure your customers happily spend more with you every time they visit

ü  Methods to improve your margins that you can implement immediately.

Attend my Profit Building Boot Camp. What have you got to lose besides the flab off your bottom (line)?!

Throughout the day

Do you have a computer housing dust bunnies?  Do you store old cell phones and chargers in your drawers?  Does your home or office have an IT graveyard?  Well, it may be time to get some professional help.   

Niagara Ewaste will be hosting a unique opportunity to recycle items from your business or home.  All you have to do is bring your broken electronics February 9th 2012, and Niagara Ewaste will take care of the rest.  We are a pound member of the OES (Ontario Electronics Stewardship)  which ensures your stuff won't be shipped to countries without proper infrastructure.  So have a look around, we know it's there: printers, old satellite receivers, laptops, DVD players, pretty much anything with a plug!

For more information visit www.niagaraewaste.com..

Sixty-plus businesses from across the Golden Horseshoe Region will exhibit at Glen Abby Golf Course in Oakville on February 9th. It starts at 2:00 pm and goes ‘til 7:00 pm. If you want to go, register yourself (and your guests) at www.bnigh.com.

What Makes the BNI Business Showcase Different?

In the Fall of 2010, BNI corporate member and Assistant Director, Judi Johnstone thought there are so many interesting businesses in BNI, wouldn’t it be fascinating to put them all together under one roof to showcase themselves, their businesses and BNI. Not only that, but encourage them to invite all their contacts to attend the event.

That’s how the BNI Business Showcase was born.

The BNI corporate philosophy is Givers Gain. BNI members believe in the concept of “what goes around comes around”. By giving business to others, they’ll get business in return. Since BNI members across the Golden Horseshoe gave each other $10.2 million in closed business last year, it’s sure working.

When we share the people we know with each other – the potential for opportunity is unlimited. You never know who someone knows and we’re all just a couple of introductions away from our next extraordinary opportunity.

It’s why this Showcase a one of a kind networking event. The hosts believe in Givers Gain, so their approach will be connecting people who can help each other. Which means for guests; you could be introduced to your next extraordinary opportunity.

Don't miss it.

The Line Up for the 2012 BNI Business Showcase

We’re sold out again this year!
More than 60 exhibitors will be on hand at the 2^nd BNI Business Showcase.  The best connected business people from Oakville, Mississauga, Burlington, Milton, Brampton and Hamilton are displaying their businesses from 2:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday February 9^th.

The location is the beautiful Glen Abbey Golf Club on Dorval Dr. north of the QEW in Oakville.

In addition to the business showcase displays there are also a “Friends of BNI” exhibiting. Our friends include Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the Mississauga Board of Trade and CogecoTV. This is especially exciting for me, as the Showcase is part of International Networking Week, and International Networking Week was created as a forum for all business networks to come together. We are delighted that they are.

Plus, we have a number of exhibitors who are hosting breakouts sessions as well. The value provided in this event is truly unbelievable.

Here are some of our presenters and their presentation times:

2:45 pm

  1.      BNI – It’s for YOU! Presented by BNI Golden Horseshoe New Chapter Development Team:    Marc Lachance and Fred Leblanc

  2.      Who gives Away MONEY?  YOU DO!!! Presented by Judi Johnstone, First Vancouver Finance

 3:45 pm

  1.      Business Networking and SEX (not what you think). Presented by Paula Hope, Referral Institute Peel-Halton

  2.      Your Sales Materials on a Tablet. Presented by Renee Khan, RBK Artworks  

 4:45 pm         

  1.      Business Networking and SEX (not what you think). Presented by Paula Hope, Referral Institute Peel-Halton

5:45 pm

  1.      BNI – It’s for YOU! Presented by BNI Golden Horseshoe New Chapter Development Team: Marc Lachance and Fred Leblanc

If you are interested in making significant contacts for your business in 2012, don’t miss this event. All the best networkers will be here.

Register here.

The Best $0 You'll Spend on a Networking Event this Year

Last year I promoted a very unique networking event - the BNI Business Showcase. This year it's happening again on Thursday February 9th at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville. What's terrific is that this year the event in being held during International Networking Week.

Let me let me describe how unique this event is. Yes, it is a trade show, but it’s so much more. Because BNI members are networkers by nature, last year’s exhibitors reported that the attendees spent more time interacting with the exhibitors. On average, attendees (and there were 400 hundred) spent an hour at the Showcase! It’s a trade show, but it’s also a really effective networking opportunity. In addition, we offered (and are offering again) breakout sessions – so we provide an educational element too.

In the essence of total transparency, I confess that I am an Executive Director with BNI. But this wasn’t my idea. It was the idea of a corporate BNI member named Judi Johnstone. Judi’s thought was - there are so many interesting businesses in BNI, wouldn’t it be fascinating to put them all together under one roof to showcase themselves, their businesses and BNI. Not only that, but encourage them to invite all their contacts to attend the event.

And Judi was right.

The BNI corporate philosophy is Givers Gain. BNI members believe in the concept of “what goes around comes around”. By giving business to others, they’ll get business in return. Since BNI members across Canada have given each other $100M in closed business last year, it seems to be working.

When we share the people we know with each other – the potential for opportunity is unlimited. You never know who someone knows and we’re all just a couple of introductions away from our next extraordinary opportunity.

Here’s what I think is going to make this Showcase a one of a kind networking event. The hosts believe in Givers Gain, so their approach will be connecting people who can help each other. Which means for guests; you could be introduced to your next extraordinary opportunity.

The price for you to attend and mix and mingle with some of the most well-connected businesses in the Golden Horseshoe?

It’s free.

You can register for this event www.bnigh.com.

Don't miss it.