Friday 29 February 2008

No 10-minute!

4/3/08

I can never really understand why this ever happens, or at least why anyone other than the Leadership Team knows the 10-minute speaker is missing for some reason.

The first thing the Leadership Team should know is who is the 10-minute speaker at that days meeting and as soon as that member arrives check that all is okay. If for some reason the member doesn’t show, then the Chapter Director should always have a ‘Chapter 10-minute’ ready and announce it as if that was how it was always going to be. Not ‘Oh. Fred hasn’t turned up this morning, don’t know where he is, so I’ll fill in with something ..’ What does that look like?

What is a ‘Chapter 10-minute’? Well, it could be a short Power 1-2-1 session, or a session on Power Groups, or a session on the four workshops. Just something prepared and sitting in the chapter box waiting for the day that an emergency happens.

But what happens more often with a 10-minute is no Bio or Door-Prize or in fact both and this is so easy to avoid.

What I found worked well, when I was treasurer, was this. The day after the meeting I would email the next speaker reminding them that it was their 10-minute the following week, enclosing a Bio sheet, asking for its return and reminding them to bring a wrapped door-prize.

Then the day before the meeting I would send them another email. This time asking if all was okay for the meeting the next day, saying thank you for their Bio (or not as the case may be) and finishing with something like, ‘Looking forward to seeing what your door-prize is’.

By doing it this way, any problems came to light then, not the next morning, so a stand-in speaker could be found if needed, a Bio quickly written and a forgotten door-prize found.

How much better than no speaker, a forgotten Bio, or no door-prize.
We have a Sightpath Business Catalyst in one of my chapters and his memory hook is ‘Success comes to those who plan for it’ and in this case the planning is so simple!

Wednesday 27 February 2008

The Winning Team

27/2/08

For the past two years BNI teams have taken part in the NBFA 5k Charity Fun run held in Bushy Park (Teddington), near Hampton Court, during June.

The NBFA (National Benevolent Fund for the Aged) was founded to improve the quality of life for older people in the UK who live on a low income. This they do by providing direct, practical assistance through the provision of emergency alarms, TENS pain relief machines and the organisation of free holidays.

By taking part, BNI teams not only help to raise thousands of pounds for this wonderful charity, but also have lots of fun and some very competitive racing! Any number of runners (or walkers) can be in a team – so a whole chapter can take part – with only the first four home, from each team, scoring points. The BNI team with the best (lowest) score wins the trophy!

Last year's winning team was Business Class from Twickenham (photo below).




The best thing about this event is that everyone can take part: both young and not so young. The youngest runner last year was just eight and the eldest sixty-two, and also the fast and those just a little slower! The fastest runner last year finished in just over eighteen minutes and those that walked the route took just under fifty minutes.

And the best part? After the race you can picnic in the beautiful park with the family, take a walk along the river and watch the swans, visit Hampton Court Palace or just flop into one of the local pubs!

If you would like to enter a team in this year’s event and try to beat the team from Business Class – on Sunday 8th June – just ask your Regional Director to get you some entry forms or contact BNI Head Office.

Monday 25 February 2008

Hate the thought of doing your 10 minute?

2/3/08

Many new members, and for that matter, some long standing members, hate the idea of having to do their 10 minute. In fact, some positively avoid it. And, having been one of those, I have to say I completely understand the feeling.

But time has changed that. Partly by attending the workshops, (although these really improve your presentation, rather than actually getting you to do a 10 minute in the first place), partly by watching other members do theirs, partly by the improvements made when doing my 60 seconds and becoming more comfortable, but mainly by discovering a plan and having a great idea.

The plan is all about preparation and keeping things simple, about not making things complicated and trying to cram everything you know into 10 minutes. Ensure the timing is right and practise until you feel happy with the way it sounds. Run your 10 minute in private: it’s surprising how different things are when said out loud rather than just read. Practise your presentation in front of a friend if you can and ask for feedback – I hadn’t realised that I danced backward and forward constantly and touched my nose a lot until a very good friend told me.

However, the thing that I have suggested to most people who have hated the idea of ten minutes when they are the centre of attention, is to have a great idea. Something that will make them forget their nerves and make them feel totally at home.

One great example of this was a decorator. Now let’s be honest, not many decorators get up in front of a room full of people and tell them about their businesses – but that’s what we do in BNI. So I suggested that they wallpaper a wall! Well not a wall exactly, but a sheet of board. When it came to the day, they were tense; the first minute of their presentation was nervy, but once they picked up their paste brush they were in their element! It was a brilliant 10 minute and everyone saw at first hand how good they were at their job.

So, as they say, think outside of the box, for a great and fun 10 minute.

When a few words say it all!

26/2/08

About a year ago a member in my chapter got up to do his 60 seconds, placed his hands on the table in front of him and just looked about. After a few seconds the rest of the members started to look at each other and shrug, after another ten seconds there were a few nervous laughs and yet the member still stood there, from time to time turning their head from side to side. It was almost half way through the minute before the member spoke and then all he said was, ‘Can’t hear a thing, can you ? Just listen’. Now we all listened and sure enough you couldn’t hear a thing and then the member spoke again, this time saying, ‘That’s because this room is double-glazed. So if you know someone that is fed up with hearing all the noise outside their home then get them to contact ….’

Recently, another member bet me that she would get a standing ovation at our next meeting. In the five years that I have been a member no one else had, so I didn’t see how a new member was going to achieve this at her second meeting. At the next meeting she asked everyone to stand, she then moved to the front of the group and said that she was going to show us a simple warm-up routine. This involved us putting our hands above our heads and slowly moving our arms backward and forward. This we did for a few moments and then she said, ‘.. a bit faster, that’s it, now a bit faster ..’ and guess what? She got her standing ovation!

And then last week I called on a member to do their 60 seconds. He nodded back to me and just sat there reading his paper. After a while he glanced at his watch but carried on reading. This group had all heard the double-glazing story so we all sat and waited, but thirty seconds passed and this member just carried on reading, in complete silence. At forty-five seconds we just didn’t know what to expect. Then at fifty seconds he glanced at his watch again, folded his paper, looked up and said, ‘Don’t waste your time, speak to RBS instead!’ That was it, but he received rapturous applause. And what amazing nerve that took.

The one thing that these 60 seconds have in common is that they will be remembered. Hardly a week goes by without me telling someone the double-glazing story. And on one of those occasions it resulted in £4,500 worth of work for the member and, because I keep talking about these 60-seconds, they keep on working for the members concerned.

So next time you do your 60 seconds why not dare to be different and do something that your fellow members will still be talking about in years to come?

Sunday 24 February 2008

Trouble getting to training?

24/2/08

The statistics show that the most successful chapters have a higher level of attendance at the BNI workshops, and yet it can still be difficult to motivate some members to attend.

The reasons seem to be many and varied, ranging from; 'I'm too busy', 'The workshops are too far away', 'The time is difficult to make', 'I've been before' (two years ago), 'I get better training at work', to 'Why would I want to learn BNI stuff?' and just plain apathy.

Frankly, most of the reasons are just excuses, since if you really want to do something you make the time. 'I've been before', well, in my book that doesn't stand up either, as taken to its logical conclusion why would you ever do anything more than once? I've been to most of the BNI workshops at least once (Member Success three or four times) and each time I go there is something new I pick up. Sometimes it's just a sentence that makes it worth while and of course each time I go there are new members to network with.

'I get better training at work' – when I heard that one, I nearly .......... well let's just say I wasn't amused! I could write for the next hour what I think about that remark but all I will say is that I would be surprised. I don't care what company you work for, BNI have some of the best trainers around and I will except that you don't get Dr. Ivan Misner every workshop or for that matter Andy Bounds, author of the best selling book the Jelly Effect, but you do get part of an excellent team. And even if you do believe that your training is better, how about going along because you are part of a team?

And, 'Why would I want to learn that BNI stuff, it's just for BNI, right?' No, no it isn't! Presentation Skills, one of the BNI workshops, not worth it?! Are you really trying to tell me you only present yourself at BNI? What about at your next business meeting, when you are asked to give a speech at your best mate's wedding, or like me when for the first time I stood up in front of forty actors and told them how I was going to produce their show. Presentation skills are for every aspect of your life, not just at BNI. The same is true of the other workshops. So please attend them all. Not only will your chapter benefit, but so will you.

Apathy – this is a hard one to fight and many suggestions have been made to overcome it. Some chapters just announce the workshops, others send round a list for members to tick the workshops they want to attend, some groups give each member a training schedule and ask them to mark off workshops and hand the schedule back, I know of a chapter that tried booking every member on to a workshop and then told the members to cancel if they couldn't go – I'm not sure myself that that's a great idea, as for BNI to get a block booking and then have people slowly cancel must be a real pain.

However, an idea that I heard about this week and one that is working to good effect, is where the Membership Co-ordinator just rings each member up and asks them if they want to attend the next workshop - yes or no and then books them in. It's that simple and is having incredible results.

So if your chapter could benefit from some more training, why not try just picking up the phone?

Thursday 21 February 2008

Givers Gain!

21/2/08

We have a great photographer in one of my chapters, but not only is he good behind his lens he is also wonderful in the chapter.

He rarely misses a meeting, is always one of the first members to arrive in the morning and always offers to help out.

When he had only been a member a few weeks I suggested that he bring his camera and take a few pictures for our web site. The following week he arrived with his camera. A while later I cheekily asked if I could borrow one of his cameras (I do have a City and Guilds in Photography) to take some freebie shots for someone and he offered to take them for me – free of charge.

When I was looking for a photographer to take the photos at a charity 5k run I was organising, he offered to help without any hesitation, whereas another photographer (now an ex-member) turned down the opportunity.

More recently, he made a video for the chapter which he has since put on You Tube and then just last week he did one of the best 10 minutes I have ever seen. He set up a studio, took some photos as he explained how he ran a function and ended up by giving every member a framed print of the group (a picture he had taken a few moments earlier).

Last week I was able to give my first real photography referral. There was only ever going to be one person I would give it to since he has given so much to me and the chapter and I have to say it felt really good to be able to give a referral that I had made a special effort to find.

Sunday 17 February 2008

Miss three meetings and you are out!

17/2/08

I’ve heard this often when talking to people about why they wouldn’t join BNI (in fact even members worry about it) and again I can’t understand where these ideas come from.

In all the time that I have been in BNI I don’t remember anyone being asked to leave our chapter for being absent three times, more than three yes, but certainly not just three.

The whole belief structure of BNI is about helping its members to get the most from their membership and if, for some reason, members don’t achieve this, then it is up to the Leadership Team, the Membership Committee and the chapter’s Regional Director to help.

When a member is absent the first thing that happens is that someone from the chapter will call to see if all is ok. If the member is absent again, they will again be called but also receive a letter reminding them of the BNI policy regarding being absent. If absent again, obviously a stronger letter is sent.

So my question is: what is wrong with that? If a member is offered help every time they are absent and then they are again absent, what is that member saying about the offer of help? I would suggest that they don’t care.

But the more important thing is this! I can tell you that a good member never gets to the stage of being asked to leave. Why? Well, first they will always find a substitute and yes, I know emergencies happen, but honestly how many on the actual day of your chapter meeting in a six-month period? And you can always get a substitute if you really want to – we had a member once who had to suddenly fly home to Japan. Do you think he didn’t have a substitute for the next meeting? Of course not. He arranged one by email. We have another great member who unexpectedly had a site meeting the following morning (his BNI day), which he found out about at six in the evening. He made a quick phone call and his fellow members found him a substitute.

And just recently, a member had a major problem at home during the night, but they still had the thought to send a quick text saying sorry that they would miss the meeting. What do you think happened? Because they were a brilliant member and we had a number of visitors at our meeting that morning we asked one of them to substitute for them.

So, you see if you are a good member you would never get to your third absence! And even if you did, the Chapter's Leadership Team and Membership Committee would know that it really must have been out of your control and would, therefore, take that into consideration.

I’ve been in BNI for five years now and the absence rule has never worried me, nor do I think it should worry you.

For your information here is our actual rule.

Rule. 5

Attendance is critical to the group. If a member cannot attend, they may send a substitute (not a member of their own Chapter) to the meeting. This will not count as an absence. A member is allowed three absences in any six month period. More than this and the member is subject to removal by the Chapter's Leadership Team or Membership Committee.

Thursday 14 February 2008

Lost for ever!

15/2/08

You get a referral and for some reason you don’t follow up on it.

It may be that you are just too busy, it’s not really your type of work, it’s only a small job and you don’t really want it, you lose the details, any one of a hundred reasons. But whatever you do, whatever it takes, you must follow up on every referral that you are given!

If you are too busy, let the person know. If it’s not really your type of work or too small a job, let them know – maybe you could even recommend someone else. If you lose the details call the Membership Co-ordinator and ask for them. Call the MC rather than the member who gave you the referral, as by calling the member and telling them that you lost the referral they gave (that they may have worked hard for), you are showing them that you didn’t really value their referral.

But why should we do this? Well, there are two really important reasons – one impacts on the Giver and the other on the Receiver.

The way it affects the Receiver is easy. If that person gains a reputation as a person who doesn’t follow up on referrals, what do you think will happen? The referrals stop coming!

But how it affects the Giver is almost undetectable but can have an unbelievable effect on the whole chapter – not just one person. And this I learnt the hard way!

I gave a referral to my next door neighbour and didn’t follow it up. Three weeks later I bumped into them and asked how they had got on, only to find out that they had not even been contacted. Embarrassed, I got on to the member concerned and asked what had happened – they had been too busy. Anyway, they promised to call immediately. I checked with my neighbour the next day and sure enough the member concerned had rung, apologised and made an appointment.

But they failed to turn up!

A few months later my neighbour was having some more work done and I recommended someone else from my chapter, their reply ‘… what like that last one?!’ Since then my neighbour has had the following jobs done: new bathroom, garden cleared, house decorated, plans for an extension drawn, building work, loan and who knows what else. All lost because a referral was not followed up and now my recommendations cannot be trusted!

So please, whatever it takes, follow up on every single referral that you are ever given.

That Referral Yellow copy

14/2/08

Have you ever wondered why you get to keep the yellow copy of the Referral set?

I expect that at your Member Success training you were told that it was so that you could keep track of your referrals and, like a great deal of the information you were given that evening, the importance of it was lost on you.

Well, if like a great many members you just tuck it away somewhere and never look at it again, I want you from today to consider its real value.

If you ask the Membership Co-ordinator, they can tell you (from the PALMS report) how many referrals you have given in, say, the last month, last six months, in fact ever since you became a member. But, at least without a great deal of effort, that’s about it.

However, if you make a record of those yellow slips you can see who you are giving referrals to and who you aren’t. You can see how many referrals you are giving to each member and how often.

But the most crucial thing you can do in my mind is to use the yellow copy to follow up on every referral you give! And the best way that I have found to do this is by sending a quick email to the person I given the referral to (two of three days later) saying something like ‘.. I was just wondering how you got on with my referral...' Then, if for some reason, your referral has been overlooked the person is straight on the phone and putting it right.

The result: your contact gets a better service, the person you gave the referral to increases their chance of winning the business and you get to give more referrals.

I’ll explain that last comment next time.

Monday 11 February 2008

Show me the Money!

11/2/08

There are many reasons for joining BNI, but top of the list has to be more business. That’s how you really know when things are working, when that cheque hits your bank account.

So it surprises me that so many members seem reluctant to use the ‘Show me the Money’ box. Maybe it’s the name, as I think ‘Thank you for the Business’ would be better, or maybe it’s just that people don’t really know what it is for.

A member said to me last week that when the box first came round he thought it was some kind of collection box and you had to put money in it – like an extra collection at church. Again I suppose this has to be down to bad explanation or understanding. Either way it’s a loss for the chapter.

The box really needs to be used to the maximum, as it’s not only like a testimonial to BNI, but more important proof of how well your chapter is working for everyone. Not only is it a visible way of saying ‘thank you’ for referrals, but it also puts a value on the business being done in your group. Imagine if the Membership Co-ordinator opens the box at the end of the month and announces that there are thank yous in the box totalling over £50k. What will that say to you? And if there are visitors in the room? Well if it were me, I’d want to join on the spot!


So next time that box is passed to you at breakfast, don’t reach for a £1 in your pocket, take a card and thank a member for that referral they gave you that changed into real business.

Saturday 9 February 2008

Death and Taxes: the only certainties!

10/2/08

Well if you are a BNI member, add another – the Substitute.

Substitutes seen to be a perennial problem amongst the majority of members and I’ve never worked out why, as the moment that you are inducted into your chapter you know that you will some day need a substitute.

I’ve heard members say among other things, ‘The pressure of finding a sub...’, ‘I just don’t know where to find one’, and even, ‘Can’t BNI give us a list?’.

I just can’t understand why! A sub can be anyone: your partner, parent, friend, nieghbour, work-mate, supplier, customer (who better to sing your praises?), golf partner, local shopkeeper.... The list is endless. After all, BNI is a networking organisation, so surely members must know someone!

Then again, what about a visitor as a sub?

But if you still think finding a substitute is hard, how about trying my ‘phone a friend’ system. It’s what I tell all the members I mentor.

New people to your chapter make the best subs, but if that really worries you then this is what I suggest.

Today phone some friends and make a list. You need three groups. Tell them you are in BNI and what we do. Tell them what a sub is and tell them that they get the chance to talk about their business (if they have one) and that they get a free breakfast as well. Then you need to find a couple of people that will sub for you with two weeks' notice, two that will sub for you with a week’s notice and lastly two really good friends that will sub for you at 24 hours notice.

All that pressure gone! When you then need a sub you just pick up the phone and make a call.

One last tip – a last resort. When other subs come to your chapter, collect their cards and put them in the back of your BNI folder. These are people you know will sub and if you really get stuck.... well, it’s better than ABSENT against your name. But even then, please remember that the same sub should not visit your chapter too often.

So next time you need a substitute – make them a great addition to the meeting!

I can’t do that date!

9/2/08

Have you ever been at a meeting when the Treasurer is announcing the next six speakers and it goes something like this?

‘Bob you’re next week, Steve then it’s you on the 15th, James 22nd, Clive 29th …’ ,but Clive cuts in and says he can’t do the 29th. The Treasurer then asks Sally, but she’s away, Jean is on a course and no-one else has their diary with them. So it ends up a mess and ‘Oh well, I'll confirm next week’, says the Treasurer.

Tell me: what does that say to any visitors? And more important, what does it say about the Treasurer? Do they run their business that way? Would I refer to someone that disorganised?

And do you know the really silly thing? With just a little planning the Treasurer can look like the most efficient person on the planet.

How? Email. In fact, any communication before the meeting. If Clive had been asked before the meeting and then Sally and Jean, all the problem dates would have been sorted out and when the next six speakers were read out, they would have already been agreed. The meeting would have run more smoothly, saving time, and the Treasurer would have shown off their management skills.

So easy and so much better for the chapter and Treasurer alike. And the real big benefit? An increase in the chance of a referral for the Treasurer!

Wednesday 6 February 2008

Finding Visitors a Pain!

6/2/08

Some BNI members, and I guess some of you may be the same, think finding visitors to come to their BNI chapter is a pain.

But it doesn't have to be that way!

Why? Because I think that every visitor I bring along to my chapter could become my next client. And how good would it be to meet with a client every week over breakfast and build a really strong relationship with them? How many of your customers are happy to see you every week for a couple of hours? No pressure on either side to make or resist a sale and what’s the chance of you not knowing what they are buying or what they are planning? My company’s bank manager is in my chapter. Do you know how good it is to see your bank manager every week? The bank is even buying from me now. The marketing company we use is also in my chapter, as is our solicitor. The list goes on and on.

So forget about BNI when inviting people and just think about your next customer or supplier. You will be surprised what a difference it makes to your inviting.

Sunday 3 February 2008

What type are you?

3/2/08

There are all kinds of people in BNI, from those that ‘get it’ the moment they walk into their very first meeting, all the way through to those, who although they join, never really discover what BNI is all about and so never really get the true value out of their membership.

And, it starts with what type of member you are. Do you really believe in the philosophy of ‘Givers Gain’ and will you give BNI the benefit of the doubt that they may have just got things right after 22 years?

Now I’m not saying that everything about BNI is correct, and I doubt that they would either, as things are changing all the time and can be developed. But I think you need to understand how and why things work before you try changing them, or just not do them.

I was having a coffee with a member a while ago, during a break in training, and he was saying that he almost didn’t renew for his second year, but luckily for him he had. During his first year of membership he had turned up for meetings and hoped to get some referrals, and sadly didn’t get many, but just enough to put pen to his renewal. Then something happened to change his viewpoint (he had no idea what), but suddenly he was going to meetings thinking ‘I’ve got referrals to give today’. And guess what? He has received far more back!

I did an education slot once entitled ‘Non-Givers Lose’, as I really believe that although givers really do gain, non-givers lose out more. But more about that later.

How about trying an experiment? For the next month, try ‘giving’ in every way you can, without any thought of a return and see what happens. You may just be surprised at the results.

Why a BNI Blog?

3/2/08

Well it’s simple really. I’ve been in BNI for sometime now, have held every position in a chapter, attended numerous training sessions, been to every workshop, visited a number of different chapters, subbed at other chapters, attended Awards Dinners, Member Days, forums and all manner of social events.

During this time I have talked to a great many people from Dr. Ivan Misner to Frank J. De Raffele Jr., to Mr and Mrs Lawson, to Area Directors, Regional Directors, Leadership Teams, Committee Members and members. And from every single one learned something useful. On top of that I have developed my own ideas on things. So I have a head full of all this experience, some good, some bad, that is just sort of there!

I became an RD so that I could give something back and pass some experience on, and it was when I was talking to a soon-to-be Chapter Director that he said if only you could write all this stuff down for me. Easier said than done I said. Where would I start?

So this is for him. A collection of thoughts, as they come to me, that may help anyone in BNI. They are my thoughts and have not been okayed by BNI, so please do not assume that what I say is backed by BNI. I will say, however, that everything I say I hope will help you get more out of BNI and understand what a great business BNI is.



Please feel free to comment on anything you read.