22/4/08
A member asked me recently what they should do, as a couple of members in their chapter had told them that they were too busy for a One2One and another said that they didn’t do them.
My simple answer was to do nothing, just to move on and find someone who did want to do a One2One. But then I thought about it some more. What exactly are you saying if you don’t have time for a One2One?
That you are not interested in finding your fellow member more referrals? That you yourself don’t want that same member to find you more referrals?
But there is even more to it than that.
Obviously not having the time for a One2One is not going to increase the number of referrals you receive But the more interesting question is, will it reduce the number of referrals that you receive? And I would suggest that it would!
Why? Well, on the most basic level if you are too busy for a One2One then similarly you must be too busy to take on more work. Then, on a personal level, if you are too busy to spend some time with a member you are not exactly building goodwill and trust, a BNI ethic. But, more importantly, if the member feels snubbed – do you really think they are going to try and find you referrals? So whenever you are asked for a One2One, even if you really are too busy, take the time to make a date in your diary. Six weeks time is far better than never! And I also think that you will be pleased with the result.
Tuesday 22 April 2008
Sunday 20 April 2008
Clapping adds energy!
20/4/08
I don’t know what it is like in your region, but in mine the opinion as to whether members should clap after each 60 second presentation is divided. The recommendation is that there be no clapping, but it is left to the individual chapters to decide for themselves. In mine we clap.
Now, there are various arguments for and against. On the against side the arguments seem to centre on timekeeping and the fact that even bad 60 seconds get clapped, so how do you tell a good one?
But I think the reasons for clapping far outweigh those against. Firstly, I would suggest that if a chapter is running over time due to clapping, then there is in fact a much larger problem somewhere else. As for the bad 60 seconds getting clapped, well, I can assure you that it is easy to spot the difference between a bad 60 seconds and a very good one.
But there is much more!
For one thing, just think about that new member, worried about their 60 second presentation. How confidence building is it to get clapped for that first 60 seconds? Then to my mind, when I visit chapters that don’t clap, the change over between speakers is just totally dead. You just get the noise of chairs being pushed back, paper rustling and members talking because they have nothing else to do. Clapping at its worst covers all of that and, what’s more, uses the time to better effect. At its best, clapping builds on the energy already in the meeting and can even inject energy when it has been missing. And, another interesting thing I have noticed is that the 10 minute speaker is often better when there is real energy in the meeting.
So yes – I think clapping adds real energy to a meeting and I thank our RD for promoting it.
I don’t know what it is like in your region, but in mine the opinion as to whether members should clap after each 60 second presentation is divided. The recommendation is that there be no clapping, but it is left to the individual chapters to decide for themselves. In mine we clap.
Now, there are various arguments for and against. On the against side the arguments seem to centre on timekeeping and the fact that even bad 60 seconds get clapped, so how do you tell a good one?
But I think the reasons for clapping far outweigh those against. Firstly, I would suggest that if a chapter is running over time due to clapping, then there is in fact a much larger problem somewhere else. As for the bad 60 seconds getting clapped, well, I can assure you that it is easy to spot the difference between a bad 60 seconds and a very good one.
But there is much more!
For one thing, just think about that new member, worried about their 60 second presentation. How confidence building is it to get clapped for that first 60 seconds? Then to my mind, when I visit chapters that don’t clap, the change over between speakers is just totally dead. You just get the noise of chairs being pushed back, paper rustling and members talking because they have nothing else to do. Clapping at its worst covers all of that and, what’s more, uses the time to better effect. At its best, clapping builds on the energy already in the meeting and can even inject energy when it has been missing. And, another interesting thing I have noticed is that the 10 minute speaker is often better when there is real energy in the meeting.
So yes – I think clapping adds real energy to a meeting and I thank our RD for promoting it.
Monday 14 April 2008
World record?
14/4/08
At our meeting two weeks ago a member – Gareth Miller (Garden Designer) – gave 85 referrals.
Yes, I did say eighty five!
It was truly amazing, I’ve seen over twenty referrals given before, but eighty five? Well, that is just outstanding and, what’s more, the average number for our whole chapter for a month.
Now I know what people are thinking – were they really referrals? All I can say is that my company, Imperial Printers, was lucky enough to receive twenty of the referrals (in response to my 10 minute presentation two weeks before) and every single person I called was not only expecting my call, but, so far I have completed quotes for ten of the companies and also secured two jobs. So yes, I would say that they were all real referrals.
I guess you are thinking - so how did he do it?
Well, it seems that it was pretty simple! He just asked every single person he met or spoke to how he could help them: even his optician while he was having some new glasses fitted. And once he got going, he just couldn’t stop!
Now I have to say that Gareth is a natural and, for many of us asking such a question of everyone we met would be way out of our comfort zone. But how about trying to ask just one person a day how you could help them?
You never know you might just set a personal record!
At our meeting two weeks ago a member – Gareth Miller (Garden Designer) – gave 85 referrals.
Yes, I did say eighty five!
It was truly amazing, I’ve seen over twenty referrals given before, but eighty five? Well, that is just outstanding and, what’s more, the average number for our whole chapter for a month.
Now I know what people are thinking – were they really referrals? All I can say is that my company, Imperial Printers, was lucky enough to receive twenty of the referrals (in response to my 10 minute presentation two weeks before) and every single person I called was not only expecting my call, but, so far I have completed quotes for ten of the companies and also secured two jobs. So yes, I would say that they were all real referrals.
I guess you are thinking - so how did he do it?
Well, it seems that it was pretty simple! He just asked every single person he met or spoke to how he could help them: even his optician while he was having some new glasses fitted. And once he got going, he just couldn’t stop!
Now I have to say that Gareth is a natural and, for many of us asking such a question of everyone we met would be way out of our comfort zone. But how about trying to ask just one person a day how you could help them?
You never know you might just set a personal record!
Wednesday 9 April 2008
All locked up!
9/4/08
When I arrived at my BNI meeting last week, I was late as it was 6.40am, I was therefore surprised to find the car park full of members! For some reason our venue was closed and we were left standing in the cold – visitors as well.
At ten to seven the doors were still locked and it was time for some quick thinking! So our Chapter Director rang a local pub he knew and asked the landlord if he fancied getting out of bed and opening up to give twenty plus people breakfast. He said yes!
So with a lot of car sharing we drove the few minutes to our substitute venue, where the landlord produced some wonderful coffee and Danish pastries for all.
We had a great meeting, a good number of referrals, and our visitors enjoyed it - one submitted an application after the meeting and another is coming back with his next week.
Not something I would want to do every week, but as a team building event it was pretty good!
So, if you are ever in Stanley Road, Teddington, pop into to the Red Lion, buy a pint and say hello to Dave Shanks – he’s a good man.
When I arrived at my BNI meeting last week, I was late as it was 6.40am, I was therefore surprised to find the car park full of members! For some reason our venue was closed and we were left standing in the cold – visitors as well.
At ten to seven the doors were still locked and it was time for some quick thinking! So our Chapter Director rang a local pub he knew and asked the landlord if he fancied getting out of bed and opening up to give twenty plus people breakfast. He said yes!
So with a lot of car sharing we drove the few minutes to our substitute venue, where the landlord produced some wonderful coffee and Danish pastries for all.
We had a great meeting, a good number of referrals, and our visitors enjoyed it - one submitted an application after the meeting and another is coming back with his next week.
Not something I would want to do every week, but as a team building event it was pretty good!
So, if you are ever in Stanley Road, Teddington, pop into to the Red Lion, buy a pint and say hello to Dave Shanks – he’s a good man.
Thursday 3 April 2008
Thank you for the business!
3/4/08
The ‘Show Me the Money’ box (I think only used in UK chapters) is a great idea but, as I have said before, it’s surprising how many members don’t really understand it’s use or value.
Maybe if the box had been called ‘Thank you for the business’; which I like to call it, its use would have caught on faster and with less misinterpretation. But as I say if used correctly it’s a great idea.
Using the box could not be more simple - as all you are doing is thanking a fellow member for a referral that has turned into real business. Although even this seems open to debate as some members seem to find it hard to decide whose name to put on the card and exactly what amount. Both are easy; the name is the person you received the referral from and the amount is the figure on your invoice – before any vat. So if you are a florist it might be £50 for a bouquet of flowers, whereas for a builder it might be £60,000 for an extension. The amount is nothing to do with profit, it’s simply the amount that you invoice or receive for your services – an IFA for example might be involved in a large deal, hundreds of thousands of pounds, but it is the fee that is earned that goes on the card.
As to the value of using the box – well, this can be really amazing if every member of a chapter uses the box to its full. Every week we pass referrals and hopefully lots of them. But at the end of the day, a Referral Slip is nothing more than a slip of paper, an opportunity to do business. But a card in the ‘Show Me the Money’ box is proof of actual business done!
Just imagine the affect on the members of a chapter, let alone the visitors, when a Membership Co-ordinator stands up and says, this month as a group we did £20,000 of business between us. And, what if the MC said it was £30,000 or even £50,000?
So next time the box is passed to you at a meeting please use it, don’t just pass it on!
The ‘Show Me the Money’ box (I think only used in UK chapters) is a great idea but, as I have said before, it’s surprising how many members don’t really understand it’s use or value.
Maybe if the box had been called ‘Thank you for the business’; which I like to call it, its use would have caught on faster and with less misinterpretation. But as I say if used correctly it’s a great idea.
Using the box could not be more simple - as all you are doing is thanking a fellow member for a referral that has turned into real business. Although even this seems open to debate as some members seem to find it hard to decide whose name to put on the card and exactly what amount. Both are easy; the name is the person you received the referral from and the amount is the figure on your invoice – before any vat. So if you are a florist it might be £50 for a bouquet of flowers, whereas for a builder it might be £60,000 for an extension. The amount is nothing to do with profit, it’s simply the amount that you invoice or receive for your services – an IFA for example might be involved in a large deal, hundreds of thousands of pounds, but it is the fee that is earned that goes on the card.
As to the value of using the box – well, this can be really amazing if every member of a chapter uses the box to its full. Every week we pass referrals and hopefully lots of them. But at the end of the day, a Referral Slip is nothing more than a slip of paper, an opportunity to do business. But a card in the ‘Show Me the Money’ box is proof of actual business done!
Just imagine the affect on the members of a chapter, let alone the visitors, when a Membership Co-ordinator stands up and says, this month as a group we did £20,000 of business between us. And, what if the MC said it was £30,000 or even £50,000?
So next time the box is passed to you at a meeting please use it, don’t just pass it on!
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