Here is a great idea to get your members wearing the important BNI Name Badge to every single meeting. Why is it important to have all the members wearing their name badges every week? There are several key reasons- It helps visitors to feel comfortable approaching members and remembering names while networking, it signifies that our chapter is one team united, and it also helps to recognize on a weekly basis our Blue Badge (Noteable Networkers) and Black Badge (Gold Club members). The BNI lanyard helps place it in an area that members and visitors alike can see and feel comfortable and approachable.
Special thanks to Monica Jenisch and BNI Think Big-Nixa for submitting this "Best Know Secret"!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
BNI Gold: Top 10 Way to Waste Your Time in a Networking Group by Dr. Ivan Misner
So make your time and efforts worthwhile. Don't squander your opportunity by doing the wrong things in those meetings.
Success in a networking group comes when the rest of the group members trust you enough to open up their best referrals to you. Unless they've seen your work, you have to earn that trust by demonstrating your professionalism to them. Since founding BNI almost 25 years ago, I've seen how people truly succeeded in networks and I've seen how people totally waste their time in them.
Here are 10 mistakes to avoid if you don't want to waste your time in a networking group:
1.Go ahead, air your grievances among your fellow networkers and guests; after all, they really want to hear about your complaints.
2.Wing it in your regular presentations to fellow members--don't worry, you have a mulligan.
3.Use one-on-one meetings to talk about your networking groups' issues instead of learning more about each other.
4.Focus your efforts primarily on selling your services to members of the group.
5.Don't rush to follow up on a referral when someone gives you one. Hey, they know where to find you if they really need you.
6.While other people are doing their introductions, that's the perfect time to think about what referrals you can give that week.
7.Never invite your own guests, just focus on those who show up.
8.Don't worry if you get to the meeting late. No one will notice.
9.Absenteeism, it's no big deal. You can just call in your referrals ... right?
10.Take that phone call and check your messages during a meeting. No, no, it doesn't bother anyone; actually it's a sign of real professionalism that everyone admires.
Imagine how you'd respond if someone in your networking group continually exhibited the behaviors above. Would you be enthusiastic to pass them referrals? Of course not! You'd be hesitant, rightfully, because they've convinced you that they are unprofessional and irresponsible. Of course you'd withhold your valued connections.
We all need to beware of these common pitfalls and take great care to avoid them. They're great reminders that doing business through word-of-mouth marketing requires a special ingredient that only you can supply--commitment.
Commit to the process from the beginning. You have to be an active, responsible, professional, accountable participant and show your fellow networkers the respect, attention, and support that you want them to give you.
You see, the key concept in referral marketing is relationships, and referral relationships don't just spring up full grown--they must be nurtured. Avoid the 10 mistakes on this list because they're detrimental to growing your referral relationships; they will cause the time you spend in your networking meetings to be nothing more than a waste.
Focus on growing your referral relationships by acting in ways that are exactly opposite of what's described above and concentrate on building relationships based on mutual trust and shared benefits. You'll get a lot more out of your group and so will your fellow members.
Remember, if you start putting together your network when the need arises, you're too late. The better way is to begin developing relationships now with the people whose help you will need in the future. Your networking group meetings offer the perfect opportunity and the perfect place to do this. Make the most of this opportunity because there's no room for wasted time. And if you see chronic offenders at your next meeting, print out this list and pass it along.
Called the "father of modern networking" by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world's largest business networking organization. His latest No. 1 bestseller, The 29% Solution can be viewed at www.29PercentSolution.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company
.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Over 7,000 reasons to attend the Fall Success Conference in your area!
Here is a great testimonial about the power of networking with other BNI members across the region at our Success Conference. Garry Delong is a member of the BNI MO Business-Stone County chapter...way to go Garry!!
To Our Success,
Mike Tobin
Director, BNI
miketobin@bnistl.com
BNI Belleville is back as "Chapter of Excellence" for June 2010
Chapter of Excellence is our way of recognizing the #1 chapter out of the 90+ chapters in our franchise for any particular month- it has been all over both Illinois and Missouri. Every month we track the progress of our chapters in regards to comparable statistics. This is an excellent way for chapters not only to scale their efforts based on other chapters, but also to see what is possible as a chapter.
We scale this based on 1.) Attendance 2.) Referrals 3.) Referrals Per Member 4.) Conversion Percentage (number of referrals vs. number of show me the money slips turned in for the month 5.) Visitors 6.) New Members 7.) Chapter Size
Congratulations to all those who attained top 12 status for the month of June!
Top 12 Chapters BNI Missouri- Southern Illinois
1. BNI Belleville, IL.
2. BNI Business by Referral-Springfield
3. BNI Greater Joplin Business Connection
4. BNI St. Charles West
5. BNI S.M.A.R.T.- Springfield
6. BNI 4 State Referral Network-Joplin
7. BNI Professional Business Builders
8. BNI Lake Business Builders
9. BNI St. Clair County, IL.
10. BNI St. Charles
11. BNI Springfield Business Connection
12. BNI Bigger Net Income-Springfield
For a complete report to see how your chapter did, log on using your member password at http://www.bnistl.com/ and go into the document section for a complete report
To Our Success,
Mike Tobin
Director, BNI
miketobin@bnistl.com
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
BNI Fall Conference dates set....this will be your best year yet!
It is that time again! Time when we change out our Leadership Teams and support positions for the October 1st transition. We have something for everyone this year! Not only are officer trainings available, we will have tons of member content as well....you will not want to miss this opportunity to grow your chapter, grow your business in 2010-2011!Dates:
1. Friday morning, September 10, at the beautiful Ramada Oasis Convention Center in Springfield, MO, with full event details and registration HERE
2. Wednesday evening, September 15, at the lovely Hilton Regency Convention Center in O'Fallon, IL, with full event details and registration HERE
We know you will greatly enjoy the spectacular Jay Taddei, President, BNI - Belleville, as our Keynote Speaker this year along with 12 breakout sessions designed for members, guests, officers and support team members as follows:
1. Take your Referral Marketing to the EXTREME
2. Getting Emotional About Referral Marketing!
3. The difference is. . .LIKABILITY
4. BNI UNIVERSITY - An Opportunity for Change!
5. Power Team Coordinator Training
6. Visitor Host Training
7. Marketing Coordinator Training
8. Education Coordinator Training
9. Mentor Training
10. Secretary/Treasurer Training
11. Vice President and Membership Committee Training
12. President Training
This year, we will be at some of the finest facilities in our region, and we have been able to negotiate fantastic prices with our venues based on early registration for most of our attendees so please register early to take advantage of these discounts.
If you have any questions, please contact your Area Director or our BNI Regional Alliance at 314-822-1030.
In the words of the great sales trainer Tom Hopkins - YOU are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset. ..Tom Hopkins
To Your BNI Success in 2010-2011!
Monday, July 19, 2010
What is the President role anyhow? an interview with chapter President Doug Hunt
We are talking with prospects who are being asked to consider serving as president of our BNI group for this coming year. Typically, the first question from everyone is "how much TIME will this require of me?" and of course, "what are the presidents duties?"
Everyone one is different... and each group can operate a little differently... and we know that we can all read a manual as to the duties as layed out by the organization... but, would you be willing to help us by sharing YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
How would you outline your personal role and duties as president?
I know our chapter is unique in the fact we can have anywhere between 70 and 75 members at anytime. Given that and our commitment to have a 90 minute meeting, my first job is to run the agenda, stay on time and maintain total control of the meeting. For me personally I try very hard to meet each visitor just as if I were on the Visitor Host Committee. Once people experience our meeting, how tight we are on our schedule, and how professional we are, visitors feel very welcome by having a busy president spend a little time with them. There can be a lot of SMM and closed business for chapter members from visitors so its important to meet each of them and get them connected to the chapter members. It truly is teamwork and having a strong leadership team and committee members is KEY to the success of any president.
How many hours a week would you say is reasonable to consider before assuming this task?
Again keep in mind the size of our chapter and the dynamics of the skills within our leadership team. We are blessed to have everyone in our leadership team, committees and chapter positions working at peak performance. This fact alone saves the rest of us valuable time because we are not having to "do the job" of someone else. For me, I spend about 5 hours per week in my leadership roll and about 5 hours working the system with 1 2 1's, referrals, introductions and the weekly meeting. From a business perspective, this time is a great return on my BNI investment due to the fact about 40% of my new business is directly attributed to BNI referrals leading to closed business. If you are asking someone to serve as president and their first response is "how much of my time will be taken from me" then you may want to consider asking someone else. I know its extra commitment, but its also an honor and an opportunity to "give more", and we all know what happens when we give, right?
What advise could you offer to us as a group during this effort to select a new president?
Make sure they want to serve in that roll, are excited about it and have good organization and communication skills. I've always tried to lead by example whether in public office, management and most recently over the past 13 years as a hands on business owner/CEO with a small staff. Empowering people around you who are great at their own position is the foundation of any effective leader / president. Keep politics out of the process and seek a person with the skill set you need to run your own unique chapter. Once your new president is in place make sure the leadership team and committees are going out of their way to ask him or her if they can help in anyway, allowing them to focus on running the meetings. A meeting ran well and on time speaks volumes to our visitors about how serious we are about each others business.
What advise would you offer a NEW PRESIDENT once selected?
Everyone one is different... and each group can operate a little differently... and we know that we can all read a manual as to the duties as layed out by the organization... but, would you be willing to help us by sharing YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
How would you outline your personal role and duties as president?
I know our chapter is unique in the fact we can have anywhere between 70 and 75 members at anytime. Given that and our commitment to have a 90 minute meeting, my first job is to run the agenda, stay on time and maintain total control of the meeting. For me personally I try very hard to meet each visitor just as if I were on the Visitor Host Committee. Once people experience our meeting, how tight we are on our schedule, and how professional we are, visitors feel very welcome by having a busy president spend a little time with them. There can be a lot of SMM and closed business for chapter members from visitors so its important to meet each of them and get them connected to the chapter members. It truly is teamwork and having a strong leadership team and committee members is KEY to the success of any president.
How many hours a week would you say is reasonable to consider before assuming this task?
Again keep in mind the size of our chapter and the dynamics of the skills within our leadership team. We are blessed to have everyone in our leadership team, committees and chapter positions working at peak performance. This fact alone saves the rest of us valuable time because we are not having to "do the job" of someone else. For me, I spend about 5 hours per week in my leadership roll and about 5 hours working the system with 1 2 1's, referrals, introductions and the weekly meeting. From a business perspective, this time is a great return on my BNI investment due to the fact about 40% of my new business is directly attributed to BNI referrals leading to closed business. If you are asking someone to serve as president and their first response is "how much of my time will be taken from me" then you may want to consider asking someone else. I know its extra commitment, but its also an honor and an opportunity to "give more", and we all know what happens when we give, right?
What advise could you offer to us as a group during this effort to select a new president?
Make sure they want to serve in that roll, are excited about it and have good organization and communication skills. I've always tried to lead by example whether in public office, management and most recently over the past 13 years as a hands on business owner/CEO with a small staff. Empowering people around you who are great at their own position is the foundation of any effective leader / president. Keep politics out of the process and seek a person with the skill set you need to run your own unique chapter. Once your new president is in place make sure the leadership team and committees are going out of their way to ask him or her if they can help in anyway, allowing them to focus on running the meetings. A meeting ran well and on time speaks volumes to our visitors about how serious we are about each others business.
What advise would you offer a NEW PRESIDENT once selected?
Be aware of all the documents available to him or her on the bnistl.com website and to read them. Don't be afraid to take control of the meeting to ensure you stay on schedule. Ask for help from Mike Tobin(Area Director) if you need it. Make sure you select a VP and Sec./Treas. who are detailed. Encourage the chapter to log all activity on line on the bnistl.com website. Relax and have fun with it, but never forget the number one focus is to generate SMM for each
other. Smile all the time and treat visitors as if they are the most important people in the room.
Any other words of advise is certainly welcome.
Just keep in mind your chapter needs to be viewed as a stand alone for-profit business. The president and leadership team need to run the chapter just as if it were a company working hard to increase profits and expand market share. This means you should manage the company with set goals, deadlines and maintain a level of performance. To act quickly if any issues come up and get them resolved with total closure within less than a week.
Doug Hunt
Chapter President
Friday, July 16, 2010
Joplin Business After Hours BLAST! You are invited!
You are cordially invited to a Business After Hours BLAST! cohosted by all Joplin area BNI Chapters and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce.
Come experience how Joplin's 5-Star Accredited Chamber and BNI are successfully working together to fully promote commerce in our area.
We are expecting over 500 attendees and know this will be an excellent opportunity for you to network and Get Connected! And if your BNI Chapter is interested in seeking ways to work closely with your local Chamber of Commerce, we strongly urge to attend. Join us between 4:00PM and 8:00PM on July 20th for this spectacular BNI/Chamber event!
Come experience how Joplin's 5-Star Accredited Chamber and BNI are successfully working together to fully promote commerce in our area.
We are expecting over 500 attendees and know this will be an excellent opportunity for you to network and Get Connected! And if your BNI Chapter is interested in seeking ways to work closely with your local Chamber of Commerce, we strongly urge to attend. Join us between 4:00PM and 8:00PM on July 20th for this spectacular BNI/Chamber event!
Food, drinks, DJ service and outside fun and games will be provided by BNI - Greater Joplin Business Connection Chapter members. In addition, our host, Cycle Connection Harley-Davidson, will be giving tours of their amazing facility!!
For lodging information, please contact Sarah Stephenson, BNI - Greater Joplin Business Connection member, of the Residence Inn for room rates and availability (417) 782-0908.
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