Taking your chapter to the next level- getting from good to great!

Thoughts about why we did a Think Big Event in Branson

We were sinking, our membership was down to 24 (at the time of the event) from 32 a few months before, mom’s were down, referrals were down, show me the money’s had fallen way off. The chapter was in a death spiral and something had to be done.

Now don’t get me wrong, we still had a great core group, we just needed a challenge to awake the fire within and get everyone moving. We had talked many times about stack day, but we were not acting on it, with no power teams in place, we lacked the fundamentals to grow the chapter.

So Mike Tobin our Director suggested that we plan a Think Big Event; the Think Big open house concept had been successful in other parts of the country and should work for us. So after a conversation with Jeff Bain, our newly appointed Vice President, I accepted the task and made plans to break the news to the entire chapter – we were going to war and we are fighting with the army we have.

As you might expect breaking the news to the troops was met with awe, skepticism and some small enthusiasm. I though that maybe I had gotten us in too deep, but I also felt this was what we needed to make the chapter healthy again.

The Plan.

With BNI's help we had a think big event kick-off meeting and discussed our plans with all members, we would for the next 5-weeks spend part of each meeting discussing, planning and executing all aspects of the BNI Big Event outline.

Following the plan is critical to the success of this event, don’t skip any steps. The demand for your time during this period is very high as a Chapter President I spend time trying to motivate other chapter members, get my mailing list in order and show as much leadership as I could, we were in a war and I was starting to see team leaders emerge from the chapter - they were starting to get-it, Think Big could work.

Think Big Mailing Day.

We challenged each other to bring as many letters as possible, 50 being the minimum; at the end of the meeting we had 900 letters ready for mailing, from just 24 members. Think Big was catching fire; we all were excited at the prospect of holding such an event. Now we had to do the follow-up calls and get our visitors to commit to come to our event.

The Big Event.

March 26, 2008 arrived; we were ready with a very special agenda, guest speakers, BNI Directors and 24 excited chapter members. We were not disappointed, we had 120 guests arrive and no one could believe their eyes, so many people wanting to find out about this thing called BNI. Everyone attending was given a BNI application and contract for profitability, I had 8 signed applications at the end of the meeting and several more applications arrived at my office by weeks end (We are up to 10 with more arriving in the next several weeks!)

The result of all this effort.

We are on fire, we’re at $4.6 mill up from $4.3 mill in March, our chapter membership is at 35, mom’s and referrals are up as well. We have a stack day planned for June 11th and plan to do two more this year. We have a chapter MSP training scheduled for May 28. We have a special meeting planned for June 18th to do a Chapter Mentor Training. We had to turn away so many applications, from Think Big Event because of classification conflicts that we could easily start another chapter. We moved to a larger and better meeting facility and I think we could be a 45 member chapter by the end of summer ’08.

And we’re just getting started…..


Larry Blaha
Chapter President
Show Me The Business - Branson
Owner of The UPS Store, Branson

Way to go BNI Show Me the Business! Here is an example of what you can expect if you add a ton of great new members in regards to referrals: Jan: 94, Feb: 92; March: 96; Chapter's Think BIG! 2008 Open House Event; April: 219!!!

Mike Tobin

Director, BNI

miketobin@bnistl.com

BNI Gold: Be Remembered At Networking Events!

How to use memory hooks to stand out in a crowd

Q: I’m often at networking events where I have to stand up and briefly introduce myself to many people all at once. Do you have any suggestions on how I can improve my introductions?

A: Memory hooks are excellent tools to use when you are introducing yourself to many people at networking events. A memory hook is something in your introduction that so vividly describes what you do, people will be able to visualize it clearly in their mind’s eye. This visualization of your product or service makes it easier for them to refer you whenever they meet someone who needs your service.

For example, many years ago I met a telephone equipment sales rep at a networking meeting. When his turn came to give his 60-second commercial, he painted a vivid picture in everyone’s mind about the type of company that needed his product. He said, “The next time you’re in someone’s office, look at their telephone system. If they have a phone system with fat wires, they need me.”

He explained that old phone systems use thick wires, while new, more advanced systems use thin wires. Consequently, anyone with fat wires has an old, inefficient phone system, and he could offer that person a more cost-effective alternative. To this day, every time I go into someone’s office I look under the secretary’s desk to see if the phone system has fat wires! (I’ve had more than one secretary say to me, “Dr. Misner, is there something you’re looking for under my desk?”) It’s been more than 10 years, yet I still remember that memory hook as though it were yesterday. The result is that this salesman, in effect, has many “salespeople” like me out in the business community looking for businesses that need his service.

A good memory hook doesn’t have to be funny, but it helps. A skin-care consultant once rose at a meeting I was attending and said: “If you have a face, you could use my products. If you know someone who has a face, they could use my products.” A lot of people remembered her because of her humor in describing her target market. She went on to explain to everyone that her products were not just for women, but for men, women and children–anyone with a face.

At a different meeting, a rotund fellow who owned a popular Italian restaurant stood up. While holding his belly out for all to view he exclaimed, “As you can see, I’m a walking billboard for our pasta!” He proceeded to describe in mouth-watering detail how his restaurant used only the finest cheeses, handmade pasta, and a wonderful slow-cooked sauce made from the freshest ingredients. By the time he was finished, all the people in the room were ready to finish their networking in his restaurant.

And then there was the gentleman who stunned his networking group by saying: “Did you ever want to shoot a relative? Call me, I’m a photographer!”

Here are some other notable memory hooks I’ve had the privilege of being hooked with over the years:

Chiropractor: “You’ll feel fine when your spine’s in line.” Or, “We’re always glad to see you’re back.”

Dentist: “We cater to cowards.” Or, “My filling station is downtown, where I put the bite on decay.”

Electrical contractor: “For your commercial and residential electrical needs…give us a call and we’ll check out your shorts.”

Hairdresser: “If your hair is not becoming to you, then you should be coming to me.”

Lawyer: “Before you turn to dust, see me for your will or trust.”

Maternity-shop owner: “We carry everything for you but the baby.”

Plumber: “Remember, a flush is always better than a full house.”

Realtor: “I help people find a home–not a house, but a home. Not a place where you live, but a place where you love to live.”

Therapist: “I have the owner’s manual for your mind.”

Water filter representative: “Either buy a filter or be a filter.”

I’ve always believed that memory hooks like these were money in the bank. One day, before starting a workshop I was giving in Glendale, California, for about 60 businesspeople, I watched as a young dentist stood up and gave his brief introduction to the assembled group: “I’m a dentist. I believe in the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth, so help me God.” After everyone finished laughing, he gave his name and phone number and sat down.

I realized this was the perfect opportunity to test my theory regarding people remembering memory hook presentations better than other presentations. So later in the morning, when I was talking to the group about the importance of well-thought-out presentations, I asked for them all to stand. When they were all standing, I asked them, on the count of three, to point to the person who believed in “the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth, so help me God.” Not much to my surprise, all 60 people pointed to the dentist, without hesitation!

If you take the time to develop good introductions at group events, people will take notice. If you don’t, you’re losing a great opportunity to someone else who will.

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 book, Masters of Sales, can be viewed at www.MastersBooks.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company. He can be reached at misner@bni.com.

Membership Is Growing At The BNI Union Chapter!

Membership is growing at the BNI - Union Chapter!

During the month of February, the BNI - Union Chapter held a contest called "Sweetheart of a Deal". Each member donated goodies for a big basket. Some donated items from their business, some donated gift certificates from their clients' businesses. For every visitor brought to a February meeting, that member got to drop their name in a box. Visitors were given a gift of Hershey kisses wrapped in pink. At the end of the month, a drawing was held for the winning member of the basket. The more visitors you bring, the more chances to win.

Debra Winkler, Millington Appraisals, won the contest (see attached photo with president Angie Bade). Another contest was held during February and March. The group was divided into four teams. Each week, points were earned for bringing a visitor, giving a referral, bringing in a new member and show me the money. The entire membership got involved in this friendly competition with healthy enthusiasm and gusto. The winners were Beckie Piontek, Kirke Durham, Ken Scott and Debra Winkler (see attached photo).

With these two simultaneous events, the BNI - Union Chapter has grown three more members, have three more that have just completed membership applications and a couple more considering membership.

Congratulations to the BNI - Union Chapter for a successful and fun way to revitalize their chapter!

Submitted by Dee Forshee, Marketing Coordinator, BNI-Union

BNI Gold: Is Your Referral Network- Working?

Contrary to what you may think, the referral process is not difficult to measure.

Anyone who has ever tried to keep an accurate count of how many “cold calls” led to actual, cash-in-your-pocket sales knows it isn’t an easy task. The good news is that measuring success from referrals is actually quite easy. We know this because we’ve designed a networking scorecard for tracking referrals and the business that results from them. You might want to develop a similar one for your own use.

On this scorecard, record

-the nature and source of each referral
-how you followed up on it
-how you handled it
-how you followed up with your referral source–through a thank-you note, a phone call, lunch, or business

It’s not hard to look back at what you did and analyze how successful you were in getting business from your referrals.

The referral process is about committing to a series of actions designed to create a result not only for you, but also for the other people involved. It’s about measuring the results and improving the system. As long as you track your activities, it’s not hard to measure the results.

There’s a concept we use related to the “tipping point” idea for referrals. What’s the difference between 211 and 212? At first glance, you might think not much. But there is actually a huge difference: At 211 degrees Fahrenheit, you have some hot water but at 212 degrees, you have boiling water. What can you do with 211-degree water, other than make bad coffee and warm up a hot dog? Not too much else. But with 212-degree water, you can make great coffee, sterilize dishes and start the Industrial Revolution. Can you feel the difference between 211-degree and 212-degree water by sticking your finger in them? Probably not. But one degree makes a world of difference.

Many networkers spend a lot of time “warming up” their referral sources. But since they can’t tell the difference between someone who isn’t quite ready to refer and someone who is, they waste time and energy on the wrong person. This is why it’s important to have a system in place for measuring actions and their results.

How do you know when you’ve done enough to get a referral from a potential source? When you track the results, in many instances you will be able to tell what specific action “tipped the scales” from a potential sale or client to real results.

Was it your last thank-you note that made a solid referral source out of your contact? Or was it that tip on a special deal she could get from a new vendor? You can’t measure feelings per se, but you can discover what made the difference between zero and success.

Armed with this knowledge, you can replicate your success at other times and in other settings. In networking, of course, people are different and situations change, but if you track the results under different conditions, you’ll begin to see patterns that will show you how to handle your network.

If you choose not to track your results, or perhaps you don’t track them consistently, you’re essentially giving up control of your referral networking–which is OK if what you’re interested in is shrugging off your own responsibility and finding other people to blame for your failures.
If you can’t connect success or failure to your own activities, it’s easy to say, “This would have worked if my referral source had prepared the prospect,” or “The reason I failed is that nobody told me what I needed to know.” In reality, your failure to adequately train your referral partners and gather the information you needed is directly tied to your failure to set up a way to measure results.

Good referral networking is a lot like luck. As most people realize over time, “good luck” happens to those who have worked hard to prepare for it. If something happens “by chance,” such as a good referral, go back and track it. There was probably some series of events–over which you either did or could have had control– that brought you the “good luck.”

Every now and then, you’ll get some business out of the blue, but it’s hard to write a business plan around that, let alone get people to want to do business with you. Don’t be blind to your referral marketing and make sure to plan this part of your business.

_____________________________________________________________________________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 book, Masters of Sales, can be viewed at www.MastersBooks.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company. He can be reached at misner@bni.com.

To The Next Level: Specific is Terrific! Helping Your Sales Team Pass Great Referrals To You.

What is BNI all about? Is it about the personal business we pass between each other? Personal business in nice and appreciated, but isn't BNI about outside referrals? Didn't we join BNI not only to increase our business, but increase our rolodex as well?

All of us want to pass great outside referrals but how do we do that? And do we know how to pass each other great referrals?

In MSP training, we talk about the difference between Tier 1 referrals (self to member; member to self) and Tier 2 referrals (outside contacts).

Tier 1 referrals are finite and limited to the number of people in the chapter, yet doing business with other members of the chapter is one of the most important ways of building trust.

Tier 2 referrals are infinite. Your ability to access the rolodex of your members and visitors depends partly on the trust they have in you. As members demonstrate during MSP, gaining access can be accelerated with a specific infomercial that actually targets key contacts and challenges members to think about who they know.

This is the primary difference between an infomercial and a commercial, which simply advertises a product or service.Think about how we are conditioned to tune commercials out. When we are watching TV, do we give commercials our full attention, or do we flip to one of 1,000 other channels available? Or perhaps we switch to a movie channel that has no commercials? Getting people’s attention is hard enough. When we sound like a commercial, we are fighting an uphill battle.A strong infomercial is the member’s primary opportunity to target and cultivate more Tier 2 referrals.

Why, then, do so many members settle for delivering a commercial instead of an infomercial?

Five reasons come to mind:

1) Commercials are right-handed activities (I say this because I am right-handed). They come easily, thoughtlessly, like our signature on a piece of paper. An infomercial is a left-handed activity. We have to stop, think about it, even struggle a little….just enough to keep people from working at it. When something natural is available, we gravitate toward that. Ironically, results do not even come into play.

2) Commercials produce results…sometimes. But the results are based on luck, and luck runs out. If you sell commercial insurance, and you stand up every week to tell people you sell commercial insurance, sooner or later a member will be in a position to refer business to you. But if you take a more proactive approach and request to meet the owner of XYZ restaurant, you take responsibility for targeting the kind of prospects you want to do business with. Even if you miss, you have used your time more wisely.

3) Members don’t know the difference. Intellectually members understand the concept of infomercials versus commercials, but not experientially. In other words, until they do it and get results, they will never experience the power of a different strategy. After MSP training, members are rarely challenged to embrace or practice these principles. Many revert to their natural right-handed activities.

4) Members don’t have time to prepare an infomercial. As busy as we are, we tend to have time for things that are most important. When we take a proactive approach to building our network and targeting customers, we get better results. Making time to get better results is true in just about any discipline, and it is certainly true in BNI. Referrals don’t just happen. We either learn to make them happen, or we don’t.

5) Members would rather do what everyone else is doing. In small groups, we have a natural tendency to conform. In one chapter, every member ends their infomercial by giving their business phone number. My guess is that one person did it, and soon everyone else followed along.

Which would you rather have: a referral and no phone number (which you can easily find) or a phone number and no referral? Rather than rock the boat, new members eager to "fit in" judge the rules of proper conduct more by what they “see” than by what they have been told at MSP. And the cycle of ineffectiveness continues.When members leave BNI, a common parting thought they share with me is “I’m not making any money.” A strong infomercial is where Tier 2 referrals and the money-making begin. It takes time and effort, but so does everything else we value.

John Suarez

Director of Training, BNI Missouri-Southern Illinois

johnsuarez@bnistl.com

Subscribe to the BNI Podcast and take your business to the next level this year!

Have you had a chance to check out the BNI podcast from our founder, Dr. Ivan Misner? There are several ways to gain access to this valuable information.

• Go to our online newsletter, http://www.bnimissouri-illinois.blogspot.com/ and click on the right hand side on the link list
• Go to http://www.bnipodcast.com/
• Subscribe to the podcast via email at http://www.bnipodcast.com/

Here is a copy of the latest podcast synopsis:

April 16th, 2008

Synopsis

How do you avoid people whose only interest in networking is “What’s in it for me?”

Look for the signs of people who believe in giving as part of networking:

-They ask how they can help you—and really mean it—before they ask you for anything.
-They show that they’re willing to work on creating a professional relationship over time.
-Those who make the time to go beyond normal business interactions.
-They try to bring business and contacts to you before asking for your contacts.
-They give of their time and knowledge to help their referral sources succeed.

Immerse yourself in the process of relationship building:

-Join multiple networking groups, so you can have both breadth and depth
-Meet with people frequently and regularly.
-Meet with people outside of networking functions.

Remember: it’s not what you know, or who you know, but how well you know them.

Go to http://www.bnipodcast.com/ to hear the entire article!

Brought to you by Networking Now.
View the entire transcript of this episode

BNI Lake of the Ozarks uses the "Think BIG! 2008" program- over (100) visitors come to the BNI celebration!

BNI is the best kept secret in business! Over (100) visitors showed up to the BNI Lake of the Ozarks "Think BIG! 2008" Open House last week. This chapter did an open house about 1 1/2 years ago and has been around the lake for almost (2) years. Would you like to know what the most common comment was by visitors? "This is really cool- I have never heard of this before! What a great idea."

Congratulations to the BNI Lake of the Ozarks chapter for putting on such a great event. At our conference a month or so ago, our guest speaker from BNI Minnesota gave us an interesting stat. A visitor is worth about $1,000 to a chapter. I found this stat to be very interesting, so I posed a question to our last SW MO MSP class (about 1/3 were members who had been in BNI over one year). "How many people have done business with visitors who did not join as members?" I receive a show of hands from most of the one year members. I quickly pointed at them for responses "How much was it worth, gross?" one person replied "$450.00", the next "2,000.00" the next "$165.00". "Does it make sense to have a lot of visitors come through your chapter?" I asked the MSP class- the response was a resounding "yes."

So far BNI Lake of the Ozarks has initiated (7) new members, and in conversations with the chapter leadership team, it looks like another (7) are coming on board to join their sales team in the next week.

"Think BIG-2008" visitor day programs are great, as well as many other programs we have available to help chapters grow. If you are looking to grow your sales team, this is the year!

To Our Success,

Mike Tobin

Director of Marketing, BNI Missouri-Southern Illinois

Director, BNI Central and Southern Missouri

miketobin@bnistl.com