BNI - “IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY”--Changing the way the world does business: BNI-Westport Lunch Chapter
Matt Schellman, Financial Advisor - Edward Jones is a three-year, founding member of the BNI-Westport Luncheon chapter. Here is Matt’s story about helping one of his investment clients with something far more important than her finances:

“One of my clients needed a fairly large life insurance policy for estate planning purposes, and because of her medical history, I could not write the policy. I referred her to Corey Schuster of Affiliated Insurance Agencies, who is also in my chapter, since he has access to send the business out to multiple companies to see if any want to bid on the business. He found one that was willing to accept her medical history, and took the application to begin the underwriting process.

A few weeks later, I received a call from Corey. Upon review of the blood work, the underwriter at the insurance company saw something that made him very concerned. He contacted Corey, and though he couldn't tell us what he was so concerned about, he requested that we contact the client and URGE her to go see a physician immediately. Corey then got in touch with me, and we agreed that we should both call the client and urge her to go see her doctor.

Approximately two months later, I received a call from my client, and the tone in her voice was a tone of relief that I had previously not heard from her. She had gone to see her doctor, and it turned out that she had a large malignant tumor in her colon. She had surgery to remove the tumor from which she has now fully recovered. Without the calls from Corey and me, which stemmed from the call from the underwriter, which was the result of the application Corey took as a direct result of my referral, the client would not have found out about her tumor.

This thing we call BNI is one of the best ways we can build our businesses, develop relationships, and increase the bottom line to ourselves and the members of our BNI sales teams. Let us not forget, however, that it is not just about making more and more money. The referral partners to which we send our best clients provide valuable services to our clients, and through the team approach that we take, sometimes the result is invaluable. Please remember that as we refer our clients, friends, and family to our trusted partners we are repeatedly engaging in a simple act that can have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the lives of those we do business with, know and love.

The 3 Games of Chapter Leadership

If you or your leadership team aspire to take your chapter from point A to point B, your success will likely be tied to how well you play each of the following games:

Follow the Leader
The object of this game is for leadership teams to take responsibility for the quality of the meeting and all of the procedural aspects of running a chapter. This game requires people accepting certain roles and performing the duties of those roles. This won’t necessarily grow your chapter, but it will boost your professionalism and establish a foundation and direction for future growth.

Lead the Followers
The object of this game is for leadership teams to take responsibility for the quality of the members and their referrals. This game requires empowered support positions—VP, Mentors, Marketing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, etc—so that members are consistently taught, trained, and educated in alignment with the leadership team’s vision. This game will actually grow your chapter via addition.

Lead the Leaders
The object of this game is for EVERYONE to take responsibility for implementing your vision (because it includes each member getting what they want). This game assumes that your current and newest members ARE leaders, who know other leaders, and attract people like themselves to also become part of your chapter. This game will actually grow your chapter via multiplication.

Most chapters do a pretty good job of playing the first two games. The third game takes the most time to achieve. And since it takes the longest, the time to start is now. Make 2008 a “good to great” year for you and your members.

BNI: Changing The Way The World Does Business!

The 2008 BNI International Theme and Logo has been released. It is entitled "Changing The Way The World Does Business." What a great theme for 2008! I hope you are excited about the new year as we are . This will be our best year ever!

We would like to publish as many testimonials as possible in 2008. If you have a testimonial of success, please send it to us, in either video or written format. We would love to add it to our newsletter. Special thanks to those who have submitted testimonials for this post:

-Starr Himmel, Mary Kay Cosmetics (BNI River City)

-Lona Farrell, Heartland Payment Systems (BNI Success Link-Springfield)

-Kirk Reisner, Advisor Insurance Agency LLC (BNI Springfield Business Connection)

**Please Note: You will need to silence the "slide" program (lower left hand corner of video) to enjoy these***

To Our Success,

Mike Tobin

Director, BNI Central and Southern Missouri

BNI Gold: Why BNI works all over the world

Networking with Businesses Overseas

When it comes to networking with foreign companies, we all speak the language of referrals.

The idea of growing your business through word-of-mouth marketing is a concept that crosses cultural, ethnic, and political boundaries. It resonates within entrepreneurs all over the world. It resonates in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas–because we all speak the language of referrals.

Years ago I began to dissect just what it is about referral marketing that makes it so successful. I determined that the lowest common denominator is that people want referrals! The public wants referrals, the business community wants referrals, everyone seems to want referrals.
As I put together business-development networks or referral groups in many countries around the world over the last two decades, I was frequently told that this type of networking won’t work in other countries. It was ironic to hear, “This won’t work here, we’re different” the first time because it was said by someone in one part of Southern California talking about people who were 25 miles away in another part of Southern California!

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I later came to understand that this person just didn’t want to do the hard work necessary to slowly build his referral business. Rather than say, “I don’t want to do that,” it was easier to say, “We’re different here” (even though “here” was only a few miles away from “there”).

Over the years, I have been amazed to come across some people who absolutely refused to follow the tried-and-true fundamentals that were proven to work in generating referrals as I developed networking programs through BNI across the U.S. and later the world. In many cases, they used the “We’re different” argument or said things like, “That won’t work here.”
When talking about self-development, I have a friend who often says, “When it comes to ourselves, we’re always the exception.” Everybody else should do what’s been proven to work. It seems that the “We’re different here” mantra that some people spout actually prevents them from following proven methods of self-development. Only truly successful people understand that everyone who has achieved success has succumbed to the basics.

Building a Personal Network of Trust

If you want to build relationships that generate referrals, you have to take the time to gain trust and credibility within your network. Here are a few basic networking lessons you should keep in mind when building relationships with foreign–and local–businesses:

-Whether you like it or not, you do become part of a network, so make sure you leave a good impression.

-Maintain and cultivate your network–even if only by sending holiday cards every year.

-Encourage people to visit and stay with you whenever they’re in your area.

-When seeking to use your network for information or advice, try to empower individuals in your network to feel that by helping you they’re helping someone else.

-Be prepared to quickly build rapport and reinforce the positive expectations people have been given by their contacts.

-Be cross-culturally aware.

The value of having your personal network of trust applies wherever you operate. It’s particularly valuable in areas such as the Far East, where the culture of the community requires you to take time to build a trusting and mutually respectful relationship first.

My experience has shown that people in any entrepreneurial economy can use a networking system to improve their business. If this system is done within the cultural context and not outside it, I’ve found that the same networking concepts and techniques are almost completely transferable from one country to another. It’s basically due to the truth that business is business when it comes to relationship marketing, no matter the culture, ethnicity or political persuasion.

It’s true that people are different around the world, but normally all businesspeople want to conduct business more effectively. When the goal is to harness the power of relationship marketing, driving businesses further and faster through B2B networking can be an effective result.

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.

The BNI Effect: Networking at conferences and Trade Shows

The BNI Effect

Larry Blaha The UPS Store – Branson
BNI Show Me The Business - Branson


I’m new to BNI, having joined in March of 2006. I always thought I was good at marketing/sales, but BNI has made me even better and it has done so by showing me that it’s the givers gain approach to sales that brings the most results. I have found that the more referrals I am able to give the more business comes back to me. It has been a richly rewarding experience and I have learned so much from my fellow BNI members.


Branson had its first Home & Remodeling Show at the brand new Hilton Convention Center and The UPS Store – Branson was there. We had a very successful show and passed out coupons and brochures to anyone who extended a hand. I call it sidewalk marketing at its best. The cool thing is that many prospects do stop and engage you and that’s when you get an opportunity to talk about your business.

Trade shows are a major part of our marketing effort each year; we attend at least three per year and look for more opportunities as Branson’s newest convention center grows in popularity. But you ask, why take my UPS Store pack, ship and copy business to a home and garden show? The opportunity to meet and greet hundreds of potential prospects – it does not get any better then this. Plus the vendor to vendor contacts during a show give you many opportunities to talk with other business professionals like yourself and acquaint them with your business and BNI. Your investment can be as little as 50 cents per-contact.

I would encourage other BNI chapter members to look for opportunities within your community, Chamber of Commerce member events, community health fairs, and county fairs or be part of a trade show; you will be amazed how many new prospects you will have. I would also encourage towns with a large number of BNI chapters to consider starting their own business to business trade show.


Also attending the 2007 Home & Remodeling Show were the following members of BNI Show Me The Business - Branson.
All Star Home & Commercial Loans – Kathey Grodi
Springfield News-Leader – Sue Braun
Branson Homes & Land – LaNora Kay
Arvest Bank – Greg Baker
Edward Jones – Megan Plate
The UPS Store – Larry Blaha

From BNI - Branson Business Connection

The UPS Store – Judy Blaha
Gerken & Associates Realtors – Charlie Gerken

Thank you for the article, Larry. Trade shows and conferences are great places to build your business and also create an "inviting mindset" for your chapter. One of the biggest challenges members and chapters face is "pre-qualifying" (or "pre-disqualifying") potential visitors for your chapter. Visitors are like tourists to your city- they may or may not "move in", but if you treat them good, they will most likely do business with at least one of your members. Not every visitor is a candidate as a member for your chapter (that is why it is so important to have an effective Vice President and Membership Committee in your chapter- they are your chapters "Quality Control" program)

Here is something to ponder: Our BNI meeting is like a mini "Trade Show" every week. What is your chapter doing to A.) Drive traffic to your trade show and B.) Give every person who visits our "Trade Show" (chapter) 3-4 "touches" (i.e. phone call, e-mail, postcard, call from President, etc)?

Would you like some more tips on working trade shows more effectively? CLICK HERE to hear our founder, Dr. Ivan Misner, share tips on how to get the most impact out of trade shows and conferences.

To Our Success,

MLT

BNI Gold: Boost Sales With More Referrals

3 Secrets to Help You Increase Lead Generation from Networking Opportunities

When you belong to a networking group, it can be difficult sometimes to obtain referrals from fellow networking members. But instead of giving up and looking for another group to join, there are some things you can do to encourage them to spread the word about your company.I like to teach entrepreneurs about the three Rs of networking:
RelationshipsReliabilityReferrals

First, however, let me preface my comments here with an important statistic.When businesspeople begin developing a referral-based business, they receive a vastly smaller percentage of referrals their first year. After the second year, the statistic is about twice as high as the first, and after the third year, it really jumps. (For more on the statistics of referrals over time, see Chapter 8 of my book, The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret.) This being said, let me talk about how the Three Rs of Networking affect these numbers and can help you develop a successful word-of-mouth based business:

1. Relationships: Word-of-mouth is about “relationship marketing.” If you approach the first year of your involvement in a networking group with the sole motivation of getting to know the other members well, you will be far ahead of the game.One of the most important things I’ve learned over the years is that it is not really what you know or who you know; rather, it’s how well you know them that really counts! People do business with people they know and trust.In order for word-of-mouth marketing to work for you, you first have to build a strong foundation with the people you hope will refer you to others. That takes time, and the amount of time it takes varies from profession to profession. Obviously, some professions are much more sensitive than others to the development of referrals. So find reasons to meet with each person outside the networking meeting. Get to know them, and work on having them get to know you better. Make it clear that you value your relationship with each one of them.

2. Reliability: For the first year or so in a networking group, you are putting in your time. Your referral partners are testing you, checking you out, and making sure that you deserve to have their valuable clients and contacts turned over to you.
Therefore, you must be credible to other professionals with whom you hope to network. Bear in mind that you should feel the same way, too. Before you risk your reputation with your clients by referring them to someone who takes less care of them than you would want taken, you must be very sure that the person to whom you refer them is reliable! How else are you going to know that-unless you use them personally over a period of time?

3. Referrals: After cultivating relationships and proving yourself to be reliable, you get referrals as the end result. In order for someone to receive, someone else has to give. This holds so true with referrals. I would suggest you perform a reality check to see just how effectively you are referring the people in your networking group. You might be surprised to find how little you actually refer others, or that you consistently refer the same two or three people.If you aren’t tracking your referrals (both given and received), first read this article and then start tracking them. Look for patterns. I would anticipate that in the months following a month you were particularly active in referring others, you will find that you are receiving more referrals! I have seen the “what goes around, comes around” principle illustrated over and over in BNI, the networking organization I founded 20 years ago.This is a natural progression and one that can’t really be rushed. I know it can seem frustrating at times when you are anxious to see your bottom line increase quickly from all the referrals you are anticipating receiving. But believe me, if you are patient and apply these techniques, you will see word-of-mouth marketing work for you in a big way.You can’t take an orange tree and rip it up from the ground after a year and replant it on the other side of the yard, just because it wasn’t bearing fruit where it was. You have to water, fertilize and care for the tree where it is. In time, it will produce fruit. Your efforts will pay off. You must approach building a word-of-mouth-based business this way. In a solid networking group, you are growing solid roots with the other participants. The worst thing for you to do is pull them up just as they are getting set to grow and sprout.

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.

Huddle Time: BNI is not for Dummies!

BNI Is Not for Dummies

During Leadership Team training this term, we presented ideas on how to visibly remind members that Power Team Development and Most Wanted Categories need to be filled in their chapters. We provided a simple way to illustrate this: a tent-card that says, "RESERVED FOR (insert name of profession): $25K IN NEW BUSINESS/YEAR." No one is permitted to sit in that seat until the position is filled. At a recent meeting of the BNI Richmond Referral Foundation Chapter in Staten Island, New York, the leadership team decided to take these ideas a step further. When members arrived, they saw their "new CPA," as seen in the attached photos. During open networking, the "dummy" sat down in its seat. During the Sales Manager Minute, the president asked the "new CPA" to deliver a presentation. After a long period of silence, the president explained that BNI chapters are not for dummies! The chapter needs a membership of vibrant, qualified individuals, not people who take up a seat without contributing. A bag of chocolate coins and gold Hershey's Kisses was provided at each seat, with a pen that had images of $100 bills on it. Stapled to the bag was an article from a past issue of SuccessNet, "How to Successfully Invite Visitors." This illustrated that members are responsible for growing the chapter by identifying professions that are "most wanted"—and missing from the Power Teams.

Submitted by Tim Houston, BNI Area Director - New York City Outer Boroughs Region

This is an example of the great resources available to all of us through SuccessNet, the online newsletter of BNI International. To subscribe and have stories like this sent directly to you every month, click HERE and subscribe. It is just that easy!

To Our Success,

MLT

BNI Gold: Don't sell to your network- educate them!

Educate your network on your product and your customers so they can help expand your client base.

When entrepreneurs try to develop a qualified, consistent, and dynamic circle of networking partners who are going to provide them with referrals for new business, their tendency is often to “sell” those individuals on their product. It’s as if by showing them all the finer points of what’s available, convincing them to try their product and closing the sale with their networking partners, they’ll somehow realize an influx of referrals.

I don’t disagree that in order for the members of your networking group to refer you effectively they must be familiar with what you have to offer; however, it’s important to resist your urge to sell to group members. What do I mean by that?

Educating your networking group’s members about the type of referrals you want–specifically, where applicable, even the names of the individuals with whom you want to meet and develop relationships–is much more important to the success of your networking in a closed contact network than selling to other members. This demands a shift in how you see your networking partners. They’re not the clients; they are, in effect, your sales force. And for your sales force to sell you effectively, they have to know who to sell you to and how to sell you.

Below are four tips for incorporating this educational style into your networking meetings:

1. Teach your network members what your “dream referral” looks like. If you could go to your next networking meeting with a walking, talking dream referral in tow, what would he or she be like? Describe this person in detail to your networking partners. The more details you can provide, the greater the chance that your partners will recognize that person when they come across him or her outside the meeting.

2. Share customer profiles and case studies of current customers. This is a highly effective way to educate your networking partners about what it is you’re looking for in a new client. By sharing the qualities of your current clientele, you’re illuminating the canvas for the rest of the group so they can see the picture you’re painting for them. When appropriate, consider bringing in a customer or client to talk about how you’ve helped him or her. These kinds of interactions go a long way toward educating the group as to the type of person you wish to have referred to you.

3. Break your business down into its lowest common denominators. It’s very tempting to start your personal introduction with a statement like: “We’re a full-service XYZ.” Resist this urge! When you have 52 opportunities over the course of a year to talk about your products and services, don’t waste the opportunity to highlight one aspect of your business by painting with the full-service brush. Get detailed! Educate your networking partners week by week about the specific things you provide. Bring support material to provide a visual. Do demonstrations, when possible.

4. Ask specifically for the referral you want. I often hear members of networking groups say things like “Anyone who needs . . .” or “Everyone who’s looking for . . .” Usually, when I hear “anyone” or “everyone,” I tune out, because I know so many anyones and everyones that I end up referring no one. This is an interesting dynamic that has to do with information overload. When you’re asking for a specific type of business referral, your request from your networking partners should be specific. Using a broad, generic catchphrase will limit the effectiveness of your results.

By keeping your focus on educating your networking partners about what type of referrals you wish to receive, you’ll find that the referrals you begin to get will be of a higher caliber and offer more chances of becoming closed sales than if you try to sell the members on what you’re offering. You should be trying to educate a sales force instead of trying to close a sale. Shift your intention in the group, and you’ll find that the quality of your referrals will improve.

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.

Why our Region RULES!: Melody Crigler, BNI 417 Business Builders-Springfield

Here is a great photo taken in September of Melody Crigler with Guaranty Bank in Springfield, Missouri. Melody is in the BNI 417 Business Builders Chapter. This was taken a the MS150 Bike Ride in Columbia, Missouri on September 8th & 9th to help raise funds for MS and to support her brother, Russell Kaiser III who was diagnosed with MS about 3 years ago. It was her first ride and she rode 75 miles each day. WOW!
This is just another example of how our BNI Missouri-Illinois Region has some of the most incredible business people that do some of the most amazing things!

To Our Success,

MLT

Huddle Time: Developing a Mentor/Power Team program in your chapter

This is an excellent teleconference developed by the BNI Mid-County in the BNI Mid and West St. Louis County Region.

Make sure you click on the link below the letter and listen to the chapter teleconference. This chapter is putting a game plan together to take it to the next level. We think you will enjoy this!

Teresa and Scott,

We wanted to share with you one of the new programs we are implementing as our groups begins to really grow. We have taken our group now at 24 members and broken them down into spheres. We have elected a sphere leader for each individual spheres.

Today we conducted a call going over the details with the sphere leaders of what this is all about and what is expected from them. We thought you might enjoy listening to this in preparation for our Thursday meeting. The call was recorded and can be accessed via the link below. It is only 30 minutes and we would love any feedback you might have.

Enjoy and we look forward to seeing you Thursday.

Best,

Matt Shreves

http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=1317360 (you will need to "mute" the slide video above (lower left hand corner of slide picture)

Great Job BNI Mid-County!

To Our Success,

MLT

December 4, 2007
Turn the Holidays into January Sales

Many salespeople hate to see the holidays come around. For many, if not most, business virtually shuts down. It’s the time of parties and office get-togethers; the time of visiting friends and family, of meeting new people—and closing little or no business. Beginning the week of Thanksgiving and continuing till January 2nd, many salespeople shut down. They may go through the daily motions, but their heart and mind aren’t in it. They make no sales calls—or at least, no serious sales calls. Their conversations turn almost exclusively to small talk and getting to know their clients and others as human beings, not as clients or prospects. Business turns into fun and games. Thoughts of production are replaced with thoughts of food and cheer.
Nevertheless, for others, this is prime prospecting time. Not that they actively prospect at the parties and get-togethers they attend. They aren’t handing out their business card and trying to twist arms while everyone else is singing Jingle Bells. Instead, these men and women are listening and learning. They are taking every opportunity to learn as much as possible about all the people they meet and mingle with.
When they meet someone new, they’re actively qualifying that person as a potential prospect or a potential referral partner. When they spend time with their clients, they’re paying attention to who that client may know that the client could refer them to. When they meet with prospects, they’re learning everything they can about that person, their business, their needs.
They are constantly on the lookout for information that can help them grow their business. They take the old adage that knowledge is power and they use the casual atmosphere and the camaraderie of the holidays to enhance their knowledge of those they meet and those they spend time with.
Knowing your prospect, knowing your client, and knowing those you meet can give you tremendous advantages in January when business begins to get back to normal.
Don’t waste the coming weeks. Recognize that you have an opportunity to get a head start on your competition. The more you know about the people you try to sell, the more successful you’ll be selling them. Use this time to your advantage and you’ll see the results early in 2008.
(Paul McCord/Sales and Sales Management Blog)

BNI International Conference Video 2008- Jack Canfield and "The Secret"

Check out this cool video from the International Directors Conference in San Diego. You may see some familiar faces including our founder, Dr. Ivan Misner. Enjoy!

You will need to mute the "slide" video. Just click on the audio icon (lower left hand corner) and you should be able to mute the slide while this is playing.

To Our Success,

MLT