Is your membership working for you? Cys Bronner, BNI Executive Director shares the top 10 ways to make your BNI membership work for you. There’s always success steps in every recipe; with these 10 ways you and your business will be cooking!
10 Ways to Make Your Membership Work for You
I’m Cys Bronner, Executive Director of BNI’s Greater Los Angeles regions – BNI4Success and today I want to talk you about the 10 ways to make your BNI Membership work for you
You might wonder, why do I need to know these steps or where I do start? Let me ask you: how do you make toast? You gotta turn on the toaster! If you don’t press that button, all you have is bread – So let’s get started by pressing the button with step #1
1. Put your BNI meeting on your calendar as a recurring appointment. I’m a big believer in time blocking and managing your day.
By adding your BNI meeting to your calendar it avoids scheduling conflicting appointments during your meeting time and ensures that you have enough time before the next item. Being at your meeting regularly is the first step to success.
2. Identify a substitute to take your place when you can’t be there. Life happens. It’s important to consistently get your message out to your BNI sales team. Have several presentations written out to email or fax to your substitute can give your message effectively. By being prepared, you not only ensure that you don’t miss a business opportunity but that you receive those opportunities in return.
3. In our region, we have 90/90 vision – that’s 90 minutes inside the meeting and 90 minutes outside the meeting
Do get the most out of this, you should schedule your “BNI vision” time outside your meeting each week. This can be done 15 minutes at a time or a whole hour at one time. Some uses for this BNI hour can be inviting visitors, honing your 60 – Second Presentation, or doing One – to – One appointments with other members.
4. I believe that results go with goals – so set a goal to bring at least one visitor a month to your BNI meeting. You want real success? Make it one visitor a week! Ask yourself, who do you do business with that should be introduced to your BNI members, your marketing partners that create a referral hub? If you like and trust this professional, wouldn’t you want to help them increase their business this year?
5. During your weekly BNI Vision time – Do a One – to – One. I try to schedule a One – to – One appointment at least once a month with a member you haven’t brought a referral for yet.
That One – to – One time will give you new ideas about how to bring referrals or who to introduce them to. In addition, it will probably help the member to target what they are expecting or how to express it more effectively to help other members as well.
6. Participate in at least one networking event a month at a chamber, professional organization or a service organization. This will not only potentially expand your business, but also be a source for BNI visitors.
This is so important, that I look for these event in my daily action plan.
If you love to read like I do, Review the “Ten Commandments of Networking a Reception” in The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret for hints on how to make this time worthwhile.
7. Participate as a Leadership Team member in your Chapter. As a member of the Leadership Team, you get to exercise the leadership muscles you already have.
Decide which position fits your work style and “shadow” the current person in that position so you’re prepared to take training and perform the duties and responsibilities in October.
8. Successful entrepreneurs know that life long learning is key.
Attend all those BNI trainings, workshops and conferences held. I love Podcasts! They fit my schedule and I gain so much out of those little snippets of knowledge because school is never out for the professional.
In addition to the new ideas you’ll receive at these events, they’re a continuing opportunity to meet other BNI members and guests outside your Chapter that can expand your sphere of influence and could result in additional business for you.
BNI Online™ has been a huge boon to me for this.
9. Set a goal to bring at least one referral a week to a member of your Chapter. BNI is about “Givers Gain.”
When you are a regular contributor of quality referrals, the members will look harder for ways to help you build your business. To help you achieve this goal, take notes during each member’s weekly Presentation and keynote Presentation. And review them!
This will help keep them top – of – mind through committing ideas to paper.
10. Create five or six meaningful weekly Presentations. The BNI meeting is your Sales Meeting – Remember, that during this time each week, you are teaching your marketing Directors about who you want to be introduced to, what need you can fill, and the words or phrases people might say that can help your BNI members identify good referrals for you.
The keys to success in BNI are the same as for your business: plan, prepare, execute and evaluate.
Too many of us see our BNI participation as separate from our business, when in fact the way we present ourselves at the BNI meeting is the model our members see as how we do business.
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