Hi, I’m Cys Bronner, Executive Director of BNI4Success, BNI’s Greater Los Angeles regions and this week I want to talk about one of the most common things we let slip through the Chapter Culture cracks, our commitment to 90/90 Vision.
90/90 Vision is simple. It’s that each member has a commitment to 90 minutes inside the meeting and 90 minutes outside of the meeting each week. This weekly act of 3 hours, is just part of your “secret sauce” but a key part.
In a recent article by Dr Ivan Misner he writes: The secret to getting more business through networking is. . . spending more time doing it! OK, well, it’s a little more complicated than that because you have to spend time doing the right things.
Granted doing something is always better than doing nothing, but let’s focus on doing the right things.
One to Ones – Not just for BNI
The second half of the 90/90 Vision is a One-to-One meeting. Members tend to think that this is the “extra” we ask of them in BNI in addition to the 90 minute meeting.
The reality is that the combination of these two create a completion towards weekly activity success. It’s so important to the foundation of business that One-to-Ones are a long-standing practice in business management and an essential part of good leadership skills.
Justin Rosenstein, (Co-Founder, Asana) says: “You spend so much time finding great people, it’s worth it to help them grow to be the best they can be.”
What is a One-to-One meeting?
One-to-Ones are a time to make sure you and your business team – your referral partners – are aligned.
It’s where you train your sales team to bring sales to you, and how you get trained (by them) to bring referrals to them
A One-to-One is a dedicated space on the calendar creating BNI time to connect and communicate, allowing members to dive deep in a way that you can not do during the weekly business meeting and really create those strong business relationships.
There’s a focus to it too, just like everything in BNI it follows one of our 3 pillars; Structure, Education and Commitment. Without the structure, a proper framework, agenda, and mindset, however, the One-to-One meeting can become just another meeting in your day.
Getting the most out of One-to-Ones
While we encourage social connections, there’s little value in just having a Beer-to-beer. Make sure you’ve completed your GAINS profile and sent it to the other person ahead of your meeting. Allowing both sides to view the other’s GAINS profile and craft questions or topical points ahead makes that meeting more valuable to each of you.
What else? Spruce up that member page of yours!
I mean, if you knew that someone was looking to learn the most about you, doesn’t it make sense that you give them the ideal opportunity to see you and your business shine?
You may ask What are the benefits of having one?
To learn about each other and how to represent them to others —it doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
My advice: most importantly, listen to what’s being said. If you’re like me – take notes! You’ll have more success, if you have something to refer back to.
Long term vs. short term goals
You would be surprised how many people are stumped when you ask them about their Goals. Many will ask me “do you mean personal or BNI?”
I believe in life/work harmony, that there is a portion of each that contribute to the greater goal, so I want to know both BUT I recognize not everyone is comfortable to being that open at first meet (and I haven’t scheduled a second or 3rd One to One with them yet). To answer this, I generally respond with what is your goal for this year, what do you want to see in your life or business by year-end?
I’ll ask, “How does this immediate goal support your 3-5 year goal?” and probably have a conversation about where they see themselves in 10 years.
When it comes to our 90/90 Vision, here are specific benefits of these One-to-One meetings:
1. They strengthen relationships between Referral Partners and Their Power Teams.
People rely on the basic human need to feel validated and listened to. Successful referral relationships rely on more than being seen and appreciated, but their skills and knowledge taken into consideration.
Strong Power Teams recognize this same fact and add One-to-Ones that are focused on one Power Team member each month.
2. They improve productivity.
Scheduling weekly One-to-Ones boost referral productivity and increase efficiency. It’s interesting to note is that the amount of time you spend holding on-the-fly conversations with your chapter members, communicating by email, and tracking down crucial information will be condensed almost entirely. It also creates a high-level overview of current business needs that can move the referral partner to the Golden Goose status of being your Referral Hub.
3. They build professional loyalty.
Loyalty requires frequent and consistent meaningful interactions. The quickest way to make One-to-Ones a waste of time is to schedule less of them. They get their value from being frequent and regular, so aim to meet every 1 to 2 months. In larger chapters, you may have to schedule 3-4 months apart with each member – this is where Power Team meetings become critical for your business building success.
Not only will you have the opportunity to discuss needs, goals, and expectations, but you’ll also give your referral partner an advantage by providing your undivided attention
4. You can check-in on goals, progress and next action steps to achieve success.
It’s in this meeting where you can do the necessary ongoing review of how your Chapter member is performing in relation to their goals. It is here you can both discuss next actions to hit the objective together. Think of the powerful purpose of meeting and achieving forward-thinking decisions to drive exceptional results!
BNI can accelerate the process of developing trust between BNI members through regular One-to-Ones. To be effective, a One-to-One needs to be both structured and social. The more you can find overlapping areas of professional and personal interest, the more successful your One-to-One is going to be
Thank you for listening today.
Join us next week when we’ll talk about Networking Success and the 12x12x12 Rule at BNIPodcast4Success.com
In networking: The more memorable (positive and helpful) you are, the better the results.
Questions? Feel free to call BNI Executive Director Cys Bronner 866-889-3466 or email her at Cys.Bronner@BNI4success.com
Her motto: BNI, Making word of mouth marketing work for you
Click for more information or to join a BNI chapter in the Los Angeles area
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