BNI Minnesota & N. Wisconsin Blog

by LuAnn Buechler, CMP, PMC Events & Travel

I just love it, when I am attending a professional development event or training seminar and they speak the language of referrals. The world is beginning to resonant with the same messages we deliver in BNI. I attended a training just this last weekend for my travel business. Everything they were teaching us reminded me of BNI. I was so proud to already understand the concepts. Sometimes affirmation of our knowledge is just as empowering as learning knew things. It’s also a good reminder to keep doing what your doing.

To remind you just how much you already know here are a few of the concepts that they taught. See if you are already doing these things:

1. When is the best time to ask for a Referral? As soon as you close the sale, ask your client for a referral to the person in their circle of contacts that could also benefit from your product or services.
2. Go for the Low Hanging Fruit. Work your relationships. Work your networks. Rather than mass marketing pieces or direct mail trying to find new clients. Work with the ones you already have. Get referrals from the people you know. Who know, like and trust you. Ask them for referrals to the people they know who could benefit from your products or services.
3. Who do you know that already sells to businesses? Or who shares the same client? Build relationships with those individuals who share the same client. One of you will see them first and can pass business to the other. Talk with them openly about how you will share those referrals.

Hopefully, you are already doing all of these things. Otherwise, consider it a reminder. Keep it simple. Go back to the BNI play book and stick to the basics. It’s economical and effective. The rest of the world is starting to speak exactly the same language. The language of referrals, it will make sense to your clients & colleagues. Build on that, rather than looking for new ones.

If you continue building on the relationships you have, the referrals will follow. Remember to reciprocate when you receive those referrals! (That’s a subject for another day.)

by Beth M. Anderson

“The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity.” - Zig Ziglar

What are you doing, or not doing, that is causing you to lose business? Are you doing what you say you are going to do in the time frame you said you were going to do it? If not, what excuses are you giving to yourself and why are you willing to accept them? Do you even know that business is passing you by because you didn’t pass the first “test” of a potential customer?

I have been around long enough to only do business with people I know, like and trust. Trust is something that has to be earned, and you start to earn that trust from the very beginning of our relationship.

Late for our initial phone call? You may not get a second chance.

Late for our first meeting? Why would I think the situation will improve with time?

Missed a delivery date, and didn’t bother to let the customer know? Don’t expect another order.

So many products and services are commodities, the way to set yourself apart from your competition is to do what you say you are going to do, in the time frame specified, at the prices you have quoted. It’s really quite simple. Under promise and over deliver, and your customers will be yours forever.

What are you doing today to make sure your integrity with your clients is intact? Just do it!

By B. Scott Binion

Everyone needs time away from the daily routine.  Without a break from the enormous responsibilities or stresses of work, relationships, and life itself, our quality of life will no doubt suffer.  We are all busy!  Too busy really!  Most of us don’t have the luxury of taking several weeks off each year.  More power to those that can take extended breaks.  Most of the time, we have trouble even relaxing for that long weekend or rare trip to Florida.  Finding alternative ways of getting away becomes more important. 

Here are a few simple, but effective ways to “get away” from the daily grind:

1. Use your “stuck in line” or “on hold” time to think about stress-less activities – that walk you are going to take with your spouse when you get home, reading a great book, running, writing etc.
2. Take 20 minutes twice a day to unwind – have a cup of coffee or read a pleasurable article or thrilling spy novel.
3. Turn off any electronic device you need for work - sometimes in the middle of the day.  They will call back – they always do.
4. Put your office phone on “do not disturb” and leave it there for a while.
5. By all means, use your vacation time for what it is intended for…..time away!

Recharge your personal and professional life with these useful tips.  Enjoy your TIME AWAY!

 Occasionally I hear people talk about hiring someone to be responsible for their social media and it makes me want to shout, “No! That’s not something you can outsource!”

This blog post by Leesa Barnes offers a great explanation about why WE need to do our own social media tasks.  It’s truly worth reading and thinking about.

Why You Should Never Outsource Your Social Media Tasks & What You Should Delegate Instead   By Leesa Barnes

     I often see notices from outsourcing companies promising that they can make your social media burden light by doing the tasks you don’t want to. These virtual teams promise to:

• Ghostwrite and post articles on your blog.
• Find and approve friends for you on Facebook/LinkedIn.
• Find and approve followers for you on Twitter. 
• And will do this anywhere from 4-10 times per month for a few hundred dollars.

     Huh? When did outsourcing your relationships become okay?

Social Media Wears Prada (Didn’t You Know?)
     In the movie The Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway plays a naive entry level secretary by the name of Andy Sachs. Andy heads to New York after she’s hired to assist Miranda Priestly, the editor of a New York fashion magazine, who’s all bitch and little personality (played by Meryl Streep). 
     In one scene, Miranda drags Andy to a charity event. The reason Miranda needs Anne is because Miranda can’t remember anyone’s name. So Andy has to walk 5 paces behind Miranda with a book that includes the names and faces of New York’s socialites. 
     Every time Miranda shakes someone’s hand, there’s a 3 second pause as Andy quickly flips through her book and then whispers the person’s name in Miranda’s ear. 
When you outsource your selection and maintenance of your social media relationships, I liken this to the book that Andy carries around. If you aren’t cultivating these relationships through Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn on your own, how then will you know who to call on when you need them? 
     For example, if your assistant is the one approving and finding friends and posting things on Twitter on your behalf, you’re missing out on the friendly banter that happens between friends. 
     My pal, Scott Stratten, is always spinning tunes and sharing his playlist on Twitter. If he plays your favorite song and you’re not there to tell him so, how can you expect to build rapport with him? 
     Click here to read the rest of this article and to provide your comments…

WANT TO REPRINT THIS?
Feel free to do so just as long as you don’t edit or alter the content in any way and you include the following: Leesa Barnes is an award winning blogger and critically acclaimed author who helps businesses get active using social media in 3 simple steps. To learn how you can become Marketing Fit, visit http://www.marketingfit.com to get your complimentary to get your complimentary kit called the Marketing Fit Success Kit containing a social media checklist, mindmap, MP3 file and a complimentary subscription to the Marketing Fit ezine.

by LuAnn Buechler, PMC Events & Travel

There has been a lot of buzz this week about Lisa Nichols coming to Minneapolis. Featured in The Secret, Lisa Nichols message is about how to overcome every obstacle in life, No Matter What! Lisa is an amazing, inspiring and motivating speaker. She’s received rave reviews on her international tour, and her book No Matter What is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today best seller.

BNI Directors, who attended the National BNI Conference in Milwaukee, had the privilege of seeing Lisa in action as our keynote speaker. Nearly everyone who was present was inspired. Inspired to change, to persevere or to simply live life to the fullest No Matter What! obstacles seem to come your way.

I believe we can apply this philosophy to today’s economy. Many people are living in fear rather than facing the obstacle head on and looking for ways to overcome, to persevere to become even stronger because of it. No Matter What! We will survive. This too shall pass like it has in the history books many times before us. We will come out stronger than ever before if we hit it head on with a “No Matter What attitude”.

Focus on the positive opportunities to survive and thrive. Your customers can sense fear, if you are doing business with fear and apprehension. They too will worry that you may not survive. Any doubt can lead them to look elsewhere for your products/services. So, stand strong No Matter What!

If you need an attitude adjustment, if you need a boost to inspire you, to keep going in these challenging times, even if you just would like to be surrounded by great people to network with who are determined to grow despite these times…You should join us Friday evening at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The event is just two short hours, 6pm-8pm. Two hours that could change your focus, re-inspire you to commit to yourself and your business for 2009! It is a Free event, with the purchase of one of Lisa’s Books No Matter What. Books will be available for purchase at the door.

Be there, Friday, May 29^th, Minneapolis Convention Center, 6pm-8pm, NO MATTER WHAT! Click here for your FastPass!

by Linda Aasen

Bob Weiss, Vice President of East Side Alliance Chapter, recently sent me this parable.  I thought you might find it interesting.  We are eager to hear what your most valuable customer does for you.

Let me tell you about my most valuable customer!  I have a customer who is responsible for 60-70% of my new business and, about half of my recurring business!  I meet with this customer weekly, and nearly every week he has one or more pieces of work for me.  This customer also has introduced me to several of his customers, suppliers, and colleagues and, in many cases, I have developed profitable business relationships with those companies as well.  This relationship has developed into a business opportunity worth tens of thousands of dollars to me every year. Do you understand why this is my most valuable customer?

In addition to this, though, this customer has assumed a role in my business life as a mentor and counselor.  When I need some business advice, or just to bounce an idea around, I can call on my customer and, always find a willing ear and helpful suggestion.  When needed, I can count on a referral to an expert well qualified in the particular field of my inquiry.

Plus my customer is constantly on the lookout for new business opportunities for me, almost like an unpaid sales person.

Quite some customer, huh?  Would you like me to introduce you to my most valuable customer? Well, before I do that, you need to know about the negatives….

My customer expects me to meet for breakfast every week on Thursday morning at 7 am for a meeting that generally lasts an hour and a half.  They expect me to be a little early, or at the very least, on-time.  I dare not miss a meeting; if I cannot go for some reason, they expect me to send someone in my place.  They expect me to pay for the breakfast, even on those occasions when there is no new business for me.

So, there you have it.  Do you still want to meet my best customer?

My most valuable customer is my BNI chapter.  The 30 plus members of my chapter, the East Side Alliance, are the best and most reliable source of new business for me. They represent the best return on my marketing dollar, somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 or $50 for every dollar invested.  A seat in our particular chapter is worth about $20,000 per year to an average member.

We meet on Thursday mornings from 7 to 8:30 am, at the Wildwood Lodge, next to the Machine Shed restaurant, at the intersection of I-94 and Radio Drive.  Please come and meet with my most valuable customer.  We have a chair waiting for you!

Bob Weiss at WyzGuys Computer Support
www.wyzguys.com

By B. Scott Binion, CPA

What are you counting in your business?  Of course you count where you’re money is going and maybe wondering where it went.  You count how many of your employees show up each day and who is there to get the work done.  You count the number of customers coming in or going out the door.  You maybe count the calls you receive or the meetings you have to attend.  Maybe it’s the number of customers you gained or lost.  Realistically you probably count just about everything whether it’s in your mind or written down.

But does it really matter what we count?  You bet! It matters for at least most of what is counted.  In my opinion, here are a few important things to count in your business right now, no matter how simple they may sound:

• What you have coming in
• What you have going out
• What is on the immediate horizon
• What’s on your list to accomplish this year
• How are you doing so far

Without enough cash coming in your business will end up faltering.  Too much cash going out can’t last long – your borrowing capacity will end at some point.  Your immediate horizon is so vital to being profitable.  What customers are coming on board or projects about to begin?  What marketing efforts are under way and when will you see some positive results? 

You must count what you have going on in the next 3 to 6 months to set your business up for success for the next year or two. 

So don’t stop counting what matters!

Recently I read a great article by one of my favs, Kathleen Gage. I’ve taken a couple of social media courses from her and have gotten so much more than I paid for. She knows what she’s talking about and truly delivers value through her experience and expertise.  Here’s the link to her blog post: A hidden reason you are likely not generating online revenues:

As I travel around teaching social media courses to our BNI members, I am often asked if regular people really do generate income through social media. The answer is “Absolutely!”  You can go to my LinkedIn page (Sue Henry + BNI) and read some of the recommendations I’ve received where people are sharing the successes they are experiencing.  One of my favorites is from Wanda, a hair stylist. Since implementing some of the strategies I taught on FaceBook, she’s averaging one new client per day. Not bad!

Sometimes the inability to generate profits stems from other influences, such as our belief systems.  If you think you should be getting from your online experience, read Kathleen’s article. Do a “gut-check”.  Do you fall into any of the areas she talks about?  If so, figure out how to overcome them. There’s so much information available online and once you know the issues, you can search for effective solutions.

Remember, someone is buying what you have to offer today… shouldn’t they be buying it from you? 

By LuAnn Buechler, PMC Events and Travel

This morning I presented at my third Visitors Day of the season and once again, heard mention of the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Is that the way we really ought to be thinking?

Some time ago I wrote a blog about the Platinum Rule “Treat others as they want to be treated.” I believe this is truly the way we should think about referrals and customer service. I combine those two subjects, because after all, our referral sources are our greatest clients correct?

Let’s look at referrals first. If we “treat others as they want to be treated” we find them the referrals they are asking for. For example if the Realtor says a FSBO (For Sale by Owner) is a good referral for them, then we deliver them FSBO’s right. That is then considered a good referral. We have treated them as they asked to be treated.

That’s a simple one to visualize. Would they want a more qualified referral if we can deliver it? I am sure they would. So, what if I ask for a personal introduction to a specific person and instead I get a generic referral to a company or associations 800#. Am I being treated as I asked to be treated? Is that a good referral for me? Unfortunately, No. Is it building good relationships or “customer service” delivery? Unfortunately, No.

Now let’s look at customer service. In a training that I deliver, we teach people to serve others as they want to be served. Rather than how you want to serve them. This means you need to learn more about how your clients want to be served. Listening is a good start as it is in finding good referrals.

Here is an example of what I mean. My father-in-law had made a reservation for 4 people at a local restaurant at 5:30pm. At the last minute, I was able to join the party and called the restaurant to increase the reservation to 5 people. They would not accept the change. From their perspective, they could not put us at a larger table because they had reservations on those tables at 7pm. Although, I explained that we would easily be done in time and gone by 7pm. They stated that their “service” style takes 2 hours and it would be impossible for us to be out in time. They have at this point alienated me as a customer (strike one).

However, my father-in-law was adamant that he could change their mind when we arrived. Having over 50 years in the Hospitality Industry under his belt, one would think he could. In this case he was unable to persuade them (strike two) to give us a larger table. At this point we convinced the waiter that as little people we could squeeze around the table for 4 which they had assigned us. The entire time we were dining, the round tables for 6 people on either side of us sat empty.

We left the restaurant by 7pm as we knew we would. Simply put the two senior citizens in our party only last for an hour and half at one sitting. We knew our group; we asked to be treated in respect of our needs. The restaurant simply refused to look at it from our perspective.

Think about it. Think about how you are serving your valued clients. Are you serving them as they wish to be served or as you want to serve them? Are you applying the Golden Rule or the Platinum Rule? We want to hear your customer service stories that exemplify the difference between these two approaches; for better or for worse.

Your stories may be used in a book my dear friend Bob Nicoll and I are writing called “Remember the Ice: Exceptional Care for Your Valued Clients”. Email your stories to LuAnn@PMCEvents.com or Bob.Nicoll@RemembertheIce.com. OR contact us if you’d like advice on providing exceptional care for your valued clients and referral sources.

I recently read the most fascinating book, “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell.  This book questions why some people are far more successful than others and seem to have an easier time achieving that success.  Is it a better gene pool, superior intelligence, hard work or just plain luck?

The author suggests that we should consider other aspects of these success stories such their family, their birthplace, birth date, and experience.  Think about the Beatles.  Were they superior musicians and song writers?  Was Brian Epstein an exceptional manager?   Did they practice longer and harder than other bands?  Or were they just in the right place at the right time?

Does Bill Gates have an intellect far superior to ours?  Did he understand and see a future for computers that very few others could see?  Did growing up in Seattle set the stage for his future success?  Or was it that his parents were very successful professionals and wanted only the best for their son?

If you have children who aspire to being professional athletes or at least superior athletes do you know that their fate may have been sealed on the very day they were born?

If your child wants to be the best mathematics student they will have stiff competition if there are any Asian children in that school.  Asians have an advantage with numbers and mathematics.   Do you want to know why?

These and many other questions about the nature of success are addressed in this book.  I think you will find that Malcolm Gladwell has created a new model for nurturing success.  I find it interesting that Malcolm Gladwell’s father is a Professor of Civil Engineering and his mother a psychotherapist.  Perhaps that combination of genes and experiences is what gives Malcolm his unique perspective on the world.  Perhaps that is the key to his success.  There is only one way to find out…read “Outliers”.

By Linda Aasen