After receiving a poem from Elaine Betts, entitled “The BNI Family Team,” BNI’s Founder and Chairman, Dr. Ivan Misner, recently proclaimed her the official poet laureate for BNI. Congratulations, Elaine!  Elaine Betts is an Assistant Director in the Northern California region and a member of the Valley Business Connections BNI chapter in Danville, California.

The BNI Family Team

By Elaine Betts

The over view and purpose, that’s brought to you this day,

Is givers gain philosophy, done in a special way.

Building credibility, relationships and trust,

Givers gain and attitude, this recipe a must.

Training others, helping hands, a spirit deep and true,

The power of one community, that spans the whole world through.

A family of businesses, each others’ sales in mind.

Referral reciprocity, no other you will find.

BNI, foundations build, enrichment from this place,

Building chapters, big and strong, to fill each category space.

The timed agenda keeps things smooth,

So business owners keep their groove.

Business By Referral, for Masters Of Success,

Closed business is a consequence, that businesses address.

What is a referral, expected call we say,

Follow up is crucial, for your business to make hay.

Dr Ivan Misner, has vision and foresight,

Developing an ethic, that’s professional, and right.

Members are united, a power team that is strong,

Each business bringing passion, and a sense that they belong.

Educating comrades on what they’re looking for

So others can look out for them to open up a door

If serving others, and building business, would satisfy your dream,

Be sure to join our global network, the BNI family team.

If building business is your dream

Be sure to join our BNI team

©Copyright 2010 Elaine Betts
All Rights Reserved

I felt it appropriate to pass on her passion to you, as I too share this kind of passion for the BNI organization. Personally, I choose to only participate in things that I am truly passionate about for the rest of my life. How about you?

LuAnn Buechler, Passionate Owner of PMC Events & Travel

www.luannb.com

www.PMCEvents.com

If so, this blog post is for you! J

The quote, “You can’t solve a problem with the same thinking that created it” also applies to our personal and professional growth. It’s impossible to achieve the next level of success or personal growth without changing our mindsets, skillset, and environment.

There will always be someone out there who is smarter, has more experience, etc., than you do. So what! This fact doesn’t negate what you offer and your ability to help others. The only thing that negates your influence is your fear of moving ahead and embracing growth.

Right now our BNI chapter incoming leadership teams are rounding out their support team. They will be looking for people who are willing to step up and help, just like so many others have helped in the past and made your chapter what it is today.

Are you open to learning new skills? Getting to know your members on a deeper level? And becoming part of a successful team?

Over the years I’ve held many positions within my chapter. Some of them I was good at, some of them I really grew into. And a couple of them helped me truly appreciate the person who filled my spot later. When I’ve been a part of the leadership team (including support positions such as visitor host, mentor coordinator, education educator, etc.,) I’ve received and given more referrals as a direct result of getting to know the other members better.

I hope that when someone taps you on the shoulder and asks for your help, you’ll step up to the plate and commit to doing it to the best of your abilities. There may be other members who you think would be better, but you were the one who was asked. You have something unique to offer that will make a positive difference.

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Be “king” of your role and lead the others by being the best you can be. Set an example of commitment and dedication and you’ll find it comes back to you in countless ways!  In other words, just say “YES”!

It was very interesting the replies that came back. Most loved their routines and said they couldn’t function without them. Some enjoyed routines but also liked the freedom they had without. Some even said they wished they DID have routines in place. The reason? All agreed that more gets done, when there is a routine in place. Very interesting, I thought.

I was listening to the Entrepreneurial Excellence Radio Show with Frank De Raffele last week and Frank said, “The more structure you have the more freedom you have…” The comment resonated with me because of my recent research on the topic and reiterated my conclusion. If we use our routines to accomplish the things that must get done, we are able to have more free time to do what we want to do.

As a small business owner, it wasn’t until I established routines for certain aspects of my business that I was able to start having free evenings and weekends with my family. This is the reason I started my business, so I could enjoy that freedom. It was also when I began to feel successful.

BNI is what I use for marketing my business so logically I enjoyed the structure there and the success it brought. Our BNI meetings have structure for a reason. We are able to get the things done that we need to. Our agenda is the routine or structure to the meeting. Is the agenda new? No, it was tweaked in the beginning, but has remained consistent for decades. Each item on the agenda is there for a reason. Yet, by using this agenda, we are able to get more done in less time. We are able to efficient and in turn, more effective.

Are there other routines that you use in your business? Would you be more productive if you did? Is there some portion of your business that you struggle with? Would establishing a routine help with the productivity and make it less of a struggle? Would you be able to enjoy more freedom with that structure in place?

Establish a routine today. Feel the structure. Feel the success. Enjoy the freedom.

Tara Schmakel- Entrepreneurial Excellence Business Forum, The Workroom at Tara’s

The mind is a powerful tool that needs direction. Once you are committed, clear and putting your attention in the right places you can program that tool to help you achieve almost anything! 

In the book The Passion Test, co-authors Janet and Chris Attwood say, “What you put your attention on grows stronger in your life” and “Pay attention every day, every moment to what you are putting your attention on.”

Science has shown that neuro pathways, the connections in the brain, can be created by a consistent way of thinking. Once you are consciously putting attention on certain things or areas of your life, you will notice opportunities showing up to help you align your life with your passions. It’s not that the opportunities were not there to begin with. When you put your attention on something you are passionate about you will begin to recognize synchronicities, opportunities, people and the things you need to live your passionate life appear.  As an example, have you ever bought a new car that you thought was unique and you hadn’t see any like it only to find once you owned it that they are everywhere?

My challenge to you is to be conscious this week as to where you are putting your attention.  Notice what is showing up in your life in relation to that.  Are your results in line with the amount of attention you are putting forth?  Please take a minute to share your experience with me by commenting on this blog.

If you’d like help becoming clear on your passions, so you can put your attentions on only those things you love to do the most, check out the Passion Test on my website at www.luannb.com and feel free contact me directly at your convenience.

By LuAnn Buechler, PMC Events & Travel, Certified Passion Test Facilitator

Is being simple a bad thing?

In normal conversation being called simple tends to be an insult. On the other hand, I have conversations with many people that I swear are trying to make their life more complicated than it needs to be.  Personally, I think that  in business being simple can be a really good thing.

Last week I was working with a group of highly motivated business people that are trying to start a new BNI chapter in my area. They were frustrated about the number of visitors they were having in relationship to the effort they were exerting.  So I taught them a two line script for inviting visitors to their meeting.

“I meet with a group of local business people and we are looking for a [Insert Profession] to give our business to. Would you like to meet my friends?”

Nothing fancy in that invitation at all. No references to the millions of dollars of closed business BNI members have done through referrals in the last year in MN. No mention of any of the features or benefits of membership in BNI. But after I told them what to say their mouths just dropped and their eyes lit up. All because it was a simple way to invite that got the job done.

How many times as business people and sales/marketing professionals do we try to tell our clients or referral partners EVERYTHING we know instead of focusing on the key information that they need to make a decision to do business with us? It’s really easy to just keep talking and talking and then completely talk yourself out of the sale.

Instead of trying to dazzle our clients with everything we know, we need to dazzle them with our ability to listen to them, express their pain and then relate what we do to their specific need.

When talking to clients, there are two things that should be shared:

1. How you can help.

All the coolest features and products in the world won’t get you a new client if those products can’t help them or more importantly, if the client doesn’t understand how they can help them.  Listen to what the client says and present your product in terms of what your customer tells you.

2. How this help will benefit them.

How you can help is great but if your client doesn’t understand what this help can mean to their success, you are still left looking for a new client.  Show them what impact this help will have on their business of quality of life.

Focusing on your clients needs and desired results instead of the features or services you provide will set you apart from the rest of your competition and set the stage for you to develop a profitable relationship with your new client.

No one wants to get a call from a salesperson that is always trying to sell, but no one minds getting a call from someone who is trying to help.

What does summer have to do with my BNI meetings?

The answer  - “sometimes not much!” 

We say this because we hear from folks during the summer where the chapter momentum lags. We’re all used to having summers off like we did when we were kids, no matter how old we are, and it’s hard to muster the same enthusiasm for things we have to do during the summer. Excuses run high.

We’re finding that summer is actually a great time to focus on a chapter program where everyone steps off on the same page really ready to take advantage of the fall.  That’s one reason why we have the HOT summer regional promotion going - to help chapters get the fundamentals down so they can kick off their fall with engines revved and ready to go.  You can get more information on that at http://blogs.delfuego.com. We’ll talk more about it on our call this Friday.

And speaking of our call this Friday, we’ll hear from Tim Houston, Area Director, and his BNI experience. Then, we’ll answer your questions and yes, give a sneak preview of when the new BNI Visitor Experience CD set and curriculum will be ready - the sequel to BNI Networking Secrets.
Conference Call Information:
July 9th 10:00 AM Central Time
Conference Dial-in Number: (218) 895-3922
Access Code: FASTTRACK# (327887225#)
Fast Track Tip of the Week

If you want to change up your Fast Track program, here’s an idea other chapters are doing and really having a lot of fun with it. Select members, other than the Educational Coordinator, to deliver the Educational Moment.  You can draw from a hat, ask for volunteers, or choose a fun way to select - like the person who lives the closest to your meeting place, or the person whose birthday is coming up the soonest.  Sometimes having different members deliver keeps everyone on their toes and gives them another way to build their Visibility and Credibility with the chapter.  If you decide to do this, just make sure you help them prep with the Education Coordinator manual.

All our best,
Flynn, Sara, and Linda
512-736-8716
512-576-0556
“Lives that Matter, Lives that Work, Businesses that Succeed”

Let’s call him Slick Willie. Willie sells oil to individuals or mechanics for machinery and cars. Willie appeared during a BNI Chapter Visitors Day one spring, and then began to visit every chapter in the area. During a brief conversation Willie told me he would never join just one BNI Chapter, that his plan was to visit all the chapters he could to find business. Then he would move on to the next organization. As a director for BNI I was at many of our local chapter meetings. So, I saw Willie on several occasions and Willie saw me.

Finally at one meeting, Willie came up to me and said “you are the person who can help me”. “I am” I replied. “Yes, you seem to know everyone, so if you will do business with me, you can spread the message about how great my product is.” I inquired again if he planned to join a chapter and got the same response. “No, why would I do that. I am going to visit them all to get business and then move on.”

Willie continued intently to tell me all about is oil, how he could come to my home to put it in my car and teach me how to do it. It would be better for my car. More cost effective, etc. I told Willie, I only do business with people I know, like and trust. “If you plan to join BNI, we can build that relationship and talk more about your products and services.” Willie again expressed his views on networking organizations and how he did not have time to build those relationships. “Trust me; it’s a great product, just try it and you’ll see.” Willie said.

I explained to Willie, “…one of the values of BNI to me is doing business with people I know that I can trust. I know nothing about cars and honestly have no desire to learn. So, I work with a mechanic who I have built a relationship with to the point that I trust him implicitly with my cars. I would never do anything to my car without Jerry’s input.”  I proceeded to ask Willie if he knew my mechanic Jerry, which he acknowledged that he did. I told him, if he wanted to speak to Jerry about his oil products I would connect him. He assured me that was unnecessary. “Well, I only do business with Jerry and so unless Jerry tells me this is the oil I need, and encourages me to put it in my car. I will not be buying oil from you directly.” Willie was quite persistent; he wanted to go into the parking lot to put oil in my car. To end the conversation, I had to tell Willie I had another meeting and he needed to go.

I did in fact have a meeting with the leadership team of the BNI Chapter, which I proceeded to conduct after Willie had left. Upon completion of that meeting, I felt the need to call Jerry to warn him about my conversation earlier that morning. Jerry was pleased to hear from me. I started the conversation with “Jerry, I called to warn you about a guy I spoke to this morning…” Jerry interrupted me with “he’s already been here.”

I apologized to Jerry for ever having mentioned his name to Willie. Jerry reassured me that he was familiar with Willie and his tactics so there was no need to worry. Willie had gone to Jerry’s shop and told him that I sent him there. That I wanted the oil in my car and that Jerry needed to buy his oil in order to take care of his customers - me. Can you believe that!

Fortunately, Jerry and I have a strong business relationship which we developed through our BNI Chapter. Jerry knew better than to listen to Willie. He told him “let me speak to LuAnn, if she wants your oil I will get it for her. However, what I have been using in her vehicles is what I would still recommend to her.” Willie continued to the extent he wanted to leave some oil with Jerry assuring him I would want it for my car. Again, Jerry knew better and sent Willie on his way.

I felt so badly that Jerry had to “deal” with Willie because of me. However, Jerry reassured me that it was because of our relationship and how well he knew me, that he was not fooled by Willie’s tactics.

Thank goodness for solid relationships with people where we can trust each other so implicitly others are unable to come between us, use us or deceive us. Networking is about cultivating those relationships. It is about farming rather than hunting. Willie was a hunter. He set his sights on a target and was coming in for the kill. That strategy failed on both Jerry and I. Because Jerry and I live by the relationships we have built to do business based on trust.

Trust takes time, is another fact that Willie failed to understand. Jerry has been working on my cars for nearly 5 years. He has earned my trust over time. Willie expected me to trust him based on one conversation and his word. Your word is only the beginning; it is like the seed that is planted. Then you prove yourself by nurturing the relationship. Spending time to get to know one another and delivering on the products and services you have committed to in your “word” - thus creating mutually beneficial results.

I take my cars to Jerry because I know I can trust him to treat me fairly and ensure my cars are always in good repair. I trust him to do that because of our relationship built over time. Jerry in turn assists to connect me with the people he knows that I would like to meet for my business.

And that’s how it works Slick Willie…

P.S. Some names have been changed to protect the guilty. On the other hand, Jerry Fossum of Jerry’s Broadway Care Car, Rochester, MN, is the most trustworthy mechanic you will ever know. If you are ever in the area - see Jerry for all your car care needs!!

But why would you want to be Chapter President, VP or Secretary Treasurer?

The number one reason that you should want to serve in a leadership position within your chapter is that it will help your grow your business.  Chapter leadership, and this includes the visitor host, membership committee etc, tend to always get more referrals while they are in a leadership position and after they serve in that position. Why is this?

1.  Visibility + Credibility = Profitability

Being a leader in your chapter automatically increases your visibility and your credibility because you are showing your commitment to the chapter.  Now if you aren’t doing the right things right while you are leadership, ie showing up late, passing bad referrals etc, it can also move you down the confidence curve.

2. Additional Training

Ever wonder why BNI does some of the things it does?  As a member of the chapter leadership, you get to attend some additional training workshops that provide you an in depth look at how BNI chapters are run and you learn new skills, both organizational and interpersonal, that you can transfer to the rest of your life.

3. More Interaction with your Members

Being an active leader in your chapter will allow you to interact with the rest of your members more often.  You will be the one they look to when they have questions and this increased interaction will help you build more of that credibility that we talked about earlier which leads to more profitability.

And last but definitely not least….

4. Givers Gain

This is the philosophy that BNI members live by and follow to build our businesses.  If I help you become successful, you will help me in return.  What better way to have a positive impact in your member’s success than by helping them grow and maintain a successful chapter that allows them to grow their business more effectively.

So when your chapter president and your Assistant Director approach you about being on the leadership team this fall, don’t say no out of hand just because it may be a little more work or push you out of your comfort zone.  Remember that they are asking because they have confidence in your ability to lead the chapter to continued success and look at it as a way to give back to your chapter members for the help and support they have shown you.

By B. Scott Binion

Do this and don’t do that!  Concentrate here and you will be successful.  If you can make sure this gets done, watch out for the referrals!  We all have our “lists” to keep track of.  But what if we looked at networking from a different perspective - would that be helpful?  Most likely will.

So here goes - Do you know 4 sure-fire ways to NOT be a successful networker?  Here’s the list:

1. Show up to your networking meetings late most of the time.
2. Expect your sales force or chapter members to think of you when you’re not there.
3. Only meet outside of the networking meetings when asked.
4. Make sure to always leave your networking book of contacts in a drawer.

I know what you’re thinking - these are just way to simple.  After all, any networking education would lead you to another way.  Obviously, if you follow these rules, your networking success will be lacking.  But everyone needs to realize we all have made one or all of these mistakes before - or at least you should admit it.  I know I have!

Now here’s the way to be even more successful at your networking efforts.  Ready for the blinding flash of light?  Do the complete opposite of the four above!  Again the four suggestions restated:

1. Show up early and stay late for your networking meetings - you might even close some business.
2. Being in front of your sales force or chapter members allows them to get to know what makes you successful.
3. Be the first to initiate member meetings over and over again throughout the year.
4. Enter your networking or chapter members in your Blackberry or Droid or at the very least in your day-timer or portfolio.

Now you have no excuses - be that great networker that everyone looks up to.  Better yet, share your knowledge and networking success with others.

“But Sue, I only use Facebook for personal, not business. I want to keep my personal and business lives separate!”

If I had a dime for every time I heard that comment, I’d be a very rich woman! I understand the sentiment, but the problem is this: There’s No Such Thing as a “Personal” Facebook Page!

It is important that you understand whoever looks at your profile is going to view it from their intent, not yours. The viewer is usually looking at your profile in an attempt to better understand who you are, your values, and the judgments you make in life as a whole. Are you giving them a favorable “first impression”?

“Google” yourself and you’ll find that your Facebook profile shows up close to the top of the search – this is what others will find when they search for you. Take a close look at your profile page through the eyes of a “stranger”. Are you someone you would want to know?

Here are 5 things you can do to successfully blend your “personal” and “business” images within your personal Facebook page:

1.   Have a photo that is appealing. Do you look approachable? Do you look like someone we’d like to meet? Can we see your eyes? Are you the only one in the photo so we don’t have to try and figure out which person you are in the group? Smile!

2.   If you are tagged in photos, what image do they portray? If these photos are sending out a “mixed” message, simply adjust your settings so that the photos those people post and tag you in are “hidden” to the general public. (do this in Settings) Remember the line, “birds of a feather”? If you are in some photos taken and posted by others that shed less than a positive light on you, people who read your profile may judge you unfairly. You control your own image. Take charge!

3.   Complete your profile by adding business interests as well as social and personal interests. Let people get to see the “whole” you.

4.   Vary your status updates to include a few business comments occasionally. Potential clients and customers are going to review your info anyway, so give them some great info!

5.   Delete or hide “friends” who make inappropriate or stupid comments. This would include the avid updater who is consistently posting irrelevant comments such as “I’m waiting in the car for my daughter”, then minutes later, “I’m driving my daughter home”, etc. You know who I mean! This also applies to political, sexual, religious, and racial content.

Social media has given microbusinesses the opportunity to create large PR on a scale that competes with the big companies. You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. It’s up to you to enhance and control the image others see. Tweak your profile to compel others to want to get to know you. Once they know, like, and trust you, business can happen.