Systems and Referrals

Are you working the system or waiting for the system to work for you?

There are all kinds of systems operating in our world. Day in and day out we are interacting with systems. Some as simple as a Coffee Maker for brewing our morning cup of Joe, others as difficult to understand as the tiny little MP3 players everyone is plugged in to. The beauty of a system.......it is predictable.

You can count on your Coffee Maker day in and day out to make you that first cup of hot coffee, as long as you do your part to make the system work. The same holds true with BNI, a system that can be counted to produce results as long as you do you part to make the system work.

Your Coffee Pot cannot work unless you do some of work:
1. Plug it in
2. Put coffee filters in
3. Add your coffee
4. Add you water
5. Turn it on
6. Pour your first hot cup
If you only buy the pot, put it on the counter and wait for your coffee....you are going to be so disappointed, it takes your interaction for it to work.

Now let's compare that to your BNI Chapter:
1. Get plugged in....attend MSP, get your tools, be on time
2. Use the referral funnel to narrow your referral request or sales manager minute
3. Do one to one's with your fellow members to build relationships and trust
4. Prepare your 10 minute presentation, tell your members how to refer you
5. Give referrals to your fellow members, this will turn the pot on
6. Follow up on your referrals, enjoy the results
If you believe that simply joining a BNI chapter will build your business you will be very disappointed. BNI is a system and it takes your participation to make it work.

Unfortunately many of our membership never really plug in, as a result they often leave disappointed believing that the system failed them, when the reality is, they failed the system.

BNI is an interactive systems, for it to work you must interact with it and your chapter, make 2007 the year that you become a proactive member in your chapter.

Hazel Walker