BNI-Indiana

Your Reputation and Networking

2008-05-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

I came across this question on Linkedin. So I thought I would share it. It is important that we pay attention to what we are doing in our networking activities if we want to get the best results.

What can/does networking do for your professional reputation?

By "professional reputation", I mean how people view you as a professional both in the meeting room and outside the office. Your integrity, respect, intelligence, and impact on those around you. When you network through LinkedIn, how can professional networking relate to all these areas?

My Answer:

Networking creates visibility for you, people know who you are and have a face to put with a name. Quality networking can indeed enhance your reputation and create credibility for you. Poor networking can create a different reputation. People who drink to much, people who pitch and pressure others about their product or service and people who show up in person with a very poor professional image, create a whole different reputation, not the one they may have wanted.

I know there's a person on Linkedin who consistently puts stupid, meant to be funny, answers to peoples questions, he thinks he is cute, many others think very differently, so he has a reputation, it just may not be the one he wants.

Online or in person, it is very important to mind your manners, behave professionally, don't be a know it all, participate, answer questions intelligently, follow up with people, become known as someone who does what they say and always Give before asking to Get. You will be well respected, thought of as someone who is intelligent and connected.

Hazel M Walker

Credibility & Appearance

2008-02-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

Are you credible? Are you sure? Building your Credibility takes work. Everything you do builds or destroys your credibility. It's those little things that you don't even think about that are the most important.

Consider your appearance - What does your appearance say about you?

There was a lady in my network who wanted to meet with attorney's but every time I had the opportunity to see her she was dressed extremely casual,her hair unkempt and no make up. Out of frustration she told me that she could not understand why she could not get an introduction from the members of her network. She ask for my help, so I told her that based on her appearance neither I nor anyone else was going to introduce her to our attorney.

She was shocked. She told me that if she were going to see an attorney that she would get dressed up. How would I know that? How would anyone know that? We had never seen it and we were the people whom she was asking to refer her. She had no credibility with any of us, no matter how good she was at what she did. Now, don't get me wrong, I would have hired her to do work for me personally, because I knew her and liked her, but I was not going to put my reputation at risk!

A few weeks later she came to the meeting dressed in a very professional suit, hair done, and make up on. After a few weeks she got her first referral to a members attorney. From that day forward, she was always dressed credibly. Today she is very successful and well known in her industry.

You see my perception is my reality, right or wrong. What perception are you leaving behind? When people see you do you look like someone they would be willing to stake their reputation on?

Hazel M Walker
Certified Referral Trainer

What is the Secret

2008-02-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

Everyday I talk to members about BNI, and networking. Many have wonderful success stories to tell me, like Deb and Erin in Greenwood and Tim and Erica in Columbus. Members tell me how they have increased their business by 25%, 35%, and 60%. Then I speak to another member who tells me how they have been a member for an entire year and it is just not working for them. They have gotten NO business from their chapters.

I find myself asking why? What makes the real difference between those whom are doing well, and those who are not, here are some of the things I have found.

Education – Those people in life and business, who are extremely successful, never stop learning. They are always trying to find new ways of doing things. They understand that even when they think they know it all, there is always something new to learn and try. They not only learn it, they implement it. They also understand that they are responsible for educating their fellow members as well as being educated during one on one’s.

Time – the highly successful members have a very clear understanding that it takes time and commitment to build trust and understanding with fellow members that will lead to the high level of referrals that Tim and Erica are passing. They understand that Trust cannot be rushed, and that dollar for dollar the longer they are a member of their chapter, the higher the return on their membership. Most members don’t put in the time that it takes to build those relationships.

Gratitude – Deb and Erin don’t forget to thank one another, no matter how many referrals that Erin gets from Deb, her referral partner, she never forgets to show her gratitude and appreciation for the work that Deb has done on her behalf. This makes Erin FUN to refer to. When was the last time that you got a referral from a fellow member, closed the deal, and the very most you did was drop a “Thank You” slip into your chapter basket? Did you send a little gift? Did you write a note? Remembering to say thank you will inspire members to refer you again. I have a referral partner who always gives me a Starbucks Card when I refer her, even when the deal does not close. I love referring her and always have my ear open for her. Are you fun to refer?

The next time that you think, “My BNI chapter is not working for me” ask yourself,
“Is there any other educational opportunities that I can take advantage of? Have I spent enough time developing my relationships? Have I said “Thank You” ?

Best of Networking
Hazel M. Walker

$208 million and nay sayers.

2008-02-16T11:02:00.001-08:00

One of the things that sets BNI a part from other organizations is the systems that we have in place for tracking. We track everything, attendance, lates, substitues, guest, visitors, one to one meeting and Gross value of a closed referral. This year the central indiana chapters of BNI closed $208 million dollars of business. That is GROSS sales. That is impressive. Now in my head if I estimate that on average most people have about a ten percent profit margin that still equals $20 million is NET.

$208 million makes an economic impact. In Munice, 3 chapter did $40 million, that makes an impact on their local economy in a very positive way, its business that stayed in Munice.

Once I published these numbers we immediately began to get Nay Sayers. Well that is Gross, or that is from the Real Estates and Mortgages, and blah blah blah. here is my question...........So What?

Most compaines report their gross sales, most professionals are responsible for reporting the monthly gross to their bosses. Most restruraunts report gross receipts at the end of the day. A million dollar real estate agent......is that net or gross and is it really any less impressive.

Congratualtions CENTRAL INDIANA BNI Chapters. Job well done, and with the economy the way it is..........let's do it again.

Hazel M. Walker
Executive Director
BNI Central Indiana

Did you say thank you?

2008-02-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

You get referrals from the people in your business network, social network, or family network. That referral turns in to closed business. Did you thank remember to thank them? I don't mean the quick email or voice mail that says hey, that referral closed, thanks for thinking of me. I mean a way of showing your gratitude that goes beyond that.

In BNI members think if they turn in the little Green Thank You with the GROSS sales amount on it that is Thank You enough. Really, all that amounts to is the ability for the chapter to track how much money the chapter has generated in Gross Sales and who is bring quality referrals.

I recently gave a very nice referral to an insurance agent. This referral has turned out to be very lucrative and may turn into more referrals down the road. That Agent took the time to find out what I liked and where I liked to shop. He then went out and bought me a Gift Card to my favorite Dress Shop. I was thrilled, excited that he really took the time to thank ME not the same way has he thanks EVERYONE. Do you think that I am on the look out for more great busness for him?

Even if he never gives me another gift, the very fact that he took the time to learn about me makes me want to help him.

On the other hand, I gave referrals to two other people that closed and both were equally lucrative deals, one sent me an email saying thank you and one sent me a coupon for a free sunday at an ice cream place.

Which of the three do you think will ever get my referrals again?

Here are some tips on thanking your referral sources that will leave them inspired to help you..........

1. Find out what your referral sources like, their hobbies, their collections, music, travel, family, what are those things that they enjoy not related to work.

2. Thank the person appropriate to the referral. If I send you a referral for a $100 deal then I would be happy with a note card saying thank you so much and a request of how you might be able to help me. On the other hand if I send you a referral that is a $200,000 deal then I would expect you to send a more appropriate thank you.

3. Do it promptly, when the deal is done say thank you right away.

4. Make it a habit, if you want your best referral sources to continue to send you business make it a habit to thank them.

Are you inspiring others to want to help you?

Hazel M. Walker
Referral Strategist

Is anybody listening?

2007-11-17T15:58:00.000-08:00

Statistically it is shown that most people only listen to something for about 30 seconds before their minds begin to wonder. They begin to think about things like; what's on their to do list; when is lunch served; what issues they are having back at the office and so forth and so on.

Companies spend millions of dollars to fashion commercial sound bites that will be heard by the public in 30 seconds or less with the hope that they well be remembered tomorrow.

Every week BNI members do exactly the same thing. They stand in front of a room full of business professionals and give a 30-60 second sound bite, teaching their members how to find business for them, how to recognize a good referral or who they are looking for a connection with. But, is anyone listening to those request? Here are three reasons that many people don't listen to the person asking for the referral.

1. Lack of preparation. Members don't bother to plan what they are going to ask for or what they are going to say. They WING IT!

2. Lack of clarity. members do not know what what it is that they really want.
So they stand and say things like, anybody who needs my services, somebody who wants to do business with me, everybody is a good referral for me.

3. Asking for the same thing every week, until members begin to tune them out.

If you see yourself in any of these 3, you may want to talk to your local director about helping you. Tools such as the networking funnel are a great way to get focused.

Happy networking........

Hazel M. Walker

How long does it take?

2007-09-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

How long does it take to build trust and get referrals? I am ask this question almost daily, and my answer is always the same. You get referrals when people trust you and you have spent the time it takes to teach them how to refer you.

So how long does it take to build trust? As long as it takes! But there are things that you can do to help the process. Schedule one to one meetings and get to know each other outside the meeting. Learn about the other persons family, their business, what kinds of referrals they are looking for, how they want to be introduced, their goals, and what an ideal referral for them would be.

Make sure that you do what you say you are going to do. It is better to under promise and over deliver.

It take time to build trust, but it only takes a second to destroy it.

Hazel M. Walker

Givers Gain........not just a slogan

2007-09-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

Givers Gain is not just a slogan that BNI dreamed up, it is the fundamental value of BNI. Givers gain, it's what your mother taught you. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. If you want a referral, give a referral.

Gandhi said,"Be the change that you want to see in the world." Again, if you want to get a referral you have to give a referral. I recently had this conversation with one of our BNI members. He was frustrated because another person in the chapter who should be a great source of referrals for him was not giving him any referrals at all. When I ask the inevitable question, "How many referrals that converted to business have you passed him this year." His response was surprisingly, none. Then whats the complaint, you give to get.

When you think BNI is not working for you, stop and take a look at your level of participation. Are you passing referrals? How many have you passed in the last year and to whom did you pass them? Did they convert to business or were they just paper?

Remember, you have to give to get, its called, GIVERS GAIN.

Good Networking,
Hazel M. Walker
Executive Director

Where are the rest of the Referrals?

2007-09-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked by a local BNI member the following question:

The Real Estate Agent in my chapter is only giving me part of his closings as referrals, shouldn't he be required to give them all to me?

The short answer to this question is NO. No member of BNI is required to give all of or any of their referrals to fellow BNI members.

BNI is a Givers Gain Organization, so how many referrals have you given? If you want to get a referral you must first give a referral. Referral are built on trust and relationships. No one comes into BNI without some established relationships already in place. Since relationships take time to build we certainly do not expect members to give up all of their existing relationships.

When I was a member of a BNI chapter as an insurance agent, there was a CPA in my chapter. She was great and I really liked her. But, I had a long standing relationship with my CPA. Once morning Wendy gave me a referral that closed into a nice account, at that point I knew that if I was going to continue to get referrals from Wendy I would need to also pass her referrals.

So, whenever I had a referral that I felt was right for her they went to her, but if I had one that was a better fit for my CPA it went to him.

My recommendation, have a one to one and ask what will it take to gain more of your trust and referrals.

Hazel M. Walker
Executive Director

I Got a Referral Today Now What?

2007-07-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

You get a referral from a fellow BNI members, what should you do?

1 Put in in your card fie and rush out of the meeting.
2 Say thank you and try to follow up.
3 Schedule time to speak to the person who referred you.

I hope you chose 3! Schedule time to meet with or speak to the person who just passed you the referral. Ask a few of the following questions;

Have you spoken to this person and are the expecting my call?
Are they expecting my call?
When would be the best time to call them?
Is there anything about the client that I should know about?
Is there anything else that you can tell me?

Now you are prepared to follow up on that referral.

Hazel M. Walker
BNI-Central Indiana
Executive Director

Help the Competition just walked in the room!

2007-06-28T18:35:00.001-07:00

The competition just walked into your BNI Chapter meeting......what should you do?

a. Tell them they need to leave since you already have someone in that seat.
b. Slam the door and act like there is no one at home.
c. Welcome the guest, introduce them around the room and thank them for visiting.

I certainly hope that you chose C. When someone joins a chapter they have the exclusive right to that membership, their competition cannot join, but they are allowed to visit the chapter. After all, they may want to start a chapter of their own or just see what BNI is all about.

Competition is really just an opportunity to Collaborate. When I was an insurance agent I received a great many of my referrals from my competition. I wrote policies that they did not and they were able to take care of those clients that I could not. I turned out that what looked like a competitive relationship at the beginning was really a great referral relationship.

Besides, what are you afraid of? Do you really believe that your members are going to give referrals to a complete stranger while you are an active member in the chapter? If you are worried about that ask yourself why? Do you not believe that your members like you and trust you? Have you not been building strong relationships with your members? If a referral does get passed to your competitor, stop and ask yourself; Why? What do I need to do or what have I not done?

It all starts with you, build stong relationships and never worry about the competition.

Hazel M. Walker
Referral Marketing Strategist

What time does that meeting really start

2007-06-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

Time and time again members seem to be confused about why the open networking portion of the meeting is important. After all the meeting doesn't really start until the president calls the meeting to order does it

Reality is the open networking done at the beginning of every meeting is very valuable for building relationships. If you ignore this part of the meeting you miss out on meeting your fellow members and your visitors. Remember, every single visitor is a potential referral source or a possible prospect.

If your meeting is 7am to 8:30am then you are effectivly late at 7:01am. Open Networking is part of the meeting, don't miss it, or you may miss a valuable part of the meeting.

Hazel M. Walker

Kicking Off New Chapters

2007-06-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

Putting together a core group and getting it to the point of Kick Off is a lot of hard work. People call my office every day wanting to start a chapter, but few ever follow through. They learn pretty quick that putting that first 15-20 people together is not as easy as they always seem to think it is.

Recently I received an Email from a Mortgage Broker who was sure that he would have little on no trouble at all getting a BNI Core Group together. After all he was very connected and 15 people would join on his say so. After several months he contacted my office to say that he gave up. He could not get 15 people to make the commitment to join, attend, and do the work of a core group.

With that said, I am proud to announce the Kick Off of two new chapters "The Benjamin's" and "Twin Lakes" We are very proud of both groups and the Assistant Directors Tony Sandlin and Marty Cotterman for all of their hard work.

Congratulations....Job Well Done!

Investing in your Network

2007-04-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

To build a stong house you have to spend your money in a strong foundation. It is not the prettiest part of the house, but it is the most important part of the house, if you don't spend the money and take the time to build the foundation, the house collapses.

The same holds true with when you are building your network. A stong network is built on trust and trust takes time. You can't use money to build trust and trust is the foundation of a strong network.

Many people join BNI chapters, they believe they can spend their money to join and as soon as they do, the network will begin to pay off. But, they have spent no time building a foundation of trust and credibility.

As a member yoiu should consider the first 6-12 months as the time it takes to build your foundation. To build the trust and credibility that it takes to get your fellow members to refer their best clients and contacts to you.

Here are a list of things that you can do to build a strong foundation.

1. Take advantage of all of the educational opportunities offered
2. Spend time doing one to ones with your fellow members. Learn about them and
their businesses.
3. Give a referral when you can, practice Givers Gain
4. Ask the leadership team how you can help serve
5. Bring Visitors, they help to build everyones business
6. Make sure that if you get a referral, you make the person referring you
look good.
7. Spend time developing your sales manager minute.
8. Know who you want as your next customers and ask.
9. Make sure your first 10 minute showcase teachs your members who your customers
are as well as who they are not.
10. Teach your members how to refer to you.

Make the time investment to build a stong foundation the first year and the referrals you get in the second year will be better qualified and have a higher value. Remember, trust takes time and trust is the foundation of a strong network.

Happy Networking
Hazel M. Walker
Queen of Networking

Rainmakers, Chambers and BNI

2007-02-14T06:34:00.000-08:00

Rainmakers, The Chambers of Commerce and BNI.....What a powerful group of organizations to be involved with. WHY can't we support one another?

Lately I've felt a sense of animosity and competitiveness between the 3 organizations and I do not believe it is in the best interest of the organizations to go with an either or attitude.

Last week I met a gentleman who was trying to figure out where he had met me, he said, "Maybe it was at Rainmakers!" I said that was a possibility but I had not been to a meeting in several Months due to a series of classes I teach. I gave him my BNI business card, his next statement and the ensuing conversation left me frustrated and concerned.

"Oh, you're BNI! Of course I didn't meet you at Rainmakers since we are your Number One competitor you wouldn't be there!" I replied, "We're not competitors we are very different and symbiotic. Many BNI members are also members of Rainmakers." He simply could not understand why I did not understand, that we are competitors, and with that he left our table. Several people at the table commented on how resolute he was to that notion and how I was wasting my breath trying to explain. (by the way, no one at the table had heard of either organization1)

So, to all Rainmakers, BNI Members, and Chambers. We are NOT Competitors, we can coincide together very nicely. Saying that we are competitors and we must choose one or the other is like saying, if you LOVE Football and hold a season ticket, you cannot love Basketball and hold a season ticket. The fact is, in most cases the person who holds one season ticket often holds a second season ticket of another sport.

Here are a few of our differences:

BNI - Closed Contact, limited to One per profession
Rainmakers/Chamber - Open Casual Contact, unlimited professions are welcome

BNI - Very Systematic Structure
Rainmakers/Chamber - Casual, less structured

BNI - Requires a level of participation from all members. No Long Term Bystanders
Rainmakers/Chamber - it is up to you how much or little you wish to participate

BNI - System for moving members in and out of the organization
Rainmakers/Chamber - As long as you can pay you can play

BNI - Extensive training to ensure every members success
Rainmakers/Chamber - Training and mentoring offered

BNI - Track results and attendance of members and chapters
Rainmakers/Chambers - encourage attendance and participation

BNI - Referral Organization
Rainmakers - Networking Group
Chamber - Business Support and Networking

We encourage BNI members to join their Local Chamber of Commerce, after all, the chamber supports your community and your business in a variety of ways.

We encourage BNI members to join other OPEN CONTACT networking groups like Rainmakers, or women's groups such a NABOW. If you are going to help your fellow members and grow your chapter you need to network and create visibility.

Are we right for everyone? NO, but you get out of each of these organization what you are willing to put into them.

Best of Success,
Hazel M. Walker
Referral Marketing Strategist

Systems and Referrals

2006-12-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

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

Referrals and What Else?

2006-12-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

People join BNI Chapters and rarely have a plan for working the program in the most profitable way. They become distessed when they are not getting referrals for an extended amount of time and believe that their BNI chapter is not working for them. There is more to get for and from your BNI Chapter Members that can add value to you and your business.

Have you thought about any of the following;

Collaborate on an E-Newsletter - these newsletters can be sent to everyones clients and contacts
Co-Host Casual Networking Events for each others customers and contacts
Ask your members for Speaking opportunites, these opportunities will set you up as an expert in your field
Display each others products
Invite a member to an event that you may be attending
Get and Give Written Testimonials that you can use on your website, or in your office

There are any number of ways that your BNI members can help you if you only ask, and each of these lead you to higher credibility and profitablity.

Don't just wait for referrals to happen create business with your chapters.

Network with Intention,

Hazel

Tracking Your Results

2006-11-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed how people keep track of so many things they do. For instance, how long it takes to walk a mile, what their golf handicap is, what the Colts statistics are and even how many calories and carbs they have eaten.

Yet, I am amazed how many BNI members do not track their results. I recently had a conversation with a BNI member regarding her membership. She is coming up for renewal and was trying to decide if she was going to renew her membership or not. In an effort to help her make that decision I asked her a few questions.

1. How many referrals have you given to fellow members?
2. How many referrals have you recieved?
3. Of the the referrals you have recieved, how many have you closed?
4. What is the total amount of your Gross Sales from those referrals?

Surprisingly she did not know the answers to these questions! Do you? Why would you particpate in a program to grow your business, yet not keep track of your results? If you were advertising on the radio, would you not track your results? If you had a coupon in the paper, would you tack how many of those coupons were redeemed.

It's not difficult to track your results, here is an easy way to keep track and not even have to use technology.

Whenever you give a referral, keep your yellow slip.
When you receive a referral, keep your white slip.
When a referral turns into business, simply right the value on the appropriate white slip.
Every 3 months total up your numbers, at the end of the year you will know your numbers.

BNI does provide a referral tracking spreadsheet, ask your director for it and use it, or just create your own spreadsheet.

Either way, at the end of the year, you will have a good idea of how much business you have given and gotten. Now you can make a decision about your renewal with fthe acts.

Happy Networking!

Hazel

What will you be Thankful for?

2006-11-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

What is in your Plan for next year?
The dishes are cleaned, the leftovers packed away, and I am thankful that nothing was burned and everyone was safe. I realize the year is in the waning days, and it is time for us to begin to plan for the next year.

As you are planning for next year, setting your goals, creating your marketing plan, and making your plans, ask yourself this question...."How does my BNI Chapter fit into my Business Plan for next year?" Is it "JUST" another meeting that you have to go to? Is it something that you have to "fit in" every week, one more thing to do? If that is the way your BNI chapter is being viewed, I would like to challenge you to take another look.

Your BNI chapter should be written into your business plan. Those weekly meetings, the one on ones and the time you spend in training should be part of your marketing plan. Let's take a look at all the ways that you can market your business next year;

Advertising
All of us must advertise in some form or the other, from radio, print ads, coupons, to television. We strongly encourage each of our members to have an advertising plan, even if it is just brochures, cards and yellow page listing. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself.

What is your advertising budget?
Where will you advertise?
How will you advertise?
Who will you target your advertising to?
How will you track your results?

Cold Calling
There are those who are so good at this, they almost do not have to do anything but find good list. This is becoming harder and harder to do. The no call list, answering machines, and people just being very curt on the phone. If this is your answer here are some questions you will need to ask yourself.

How much time each day will you dedicate to making your calls?
Where will you get your list?
Do you know and understand the cold call list?
What kind of training might you need?

Word of Mouth
It is important to understand the difference between word of mouth and business by referral. Creating Word of Mouth means that people are talking about you and your business. Many people spend time Networking believing that they are creating Referrals for their business, reality has it, what they are creating is Word of Mouth. Nike, Coke, Burger King and many major companies spend time developing Word of Mouth. To learn more about Word of Mouth visit the Word of Mouth Marketing Associations website. If you are going to create a word of mouth plan for 2007 here are the questions that you will need to ask yourself.

What will people be saying about your business service or products?
How will you measure your results?
Who do you want talking about your business?
How much time will you need to invest to create Word of Mouth?
Will you utilize the internet to help with your Word of Mouth?

Referrals
This is the kind of business that everyone wants to recieve, but are often left to guess when they will get them. Getting solid referrals take time and a plan. You should be able to plan how many referrals you are going to get and from whom they will come. Here are the questions that you will want to ask yourself about a referral plan.

How much time will you invest?
How much money will you invest?
Who will you build a referral relationship with?
Do you have a system to train your referral partners?
What organizations will help you build credibility with your referral partners?
How will you track your results?
How many referrals are you prepared to develop for your referral partners?

A combination of several of these programs will be important to your business; each of them that you choose to implement should be included in your Annual Plan, including your Referral Plan. BNI is the place to develop the relationships you need to get regular referrals, treating it your meeting as one of the important parts of your business will make all the difference. You will become proactive and begin to receive proactive referrals from your key referral sources in your chapter.

Good luck and let me know if I can help;

Hazel WalkerExecutive Director

International BNI Conference

2006-11-08T05:09:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again, BNI International Conference. Networking at its best, people from all over the world come to one place to do one thing, Network. There will be more than 700 people, ranging from National Directors to Ambassadors, all freely sharing and learning from each other.

The thing I really Love about the International Conference is the practice of Givers Gain. Directors share with one another freely what is working in their area, new workshops they have developed, different ways to doing leadership training, better ways of growing chapters and retaining members. They are always happy to make a connection, pass a referral or share an idea with one another.

Remember, as a member of BNI you are a member of an international organization, you can be connected anywhere in the world. Its more than that weekly meeting you go to each week, its bigger than the roomful of people you see every week.

Have a Great Week

Hazel Walker
Executive Director

Standing in the Middle of a Referral

2006-11-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

Last night I attended a very large charity event, it was a lot of fun and I saw my friends and met some new friends. I realized that this was to be the first of many holiday events that I, and others would be attending and every event would be a great opportunity to help my Referral Partners.

With the holidays coming up, and all the parties, family gatherings, company events and dinners that will make up the Holiday Season, it is important to remember that you are always standing in the middle of referrals for your fellow BNI members. Being a good Networker requires that we listen twice as much as we speak, that is exactly why we have 2 ears and only one mouth.

When people are together, relaxed, sharing a meal and conversation, they begin to talk about all the things going on in their lives. Like the best friend who just got engaged, or the last child leaving for college, the parents who are becoming unable to care for themselves.

Every situation is an opportunity for you to help someone. In your BNI chapter your fellow members should be teaching you, either during the meeting or outside the meeting, what to listen for and what questions to ask so that you can qualify a referral and/or make a connection.

Last year a friend was telling me about her sister’s recent engagement. She was very excited about the upcoming nuptials. As she shared her news with me, I began to ask her a few questions and shared in the excitement. My questions were simple ones like, “Where is she getting married? Is this going to be a simple affair or an all out bash? Is this a first marriage for both of them?” and so on. We had a great time talking about the upcoming wedding, our weddings and weddings of friends. In that time I was able to connect four of my referral partners who were able to do business with this couple and they were able to connect this couple to several of their Referral Partners.

It all started because I was able to listen, ask engaging questions, follow up, make the connections and attended the wedding. At no time did I ever flash a business card, pull out my BNI File, or start trying to pass a referral. I simply gathered the information, followed up with my friend and her sister, and asked if they would like the connections. Some they did, some they did not, but the point is, even at this Holiday gathering I was able to make many connections for my network and Referral Partners.

For the next few weeks I challenge each of you, to teach your members what to listen for and three or four questions that they can ask that would help them to make a connections for you.

As always, remember to honor the event, listen, ask questions, and follow up.

Cheers,

Kevin Eikenberry and Blogging

2006-10-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

I am currently on a conference call listening to my friend Kevin Eikenberry discuss his blog, how he has used blogging to grow his business both locally and nationally. I said in my last post that I was going to learn as I go, and I can not think of a better person to learn from than Kevin. He truly lives the "Givers Gain" philosophy, always willing to connect, teach and share.

One of the key aspects of being a good networker is living the philosophy of "Givers Gain". When was the last time for no reason at all, without keeping score, you connected one person to another, shared an idea, mentored another, helped someone out, or gave to others?

Make it your goal everyday to reach out and Give to others, don't just think about the Givers Gain philosophy begin to LIVE it!

You can learn more about Kevin Eikenberry and his wonderful programs on leadership and team buliding by going to his website and reading his blogs.

Welcome BNI Indiana

2006-10-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

I would like to welcome BNI members and non members alike to this blog. This is my first attempt at a blog, and I am a little unsteady on my feet. Much like a toddler! Nevertheless I am determined to learn all that there is for me to learn using this technology.

For those of you who know nothing about BNI you can go to the website, www.bni.com or www.bni-indiana.com to learm more the organization.

In the mean time, I will go learn more about how to be a better blogger and will return to test my knowledge!