A good 60-second presentation is not cute or oblique. Simple and succinct beats rambling every time.

As a BNI assistant director, I visit a lot of chapters and I’ve noticed that a lot of members deliver 60-second presentations like they’re telling a joke – not necessarily funny, but with the punch line delivered at the end… by which time you’ve lost your audience.

A good formula is the proven AIDA principle – grab Attention, stimulate Interest, create Desire and call to Action.

Let me use as an example a 60 second presentation I delivered to my chapter last week. It’s not a shinning example, but I think it does the job…

Example:

“When Elias Howe invented the sewing machine, women laughed at him.

“‘What,’ they wanted to know, ‘would we do with all the extra time your machine will give us?’

“As business people we’re always striving to be innovative, to be the first to deliver a bigger, newer and better offering to the market ahead of the competition.

“Elias Howe’s sewing machine was all of these things.

“Yet Elias Howe lived his life in borrowed suits, little knowing that one-day his machine would be instrumental in making the very suits he could not afford.

“It doesn’t matter how good, or commonplace, your product or your service is, you will end up in the poor house if you don’t know how to sell.

“What matters most, is how well you market your products and services – just ask a successful insurance salesman, or mortgage broker.

“My job is to help you sell your products and services better than the competition.

“A good referral for me this week is any broker groups or companies in the insurance, mortgage and financial planning industry.

“Sovereign recently retained me to present to their brokers around the country on how they could use social media to optimise their existing referral networks. I would like to offer that seminar, with a manual, to other broker groups.

“Colin Kennedy, Iron Road Communications. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a few well chosen words will paint a picture.”

In this example I used a story to get attention, I turned a common belief on its head and then showed people that the ‘holy grail’ is actually far more attainable than they thought, provided they just do what they do well.

And then I was very specific in my referral request. That’s what is most important. Be very specific in your referral request.

“If this video makes you stop and think about just how BNI is able to make a difference to the lives of others – why not post it to your Facebook page – collectively we can start to get the word out through Social Media that BNI is not just about business referrals but it has a part to play in the lives of our families and reaches into the very fabric of our communities.” – Graham Southwell.

- Stay positive. The dripping tap fills the cup

- Enthusiasm conquers all

- Remember to stop and smell the roses

- Visualise what you want! Visualise customers walking through your door and they will

- Good quality costs, poor quality costs more

- Be open to what’s around you, other people and feedback

- Get out and have fun, and you will make money along the way

- Do one thing each day that is for you and for fun

- Support a charity (any charity) – givers do gain!

- Learn to set goals, and learn how to achieve them

- Happiness is not a condition, it’s a choice

- Exceed the expectations of your clients

- Four Ls for the year: Live – every moment, Love – everyone and everything, Laugh – every day, Lean – on people around you

- Be active – go fishing or diving!

- Look at people around you, appreciate them, compliment them, do a random act of kindness

- Ask your clients for more business and referrals – a very simple thing that can help you grow your business

- Enjoy what you do

- Stand in another person’s shoes to understand what it’s like for them

- Show your customers you love them more than your competitors do

BNI Canterbury Regional Director, Rob Bakker, says that two of the hampers went to staff and 20 to long term patients/families at the unit.

“One couple we spoke to had been there for 12 weeks and were expecting to stay another 6 weeks before their baby could be discharged. Needless to say the hampers were very gratefully received,” said Rob.

A recent ‘thank you’ letter to BNI from Neonatal Nurse Manager Christchurch Women’s Hospital, Debbie O’Donoghue, said the hampers were beautifully packaged and the delight of the staff and parents as they revealed their contents was obvious.

“For the parents it can be a very stressful time and this kindness alleviated some of their anxiety.

“I am very proud of the team in the Neonatal unit, and I particularly appreciate when such standards of professionalism and dedication is recognised by other people. Hospitals are not immune from the busyness and pressures of Christmas, and therefore, BNI’s thoughtfulness was most appreciated.

“Wishing you and the team at BNI a happy, successful and enjoyable year in 2012.”

Pictured BNI Directors Sam Williamson (far left) and Rob Bakker (far right) with one of the families at the Neonatal unit.

I just thought I would send a SPECIAL thank you to you all.

I was a recipient of “your wonderful box of goodies” yesterday morning, at the BNI Big Breakfast here in Christchurch.

It was indeed a room full of tears (good ones). Sam our Regional director found it hard to get the words out to say thank you, with the lump in his throat with all the emotion. We, all being tough business people tried to pull back the tears, but really it was just such a wonderful thing for you all to do, that we indeed let the tears flow Thanks for making our day/year! Graham and the BNI team did you all proud!

I am a truly inspired with BNI. Myself and my business has been a member for 8-9 years myself, and to know how much we really have an amazing business community out there is so overwhelming!

I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Phillippa Jacobs

What can I say!  I am so humbled by what happened this morning and really not sure what to say other than “thank you”.

It really does make you proud to be a kiwi in times like this when you see such huge expressions of giving from just normal people like ourselves.  It brings another lump in my throat and tear in my eye each time I think about it.

Thanks heaps for your input Rob, you and Sam do an amazing job for us all.

Lorena Hopkins

Please accept my congratulations and heartfelt thanks for all you, and others in BNI, did towards the Big Breakfast this morning, which can only be described as an outstanding success.

It was an occasion and experience that I will always remember and treasure.  The kindness and generosity of BNI in NZ was stunning, and very, very moving – you weren’t the only guy with watery eyes, Sam!

We were all blown away!  If you ever needed to see the value of BNI, or need motivating, this morning was inspirational.

Thanks also for your excellent leadership and contribution to BNI.

See you at BNI!

Martin

What a faaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic surprise, I think everyone was blown away with what we experienced this morning.

A huge’ shout out’ must go to all of the chapters around NZ who got behind the initiative.

Bob Parker was inspirational, he has a true gift.

BNI is a wonderful organisation and it is great to be one of the founding members of BNI in Christchurch.

You have got a great man in Sam, he epitomises what every BNI member should strive to be like.

Thanks to everyone involved you certainly put a smile on everyones faces this morning and at the same time a few tears to the eyes.

All the very best for the festive season.

Mark Pfeifer

An open letter to all at BNI

There are no words in the English language adequate enough to express the feelings from this morning. Two words “Thank you” do not seem sufficient to express the gratitude for the effort and love that you have all sent us.

The breakfast today was in itself an amazing event, and it was great to mingle with those of other chapters and discuss the who’s whys and when’s of the last 12 months.

Then came your video, an emotional roller coaster ride, that had me and many others in the hall reaching surreptitiously for eye dabbing equipment. No of course it wasn’t tears, accountants don’t cry it was………..

Whilst in Pahia recently I met an Australian couple who had flown into Christchurch, hired a car and drove into town to the information centre. All the way down Memorial Avenue they kept thinking “hasn’t everyone done well to get back to normal – you would never know there had been an earthquake” until they arrived at the roadblocks and army tanks in the centre of town.

It sometimes feels that the world has stood still for the last 12 months. Dozens of containers two and three high are positioned on the main road to protect it from falling rocks. Abandoned houses, with broken walls still with furniture visible, remain untouched.

In my street, there is still the rubble from collapsed houses, and the road still blocked by boulders so that a 3 k round trip is needed to get off the hill. Potholes, sink holes suddenly appear. Water leaks spring up at random times from underground pipes that have suddenly decided that they have had enough.

Just occasionally we despair about when something may happen.  Sure it only lasts a moment, then the Kiwi spirit kicks in, and “she’ll be right” takes over. There is always someone worse off than you, we know that, and yet at times you wish someone would notice.

And someone did notice – you did.

I am humbled and I feel very privileged to belong to such an awesome group as BNI – to everyone of you, in creating the idea, in making videos, of writing personal notes, in packing boxes…

The only words that I have, “thank you”, are far too inadequate to express my appreciation, and undoubtedly all of those present today.

To all of you I wish the most joyous Christmas ever, my joy started this morning and may 2012 provide all that you have dreamed of.

Russell
Emissaries Christchurch

With Christchurch having such a rough time and so many people still in limbo, BNI New Zealand members (mostly SME owners and the self-employed) around the country banded together to pack the surprise Christmas hampers full of ‘love and goodies’ for their fellow members in the earthquake struck city.

Pictured above: Dennis Inkster (BNI Kinesis) collects his hamper. In the background, left Denise Robinson (BNI Otago Director) and right BNI New Zealand National Director Graham Southwell.

The entire initiative was co-ordinated, planned and carried out by BNI Auckland directors Mariska Mannes and Rosemary and Paul Meyer.

Mariska said BNI is about comradeship between members who do business by the mantra ‘Givers Gain’, and the surprise Christmas hampers are a great way to articulate that comradeship and that spirit of mutual support.

Christchurch members, many teary-eyed, were clearly overwhelmed and touched by the gesture and, while there was hardly a dry eye in the house, there was certainly joy on every single face.

BNI Canterbury director, Sam Williamson, said people were very emotional.

“’Blown away’ were the words used often. People said they were really just humbled that other people up and down the country would show such a sign of support.

“Everybody was very surprised; they had no idea whatsoever. I’ve had a huge number of messages from people with their thanks – many want to get in touch with whoever made their box, to pass on their thanks.

“It certainly lifted our spirits to know that people are thinking of us and that we haven’t been forgotten,” said Sam.

BNI New Zealand National Director Graham Southwell told the breakfast that sometimes the toughest times are those that follow a tragedy or disaster, when everybody else has started moving on with their lives, leaving those affected to pick up the pieces.

“This is our way to say that you haven’t been forgotten. That we are still thinking of you, still supporting you and we are here to help in any way we can,” he said.

Mariska Mannes says she got the idea for the early Christmas surprise when talking to Kathryn Mountain, a member of BNI Epsom in Auckland, about how they felt quite helpless and not sure of how to help people in Christchurch.

“Kathryn remarked that it would be nice to send them a Christmas hamper, and that really was how the idea got started.”

Julie Cunningham (BNI Hibiscus Coast Chapter) and Mariska Mannes drove a van across New Zealand to collect the hampers, with the road show culminating in Christchurch on Tuesday 29 November at the big breakfast in the city.

“Chapters around New Zealand put in a phenomenal effort to raise money to pay for the boxes, ribbons, cards and goodies for the hampers.

“The road show started when I collected hampers in Northland in mid-November, and included a big breakfast in Auckland where 128 people gathered for a big breakfast to assemble the boxes, write the cards and pack the goodies.”

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker was the guest speaker and took the opportunity to challenge Cantabrians to be innovative, and to think long term about rebuilding Christchurch into something truly unique for their children and their children’s children.

The generosity from New Zealand members has been extraordinary.

New Zealand BNI members donated approximately $62,294 – some donations were made by BNI members in their individual capacity – and many chapters also benefited from pulling together as a team to generate funds by organising charity events.

BNI New Zealand also added $5,000 to the earthquake.

The further $8,500 raised for Christchurch by a cabaret on in Auckland was used to provide approved cash grants to those members who have been badly affected.

Some of the funds have also gone to funding guests’ first visits, as members focus on building chapters up again.

(Pictured: Don Wilson delivers his 10 minutes)

As a result the BNI Whakatane visitor host and local business owner continues to inspire everybody around him.

“Age is only something on a calendar,” says Don. “If you want to do something and you feel like doing it, go out and do it.

Don has been in business in the Whakatane area since 1967 and sold his water filtration outlet just a couple of years ago. After that he wanted to do something that would make a difference to the environment, so he did.

Called Farmercy, his business supplies more than 60 biodegradable cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting products to customers such as farmers, workshops and motels.

Don spends six weeks to two months on the road cold calling in the entire Eastern Bay of Plenty, but has never officially missed even one of his 104 BNI meetings (he provided a sub to the one single meeting he couldn’t make).

“I look forward to my BNI meetings because we’re like a family,” says Don. “They’re a good bunch – it’s social as well as business.”

When he is away his wife looks after the shop, which has been set up in the couple’s garage at home. The business now has a good base of repeat customers.

He says he first became interested in the biodegradable products when a conman called at his door.

“He did a bunk without supplying me with all the product I paid for. I looked up the actual manufacturer and now deal directly with them.”

He says the biodegradable products are gaining widespread acceptance, particularly because people like farmers are concerned about the environment, and the penalties are so high.

“A farmer could be fined up to $100,000 if they damage a waterway – that’s probably a higher penalty than you could get if you punched a policeman on the nose.

“I’m no tree hugger, but I wanted to make a difference to the environment. We’re all going to go one day, but I’ll be leaving behind children, grandchildren and great grandchildren… and if we carry on as we are, we’re going to make an awful mess of things.

“This is a way for me to make a difference in my old age. I was in Japan in 1946, just after the War and I saw the devastation from the atom bomb. Then I went to Korea for two years during the Korean War and saw the damage caused by things like Napalm. We have to stop making a mess of things,” says Don.

All BNI members know that they are only allowed to represent one category in their chapter. However, although a clash with another member, or potential member, is one of the most common problems in BNI, it even goes further than that. Many members, even if sticking to their category, try and include everything they can within their category, trying to grab as much business as possible, but not understanding that they are losing much more than they gain.

As a business you must stand out. What makes you different to someone else doing what you do? Doing everything, for anyone, is not different. You need to be special; have a category of one!

Take BNI as an example. BNI is the world’s largest referral organisation. It is not the world’s largest networking organisation. It is not the world’s largest membership organisation. It’s not in more countries than other organisations. You can come up with lots of things that BNI does, very well, but the only thing BNI talks about is being the world’s largest referral organisation.

Now you have to be brave to focus on just one thing; think of all that business you might be missing out on. But I promise you, if you are brave, you will see the rewards. Whereas, if you are the same as everyone else, offering everything, to everyone, you will get the same result – nothing special! Think about successful people: do they do the same as everyone else? No, of course not!

So, not because of BNI, but because you want greater success, focus on your core business. Give a clear message to your fellow members and watch your referral rate climb.

Blog: My BNI Day