As Mr Burke so succinctly put it: “No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear”.

How does fear express itself in BNI? In many ways:

It expresses itself in the member who covers several categories and wants to keep them all to him or herself. For example, perhaps the graphic designer keeps printers out of the chapter because of his or her ability to broker print.

By denying the chapter another productive and profitable member, not only do your fellow members lose out on opportunities for referrals and profitable relationships, but the designer denies him or herself an opportunity to form a networking partnership.

We do this because we fear losing out on referrals, or because we fear the newcomer will be more popular, or more credible, or that they will take business away from us… but very often the fear is just an insubstantial dread that won’t stand up in the cold light of logic.

Fear expresses itself in our holding back on getting a referral for somebody because we’re worried that something might go wrong, or we fear not having control or perhaps losing out on an opportunity we could take for ourselves.

How is fear it affecting you?

The next time you feel a momentary panic about something, pause and examine it. Try to get to the bottom of it and study it with some cold logic, then replace it with the spirit of ‘Givers Gain’.

Remember, if everybody in the chapter were solely focussed on finding referrals for fellow members, we would all do enormously well.

“In life we don’t get what we want, we get in life what we are. If we want more we have to be able to be more, in order to be more you have to face rejection.” – Farrah Gray.

No matter what your fear is, it’s doing you damage. Generosity is a far more profitable substitute.

Colin Kennedy is a keynote speaker, writer and marketing consultant at Iron Road. As BNI New Zealand’s marketing director he is responsible for the organisation’s communications strategy, and also serves as an assistant director for North Central region of BNI.

Not everyone seems to agree with the sentiments of the article.  If you are interested, feel free to follow the link to a blog in Cambridge, UK where a lively discussion is currently underway about the various types of networking groups that exist and the merits and drawbacks of each.  Contributors to date include BNI Founder and Chairman – Dr Ivan Misner.  To join in the discussion – and have your say; CLICK HERE

It has been said that the key to success is passion and purpose and I am very much of that belief.  The ‘8’ are the practical activities that enable that passion and purpose to manifest. My own clients make significant gains in service offerings, cash flow, client happiness and personal and team satisfaction when these 8 activities are implemented and monitored.

Switch On
Know your people, your business, your market and your industry better than anyone else. Switching On means putting things front of mind. It means becoming a student of the game. The things you need to know about and what you need to know about them are always right in front of your face – you just don’t see them until you switch on.
Here is an analogy for you. When you want to buy a new car and you know what you want, you start searching for information by reading car reviews, talking to people who own one, you view them on YouTube and tour the car sales yards to check them out. You are so switched on to this model of car that you actually start to see plenty of them on the highway. They were always there but now you see them because you are switched on.

Value Yourself Up
You know more than you think you know. You need to value your knowledge, your management skills and your business experience. You need to leverage what you know to give you an advantage in the market place.  What you know enhances your credibility. When you truly value yourself up with confidence and self-belief you increase your credibility power.  It is your credibility power that will grow your business.

I have worked with many executive clients who have suffered from ‘fraud syndrome’.  They tell me they don’t know how they got into such a senior position with high levels of responsibility.  They literally wonder if they really do know what they should know and tell me they feel like a fraud.  I need to point out here that female executives suffer fraud syndrome more than male executives – at least that has been my observation.  Once we do a success exercise they quickly acknowledge they are not frauds.

Stick to the basics
Business Excellence is doing the basics better than before all day every day in every way.
In your business there will be core activities that drive your business success. These activities will grow your business – activities  such as prospecting, administration, following up leads, regular communication with customers, clients and suppliers, managing your database and providing high quality service and client experiences.  Each of these activities is made up of basic steps, components and processes. Make sure these basic activities are not compromised. Always maintain a high standard with them: they are the core foundation of your business.

Know your numbers
Know your numbers. Know your cash flow situation. Know your productivity capabilities, sales figures and profit margins. Know your sales trends so you know how to prepare for busy times and down times.  Be inquisitive – it is your business.   It’s what you don’t know that can bring you down, so stay on top of your numbers all the time. Do not make decisions about technology, opportunities, diversification and business development unless you know your numbers. Numbers make a business go around.  My most successful clients know there numbers.

I had one client who owned a plastics retail shop. He wanted to make more income from the shop but wasn’t sure how to do it. I asked him to tell me his numbers. He couldn’t. I told him my most successful clients know there numbers and I wanted him to get a full audit completed so he knew where he was at.  He did this and found he was in a pretty good position but still wanted to generate more cash from his sales.

I gave him the following exercise. He was to review all his 2000 products and decide which items he could raise the price on by between 5c and $5 and still remain competitive. He had to do this exercise against his sales of those products over the previous financial year.  It took him two weeks to come up with the numbers but what a surprise.  He discovered that it would generate another $250,000.  He was ecstatic.  I then gave him another surprise and said “isn’t it great to have free money coming into your business”? He asked, “What do you mean”? I explained to him that he was already profitable and paying his bills so this was like a free scoop of ice cream on the cone, a pleasant surprise. I then suggested he put some money aside as a bonus for his very loyal staff and then figure out what to do with the rest.  I had to shake the place up a little bit and give the staff a bit of a rev, but once they found out they were getting a bonus I became their best friend. 

Drill, Drill, Drill
The biggest asset in your business can make you millions. Staff development and management training are essential. Never underestimate the value and motivation that staff training can provide.  Set aside regular coaching and training sessions to up-skill your team and keep them motivated. Training staff is not a cost to your business – it is an investment that when done properly will get you a return. Great staff means happy customers and clients who will spend money and keep the shareholders happy.

I encourage my clients to have formal coaching and knowledge advancement sessions at last once per week. I also encourage them to allocate a staff member to prepare a small training session on something they know a lot about within the business and industry. They get a couple of hours off that week to prepare.  For the most part they are not nervous about presenting because they know their team mates.

The outcome is a great level of commitment to provide a quality presentation. The presenter leads a discussion and answers questions. Their confidence is boosted, staff members learn something new and they value their positions and jobs because they are valued by their team-mates.

I had one client who owned a gym and applied this method. Over a year they created a significant knowledge library on all things health and fitness.  The quality of service from the trainers elevated and was very high because they were switched on and valued themselves up with their knowledge.

Stay on task
Stick to your game plan – know where you are going and measure your progress against your plan.  It is easy to get distracted away from your primary goal when you don’t have a plan. It takes discipline to stay on task and keep your eye on the ball.  Every day ask yourself the question, “If I do this, will it grow my business?” Also ask “Is what I am doing a return on investment activity or a distraction”?

Executive Health and Fitness
Peak performers don’t have a choice when it comes to health and fitness. You must maintain a work/life balance, an executive level of fitness, and energise yourself with quality nutrition.  This is self-explanatory: a healthy mind needs a healthy body.  The research is as plain as the nose on your face. The more energised you are through good levels of health and fitness the more effective you are at your vocation and within your business and correspondingly the more successful you are.

Expect to succeed
If you don’t back yourself no-one else will. Great champions are never surprised by victory: they plan for it and expect it.  Great business people are never surprised by success: they plan for it and expect it.

How can you make an experience for your clients that leave them wanting more?  The answer is simple; create an experience for your staff.  Make work the best place in the world to be for 8 hours every day. You may have heard of the Seattle Fish Market which is famous for yelling fish orders and throwing fish across the shop to be wrapped up for the customer. They even get their customers to come behind the counter for some fun.  They do such a great job of entertaining their customers that they are world famous for it.

Gordon Ramsey has a table in his kitchens where people can enjoy the food and be entertained by the activity going on in the kitchen.  The chefs know they are on show and deliver a great experience for the diners.  In one London restaurant this table for 6 is booked up months ahead and turns over £500,000 a year.  People love it because it is an experience.

There is a bookshop here in Cambridge, New Zealand where I live that every Saturday has a young pianist playing on a real piano (as opposed to a plug in and play).  The music is easy listening and perfect for browsing through the books deciding which one you will buy.  The pianist loves it as she gets to play for an audience who thank her regularly as they leave the shop.  A great experience all round.

Experiences are what people remember – get your staff to create an experience for themselves that can carry over to a customer experience or a client experience.  We spend a lot of time at work so it should be an enjoyable experience that customers and clients can be energised by.

Think outside the square – be different and make your customers and clients love the experience of doing business with you.

By Mark Sutherland from the Peak Performance Insight FREE Resource Center

By going through the motions, attending meetings, doing your 60 second, having a one-on-one every fortnight or so… you’re doing the right things, but it requires more than doing – it requires thinking and feeling the right things too.

If you genuinely care about the success of others in your BNI, you will be thinking about them and you will be looking out for opportunities for them – and as a result of this ‘top-of-mind’ awareness you will find opportunities for at least some of those people.

When people notice your efforts (and they will), and when they realise that you ‘care’ about their success, they will begin to care about you too.

Of course there are those who will be oblivious, or who are in it for themselves, but inevitably you will stop caring about them, their success will decline and they will leave.

The people who remain will be your real assets. It’s a natural selection process, but to part of it, you must participate in it – physically, mentally and emotionally.

Colin Kennedy is a keynote speaker, writer and content marketing consultant. As BNI New Zealand’s marketing director he is responsible for the organisation’s communications strategy, and also serves as an assistant director for North Central region of BNI.

Recently, I was at a networking event and, at the end of the conversation, someone asked me a question that no one has ever asked me before at a networking meeting. She asked, “What is the most amazing thing that has happened to you today?”

I love that question because it is so positive and unique.  It made me stop focusing on anything other than the question at hand and required me to be completely present in the moment because I truly had to think about what the greatest thing was that had happened in my day so far.  At the time, I shared what came to mind with the woman who asked me the question.  However, it’s interesting to note that today, many months later, what I remember most is that question . . . not whatever “amazing” thing happened to me that day.

If you have a great opening question, I’d love to hear it. In the comments section, share a stand-out question that you, or someone you’ve met, has asked at a networking event.

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.

Colin Kennedy is a keynote speaker, writer and content marketing consultant. As BNI New Zealand’s marketing director he is responsible for the organisation’s communications strategy, and also serves as an assistant director for North Central region of BNI.

That is the percentage of unhappy clients that will actually take the time to let you know they are unhappy.

4.3 %

That means the remaining 95.7% of unhappy clients will potentially talk with their feet. They will leave your business, possibly never to return without ever presenting the opportunity for you to put it right. And you can guarantee that they are spreading the word. And don’t people love stories that bring others into disrepute!

As a communication expert it astounds me how poorly people in business respond to a complaint. The most common response is to become defensive creating tension between the complainant and themselves. This potentially leads to a situation where the unhappy client feels worse for having bought the problem to your attention and your reputation is in tatters.

So how does one respond appropriately to complaining customers.

1. To begin with – change your belief around them.

These people are not complaining customers – they are people with gems of information that could quite literally change your business practices for the better. Even the customer that never seems happy does have some merit hidden in their message. Put your personal feelings aside and find the hidden gem. So start with a thank you for bringing this to your attention. Remember – this is an opportunity to review something that may not be working. How do you think great businesses become great businesses – not by digging their toes in and believing they have everything right all the time.

2. LISTEN  then acknowledge.

Give them your undivided attention even if it feels like you are being personally attacked. So often situations are inflamed because people do not feel heard. Just be silent and let them blow off steam if that is what they need to do. Then paraphrase their complaint to them – “so from what I understand you are feeling frustrated with our lack of response to your invoicing issue”. Remember in this acknowledgement to recognize the feelings they have so clearly expressed. Keep your voice low and calm – yes even if you feel like  – well you know what I mean.

3. Apologise for the inconvenience that may have been caused to them.

I do not believe in apologizing for things when we genuinely believe we have not done anything wrong. However an apology blended in with an acknowledgement of feelings is very powerful “I am very sorry you feel that way” or “I want to apologise for the frustration this has caused you” or “I am so sorry that this has been your experience – this is not how our company wants to work”. You are not admitting to anything here – once again it is about valuing the 4.3% of people that have taken time out to bring things to your attention. It is about acknowledging their feelings.

4. Ask them what would make it right.

Yes I do mean this. They may come up with something that you think is impossible and you are just not prepared to do, however it is a starting place. With negotiation middle ground can be reached. This also gives the client a feeling of being valued, that you are keen to put things right and to change their experience with your business. I must remind you though to consider the cost of having someone leave your business who was feeling a little anti and is now feeling great. That is powerful and an extremely good marketing tool. Weigh up the cost of digging your toes in (also remember step two – there is no point in asking how to put things right if you are not prepared to listen to their suggestion).

5. Follow up.

Take the whole process a step further with a card or something similar sent to the client thanking them for giving you the opportunity to put things right. Make sure it is personalised to them and share what you have changed in your processes because of the information they passed on to you. They will feel pretty chuffed to think that your business is getting better because of something they shared with you.

None of us enjoy being complained to. However it is part of the improvement process and an opportunity to become great.

Remind yourself of the 4.3% of people that will give you this opportunity and I think you will receive things a little differently.

It has been said many times that customer service in New Zealand is pretty substandard and sadly I see evidence of this time and time again.

Join me on my mission to create customer service second to none through effective communication and developing your people.

With this in mind I find my recent experiences communicating with businesses, somewhat confusing.

Let’s start at the beginning.

I have an opinion that I should not have to chase someone to give them my business.

Everyone out there has some sort of competition and I would have thought, working hard to stand above that competition, was a priority.
Once I have made initial enquiries with a business, I may make contact one more time and then I will leave them alone.

Usually, and I say usually unless there is a reasonable explanation for the lack of contact, I will not consider them again. If communicating with you is a challenge in the beginning then you can pretty much guarantee that is the way it will be in any future relationship. I have better things to do with my time than chase people to give them my business.

Yet recently I have been dumbfounded by the lack of responses I have experienced from a myriad of businesses. So here are some things to think about with the communications within your business – both external and internal.

1. Firstly, make sure your communication procedures are robust within your business. There needs to be clarity around who is responsible for what, and what happens if plan A cannot be executed. For example, if you have a website that seeks enquiries, make sure there is someone who is responsible to follow those enquiries up in a timely manner. I recently spoke to someone who had sent two enquiries through websites and 3 weeks later, had not had a response! Why have a website to initiate enquiries in the first place? Needless to say they went elsewhere.
2. Have clear policy around response time. How long would you expect emails to be sitting in the inbox unanswered? How long would you expect the phone to ring before it was answered? How long should a message be left on your system without being responded to? Once you are clear on policies then you can design appropriate procedures.
3. Make sure your enquirers are clear on what is to happen. If you clear your phone messages at the end of the day, then say this on your message and ask that they leave a clear number where they can be contacted at this time. If you prefer to be contacted by email or text or cell phone, make sure they know this. I remember a conversation with someone I had been attempting to make contact with so reverted to email. His response was that he had been away and didn’t do emails anyway! Why then have an email address on your business cards?
4. Always remember the under promise and over deliver theory. If you are going to tell me how long it is going to take you to do something, ie: quote on a job, design a business card, allow time for the worst case scenario. If this initial part of the relationship fails you have potentially lost my trust.
5. Speaking of trust – never underestimate the currency of trust. Doing anything that could damage trust is long lasting and often publicised.
6. Communicate, communicate, communicate! If you cannot come and quote on my job for three weeks, tell me that. I then have a choice what I do. If I really want you I will wait, as long as I know the true story. If you are having trouble paying accounts then communicate. I often hear from business owners that they would rather someone was honest and paid bills off, than ignore the situation hoping it will go away.
7. Develop your people. Your staff are your greatest asset yet so often are neglected. Listen to them, acknowledge them, show them that they are valued and offer programmes to develop them as people. We so often spend money on telling people to smile when they answer the phone without developing them to the point where they would not consider any other way.
8. Understand that everything you do communicates something. What are you communicating to me? What are your staff communicating to me? What are your business premises communicating to me?

Business is never guaranteed so make sure your communication within and outside your business is never anything but excellent.

Begin by being showing your face more.

Here’s a tip:

Social scientists have shown that the more often we see somebody – even an image of them – the more we grow to like them. It’s one reason why celebrities are so popular and why there is such an outpouring of grief when one of them dies – even if their fans never got to within a thousands kilometres of them in their life!

It’s because we see so much of them, we feel like we know them.

Does this mean you can send a life-size cut-out of yourself to your BNI meetings?

Well, your leadership teams wouldn’t like it and there’s always the real risk is that your fellow members might end up liking the cut-out more than they do you…

Jokes aside, if you want to be relevant to somebody, you need to be present. We all know that ‘absence does not make the heart grow fonder’. It just makes it colder.

If you want to increase your referral business, make sure you’re getting regular face time with your network. And that’s how your face can make you money.

Colin Kennedy is a keynote speaker, writer and content marketing consultant. As BNI New Zealand’s marketing director he is responsible for the organisation’s communications strategy, and also serves as an assistant director for North Central region of BNI.