Article contributed by Brian Noble.
Days are like suitcases. Some can pack a lot more into them than others. How much we get out of BNI is in direct proportion to how much we put into it. It’s up to us.
I love this saying: “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focussed effort.” Paul J Meyers.
1. Commitment to Excellence
We need to be fully committed to achieving excellence in BNI. To ensure productivity and excellence is maintained, we need to constantly measure and check. It’s as we measure and assess each activity we’re doing in BNI and then make those small adjustments to get us back on course, that we improve our productivity. None of us are smart enough to remember all we know, therefore constant learning and revision is a vital part of BNI. Part of excellence is that we are constantly learning better and smarter ways of doing things. That’s why attending MSP Programmes a second, third, fourth, even a fifth time is essential to remind ourselves of those things that really work in BNI.
2. Intelligent planning
If you had an appointment with a prospective client who would bring you a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of business, how much time would you spend in preparation? This should be our attitude when attending BNI and the focus we give our preparation for our Sixty Second Presentation.
With the number of members in the chapter, we need to identify that this is a huge prospect base and probably far greater than the hundred thousand dollar mark. Therefore our preparation needs to be appropriate to the business potential.
We need to spend time planning specific goals that we are looking at achieving out of our BNI chapter, on a weekly basis. Planning those goals will include all the major elements in terms of dances, referrals we are going to give, new members we are going to endeavour to bring and the focus on our open networking.
3. Focused effort.
Focussed effort always brings results. The magnifying glass example is a good one: When we focus the power of the sun, to one small point, very soon a fire is created. It’s the same within BNI, as we take the time to focus on one particular area at a time and commit to excellence in that area, we will build our productivity. Being disciplined is a habit that highly successful people build into their lives, without it we achieve very little with it we can achieve greatness. Discipline is like laser focus as our efforts are devoted to the important things that we need to achieve.
Productivity in BNI is not an accident. When we intelligently plan our activities, we are implementing the reaping and sowing principle. Our results tomorrow are in direct proportion with the activity we do today.
Check your productivity within BNI. If it’s not working for you, then it’s time to adjust the things you are doing … because the system works and it is highly successful. It’s a case of us using the system.
