If you’ve had any experience organising a party, you’ll understand how important the guest list is. Making sure the right people turn up to your event can make or break the party. If you invite 50 people and only 20 turn up, the energy level of the party will be low and there’s that feeling of disappointment in the air. On the other hand if all the guests are present, the party takes off.
The same is true for our BNI meetings. Think of it in terms of VCP – Visibility, Credibility and Profitability.
If you don’t show up at meetings, you don’t have visibility with your fellow BNI members. If your attendance is poor, you can’t build trust with them. You seem unreliable and lose credibility.
As for profitability, you can’t educate an empty room. We always talk about your chapter being your sales team – so you need them to show up for you; they need you to show up for them.
Visibility
Woody Allen once said: “90% of success is showing up.” If you are not at the meeting you are not reminding your chapter that you are available and that you are reliable. Most importantly, think of all the opportunity that you are missing with your visitors and guests that day.
Credibility
In terms of credibility, we want other members to refer you. They need to know that they can trust you. They need to know that you are dependable, that you are reliable. They need to know that you are supportive. So how do you build credibility within the chapter on a regular basis?
You have to be there every week, do one-on-ones, make great use of your 15 minutes open networking time. Networking is a gradual process. It’s not going to happen in 60 seconds. You don’t market your business 60 seconds a week.
Profitability
Profitability is an obvious one. You can’t get business from an empty room. Being reciprocal in the return of givers gain; if you were sitting in the other seat, you want people to show up for you. So why aren’t you showing up for them?
Of course there may be times when you can’t make a meeting – let your leadership team know about this. Organise a substitute – it could be another member of your team or a customer – or use your chapter’s substitute list.
There’s always people interested in being a substitute; ask visitors if they would be willing to substitute and then add them to your chapter’s sub list.
