With summer finally approaching the days are getting longer, the mornings warmer and those early starts a little bit easier to put up with. This means there is no excuse for arriving late to a meeting or skipping the casual networking that most chapters schedule for the first 15 minutes of each meeting. This networking time is not an optional extra and should be taken seriously. The most successful networkers use this time wisely to build relationships with members that they wouldn’t normally engage with. It’s the only time you get to stand up and walk around – meeting visitors and chatting with a range of members.
Breaking the ice:
When you are meeting visitors or members you haven’t engaged with before, it’s always useful to have something other than just your business to talk about. This moves things from the hard sell to a more casual way of engaging with people. One of our members Benn Milne, BNI Director Consultant for the Lower Hutt Region developed a set of useful guidelines that anyone can use to break the ice when networking at BNI.
The guidelines are a series of sentence prompts that touch on your experiences at BNI and how things have changed. They will resonate with visitors who are new to the networking experience and members who may share some of your feelings. They are also valuable for clearly articulating the return on investment we all gain from BNI.
Reflective guidelines (Benn’s answers are seen below; try answering these questions yourself)
Before joining BNI I was:
1. Nervous about public speaking
2. New into business
3. Had limited networks
I was introduced to BNI by:
Lance Jensen from Redhot business coaching
I have been with BNI for:
Just over 9 years now
Since being with BNI I have:
1. Gained confidence with speaking in public
2. Learnt so much about being in business from my fellow members
3. Have expanded my network and networking ability
I am now:
Continuing to expand both personally and from a business perspective by using the BNI network. I’m also enjoying the benefits of the Givers Gain mentality.
Try answering these questions yourself – perhaps put them into one of your sixty seconds. Reflecting on your time at BNI is a great way to appreciate your personal and professional growth.
