Has anyone else noticed that in life and BNI that when we learn something and change a behaviour that over time the old habits sneak back in again?
With the weekly Education Moment, we have to keep topping up members’ knowledge to help them get the most from their membership and to help retain good habits.
That means every so often the education will return to a previous education topic and show it a in a new, improved or different light. And of course, we have new members who haven’t had the opportunity to hear the previous education on a topic.
This week we return to our weekly presentations. Often called or termed: the sales manager minute, the 60 secs or the elevator pitch, call it what you will. To begin with we are going it start at the end which is the Ask.
The Ask or the (Specific Referral Request)
The Ask is the most important part of your pitch and is often referred to as the specific referral request. So, what is the Ask? This is when you ask your fellow members for the referrals you want. If we don’t guide our fellow members in the right direction (or any direction at all) we will get the wrong type of referral or no referrals at all.
The Ask should centre around your core product or service you love to provide or sell every day, whilst also being the most profitable to your business. Of course this should also match your BNI Category. Asking for anything else lacks Credibility.
When planning your Pitch (which we should all be doing every week or even structuring a series for weeks ahead) it’s often a great idea to start with your Ask and work backwards from there.
Once you work out your Ask, then use stories or examples to support your Ask and give evidence as to your qualifications and experience that make you the best person to refer to for this kind of work.
Lastly, remember, Specific is Terrific, the more clearly you can describe the referral or referral source you want, the more likely it is your fellow members Reticular Activating System (RAS)* will start looking for what you have asked for.
*Reticular Activating System (RAS) – In a previous education moment we learnt about the RAS and why its important at BNI.
•The Human Brain has what is called the “Reticular Activating System or RAS.
•The RAS is responsible for filtering out all of the inputs from our senses down to those it thinks are important for us to know about.
•When you buy a new car, do you suddenly start seeing a lot more of the same type or car on the road? Your brain is now trained to look for the same type of car because it now believes this type of car is important to you. This is an example of your RAS at work.
