One thing we know in BNI is that a regular stream of visitors is necessary. Why is that?
• Visitors provide the possibility of new members to maintain and keep the chapter growing.
• 20% of the members in a chapter leave BNI each year for reasons outside of our control e.g. business sale, retirement, job change etc.
• Visitor referrals – Around 30% of all business in a high performing chapter is done through visitors.
And, last but not least, visitors add extra energy and excitement to the meeting.
Who here was invited by someone else to a BNI meeting?
Think for a moment about the person who invited you. If they hadn’t invited you to BNI then you would not be here today enjoying (hopefully) the support and referrals from the chapter during this difficult time. If they are in the room, maybe you would like to thank them during raps and referrals.
Now more than ever is the best time to pay forward the invitation you received from your BNI sponsor and invite other business people who are looking for the support and the opportunity to grow themselves and their business.
How do we find people to pay it forward to?
Last week we talked about asking business people you meet how business is for them right now. This is a natural way to open up a conversation.
If they express concern or reservations about the future, just share how you have benefitted from being part of BNI and ask them if they want to come along for a motivating and fun breakfast with your business support network.
The key is to make it easy for yourself by not trying to help everyone. Consider first if they have a positive, like-minded attitude.
Don’t try and entice them with the promise of immediate referrals or instant access to millions of contacts. These come once they join and establish their visibility and credibility, but when they visit they can see how this will happen for themselves.
So, you never meet anyone new? So what is an easy way to think about people you can pay it forward to? Think about F.R.O.G.S
F = Friends – Who do you know who is in business and wants more work or are starting a new business?
R = Relatives – Who do you know who is in business and wants more clients or support?
O = Organisations – Who do you know in organisations that you belong to, like clubs or societies, who are in business, and want more work?
G = Geographical – Who do you know who works close to your chapter venue who wants more clients?
S = Social Media – What about people on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn?
Once they visit and they experience the meeting for themselves and have further interest, the visitor hosts will help them decide whether to apply.
It’s surprising how many visitors are needed just to keep the group at the same level. Inviting visitors is easy if practised and you find the right words for yourself to use. Remember you were invited once so pay it forward!
