Ultimately, we’re all in BNI for the same reason: to generate business and grow our networks through referrals. Referrals are what fuels BNI – full stop – growing chapters and leading to healthier businesses for all of us.
But it’s important to recognise that referrals are not all created equal. There are three different types of referrals providing different levels of business activity at BNI.
Referrals differ according to the amount of time and energy spent to offer them. The first type of referral is a BREEZE – the Simple Referral. These take little time and energy to get. An example is when someone says to you they need to get their car serviced or need a new website, so that’s your trusted mechanic and web developer you get a referral for. Simple and easy.
The second type of referral is a CHANGER – the Compound Referral. This is when you really pick up and recognise the current and future needs of anyone you’re talking to. These types of referrals come about in ANY type of conversation – at work, out socially. You’re not necessarily being asked by anyone for anything, but during your conversation you pick up on the fact that circumstances have changed for someone and you can help and add value by recommending someone now or further down the road.
An example of a compound referral would be for someone with a growing family. They or their partner is pregnant and they’re thinking about moving to a larger home. This might mean you put them in touch with a real estate agent, mortgage broker or insurance broker. Compound referrals are more valuable than simple referrals because the change in circumstances can lead to a whole number of referrals to different members. Keep your ears open for opportunities to provide compound referrals because they can lead to an enormous amount of business activity for your chapter.
Finally, the HEAVYWEIGHT – the third and most valuable type of referral is a Complex Referral. These referrals take time and energy and you’ll see the best referrers in your chapter give out these. They’re golden. They strengthen your network and lead to a greater amount of business in the long-term.
Complex referrals involve you working the people in your network to get business for a BNI member. Again, at meetings or dances you might recognise that a member needs a certain business referral (or will need it in the future). Then you can start thinking about who in your network could help with this.
Complex referrals take time because you may need to go through a number of people in your network to find the right contact and ultimately provide the referral. They also require some thinking and negotiation because you aren’t specifically asked for the referral. In saying this, they are the most important type of referral because they lead to business in a chapter that members didn’t even imagine would eventuate.
Simple, compound and complex referrals – they’re not all created equal, but try to provide all three to strengthen your chapter.
