One to Ones (1-2-1’s) were formally called “dances”
This week let’s look at One to Ones (formally dances) which are one of the most important activities you can do to enhance your membership of BNI.
How can I succeed with One to Ones?
Recently Pam Allen-Baines, member of BNI Metro, completed an extraordinary 59 One to Ones in a single year. She did this by setting a goal of doing One to Ones with every member of her chapter. As a new member she took all the right steps. Not just in terms of making sure that she got the best out of her BNI membership but also to ensure that her business is well represented by her chapter.
Pam says her business Platinum Laser has benefitted greatly from her membership with BNI and the relationships she has created at her chapter through these One to Ones.
Here are her tips:
- Set a goal for yourself. This goal could be to do One to Ones with everyone in your chapter or with a certain number of people over a certain time.
- Do your One to Ones at your premises. This will give members a better understanding of what your business is all about. That will mean it is easier for them to refer to you and describe your business offering. The reality is visiting somebody’s business is similar to visiting their home. When you have a practical, hands on business it’s the only way to really get an in-depth understanding about them and their business instead of meeting at a café.
- Show members what your business actually does. This may involve taking a member through a certain process that your operation offers. It gives members a better understanding of your business and helps to create a rapport with them. Sometimes Pam has engraved items for the chapter member that she has brought into her office for the One to One.
- Repeat One to Ones over time. Even if you’ve met with someone before, things change over time, so do it again. Pam also had One to Ones with chapter members at her office and then at theirs. One to Ones should be on-going in your time at BNI. Just as the relationships are on-going, so is doing business with members and their contacts.
- A One to One should endeavour to find out as much as possible about the person you are meeting with. The meeting is a one-way process which focusses on the person you requested the visit with.
- Ask questions about: interests, skills and experience, family, hobbies and pets, goals for the future, both personal and also in a business sense. Other questions could be directed more specifically on their business, and could include things like what makes their particular business different and how you can find them a referral.
The purpose of a One to One is to understand the other person’s business and to build trust in your relationship in order to feel confident in your referrals. Treat the One to One as a semi-formal meeting, rather than just chatting about the chapter and things in general – be specific about what you want to know and understand about the person.
Use the BNI G.A.I.N.S worksheet to help you keep your One to One on task and informative, helping to create more opportunities to refer. The BNI G.A.I.N.S worksheet gives you an agenda of items to discuss being 1. Their goals 2. Their Accomplishments 3. Their Interests 4. Their Networks and 5. Their Skills.
The things we find out about people are amazing when we are focussed on them and listening to them. Why not follow Pam’s lead and set yourself a goal of doing One to Ones with everyone in your chapter this year?
