VCP briefly explained
In BNI we talk about VCP all the time but what is it? Visibility (members knowing who you are and what you do) leading to Credibility (is when members know what you do you do really well and that referring you will help their friends, family and clients and reflect well on them) gives us the opportunity to be Profitable in BNI. It’s a process not a formula and it applies to all clients of your business, not just in BNI.
How do you know you have reached Profitability with another member in BNI or a client in your business? It’s not that you make money from the transactions you directly have with that client or member, but that you have such credibility with them that they actively become a promoter of your business (or a raving fan) and they constantly refer you to others
Credibility – Little things count more than you think.
VCP isn’t only affected by how you act in the meeting (i.e. being late!) or how they act in the meeting. Unfortunately, it’s true that clients and members are constantly judging you and your business.
Often, we look at ourselves and our business only through our own eyes, not those of our clients. This means that we need to think about how we interact with social media in terms of posts and images, the voicemails we leave for others, our voicemail message, how we language how busy we are (saying we are too busy is a great way to shut off referrals), how we dress appropriately for our profession and all sorts of other situations too. These are all ways that our potential clients/customers can use to assess and judge us before they decide to trust us and buy from us.
Feedback is your friend
Feedback is your friend, good or bad. Giving and accepting feedback honestly and openly can provide breakthrough realisations for ourselves and our business.
Behaviours that have been noticed but remain unaddressed until they become too large to ignore are a daily topic in the news.
Seeking feedback from people you trust and evaluating openly can save years of stalemate. If you have some feedback for someone, positive or negative, just say “hey are you open to some feedback”. If they are truly interested in improving themselves or their business, they will swallow and say yes please. To be clear we are not talking about anonymous trolling or complaining on social media.
Summary
Credibility is hard won and easily lost. There is a saying that you are only as good as your last job and it’s true. Small things can be small pinpricks that continually let the air out of your credibility bubble. Lastly, in the world of being a grown up in business and BNI, actively give and seek honest feedback. Done well it deepens relationships.
BNI University References:
Podcast 611 – Your Business Has a Referral Confidence Curve
https://www.schoox.com/1165012/episode-611%3A-your-business-has-a-referral-confidence-curve/about
