Visitors, why do we love them so much? Let us count the ways!
Ask the chapter for the reasons… they include …..
1. Extra energy and focus at the meeting (fresh faces sharpen us up)
2. Potential clients and referral sources (closed business from visitors runs into the millions per year)
3. Potential members (everyone was a visitor at some stage)
Since we love visitors so much, how can we invite more of them
Firstly, if you are confident that BNI is an awesome, supportive way do business with fellow businesspeople, then you can be confident that by inviting a visitor you are doing them a favour, they are not doing you a favour.
In fact, you are paying forward the favour someone did for you when they invited you. If you exude that confidence when you invite someone, that coming to a BNI meeting with you is an opportunity they can’t possibly miss out on, then inviting will not only be easier and more successful but when you get a “no thank you” you will consider it their loss not yours. Just a note, don’t encourage a visitor to come by telling them they might receive referrals when they visit. They should expect to have to join like you did to establish your VCP to receive referrals.
Secondly, just do it. Inviting visitors gets easier the more you do it, often there a few members in a chapter that invite more visitors than the rest of the chapter put together, it’s because they have become practised at inviting and they are confident visitors will enjoy coming to BNI.
Use the “Invite a Visitor” function on the app to invite visitors and the “Register a Visitor” function to confirm their visit once they have agreed a date to attend.
Some newcomers to the meeting are visitors, some are guests, what’s the difference?
Other than for potential clashes, don’t pre-qualify a visitor to BNI as a potential member. Members come from all walks of life and professions and until they see what BNI is we can’t tell who is a potential member or that they will want to apply to join.
That said, some visitors are definitely not potential members and they are Guests. Guests are members of other BNI groups, ex BNI members, hospice representatives, BNI Directors, invited speakers and non-businesspeople.
Guests are welcome to visit and are invited and registered in exactly the same way as visitors. They just aren’t confirmed by the chapter Vice President as a visitor and added to the chapter statistics.
Substitutes aren’t recorded as visitors, but they should be treated as visitors. If fact substitutes can be invited as visitors through the APP, just put “SUBSTITUTE” after their name. This means the substitute will get meeting reminders and the Leadership Team will know they are coming in place of you. Substitutes are similar to guests; they too won’t be confirmed by the chapter Vice President.
Summary
It’s been said visitors are the life blood of BNI and it’s true we need visitors every week to add energy, bring business and be potential members so it’s everyone’s responsibility to bring visitors. Who will you bring along next week?
Education PowerPoint:
https://www.schoox.com/academies/library2.php?acadId=8723&id=2796216
Education Notes:
https://www.schoox.com/academies/library2.php?acadId=8723&id=2796214
