The small size of a BNI chapter affords each member the opportunity to really connect and get to know each of his or her fellow members – beyond meetings and dances – but in my experience most of us don’t do this… which means lost opportunities.
For example, a few weeks ago my chapter had a person leave because he wasn’t getting many referrals.
Another member pointed out that he has a portfolio of more than 15 clients of exactly the kind of client most wanted by the person who was leaving, yet the person who was leaving had never made any approach to him in any way, shape or form.
I believe one of our problems is that we have preconceived notions of the relative values of each of our fellow members (and the people we meet) and we judge their ‘usefulness’ to us according to those early impressions.
We are 99% wrong, 99% of the time when we do that.
Remember, it’s not who the member is or what they do, but whom she or he knows that holds real value. I once saw a young business owner rejected for membership by a chapter because they were young and new to business. Established members didn’t see the value of their membership.
Besides the energy and enthusiasm a young entrepreneur brings to a chapter, it is still about who they know. In this case the young entrepreneur’s father happened to be a multi-millionaire with a vast business empire behind him – how connected must that young entrepreneur have been!
In another story I met an Indian salesman who just got rejection after rejection because he was new to the country, had a heavy accent and his English language skills needed some work. Today that same person heads up the second biggest company in his industry.
And we have the temerity to laugh at the record producer who rejected the Beatles!
Beware of preconceived perceptions and notions. Stop making and stop trusting snap judgements.
Get to know somebody first, make an effort to connect with him or her as a human being, and try to help him or her grow and develop – which is rewarding enough in itself – and you might be pleasantly surprised at the return on your investment.
1 comment
Well said Colin! In BNI (and in life) – we get what we ask for. The more you are willing to put into a chapter the more you will get out of it. I truly believe that a BNI chapter can give a member all the business they want – if they are prepared to work the system. We have started tracking the dollar value of completed business in BNI – and a few weeks ago a chapter recorded $117,000 IN ONE MEETING!!.
Comments are closed.