Often chapters feel that they are doing well – membership numbers are stable and the chapter is doing business. However it isn’t until you compare your chapter with others in your area (or in other parts of the country) that you really get a feel for how well you are doing. This was the case with BNI Network at 9.
Part of the problem, according to member Rebecca Mason, a Senior Associate and specialist in executive coaching at Genratec, was that they weren’t getting the basics right. She recognised in a networking nugget to her chapter there were some very good reasons for them to go back to basics.
As a black belt in karate, Rebecca felt that basics in BNI are like basics in karate. You cannot demonstrate good karate if you don’t do good basics – your karate becomes sloppy and in the end, that can translate into you or the people you’re with getting hurt. It’s the same in BNI. If we don’t stick to the structure and system, then eventually our chapter becomes less strong with fewer referrals being passed.
BNI is a system that works because we have sound rules about how we operate.
Take a look at the vetting system we do for people coming into our business groups. We check with our members if this is someone we would do business with and we do reference checks, because we’ll be living with these people for what can be years in a successful BNI and we want to refer to them with confidence.
Getting back to the basics by sticking to the rules that work. Here are 3 key questions to keep in mind:
- How many absences are you allowed in a six month period without a sub? Absences can be a real problem that undermines your chapter. Get on top of them and make sure your members are committing to BNI every week.
- What’s the difference between a referral and repeat business or a lead? Are your referrals good strong referrals or just a lead that could mean business in the future? Be clear on exactly what a referral is – these are the lifeblood of BNI and what leads to success for a chapter.
- What do you count as thank you for closed business? And by the way, are you putting in slips to thank for closed business, because this is one of the main ways we measure our effectiveness as a chapter? Thank you for closed business can be inflated / deflated depending on how it is measured. If you are confused about this, talk to your VP who should be aware.
We know some members have heard this before but it’s important to reinforce these basics so they become intuitive. These basic rules form the structure that is the formula for success at BNI – that’s why our organisation works!
