Are you going beyond the basics at BNI? Is your chapter membership growing and are the energy levels in meetings consistently high?
One chapter that made the conscious effort to change its behaviour and go beyond the basics is BNI Wine Country in Hawkes Bay. About a year ago they introduced a new mentoring programme that has reaped enormous benefits for the chapter.
As experienced BNI members we can take our systems for granted, but getting members up to speed means they can faster understand and start to contribute to core business of what we do, which is referrals, and start to feel more part of your team faster.
Why is mentoring important?
Would-be successful business owners need assistance from others who have an intimate knowledge of how business works and that’s why business mentoring is so helpful and transformative for them.
In a business mentoring relationship, a seasoned business owner meets with a new or potential business owner one-on-one to give advice and boost morale.
This sort of mentoring is also vital in BNI too, as new members often need assistance getting to grips with how we work.
BNI Wine Country’s mentoring system is working brilliantly. The numbers alone tell the story: In January 2014 the chapter had 17 members now they have more than 40 businesses in the chapter.
Vicky Harris, VP for the chapter, says that their mentoring scheme has hugely improved energy levels in the chapter which is very important when it comes to attracting visitors. For members that become the mentors, they feel honoured to be asked and to be able to help new members.
How does the scheme work?
The mentoring programme works over a three week period and involves an experienced member of BNI working one-on-one with a new member.
1. When a new member joins BNI, they are emailed the details of the mentor who will support them as they are introduced to the chapter.
2. Then the assigned mentor follows a strict but straightforward 15 point programme that discusses things like:
- Timeliness to meetings – 6.45am start.
- Absences and substitutes.
- One on Ones and why they are important.
- Commitment to BNI.
- Referrals – what they are, actioning and following them up, filling out referral slips and having patience while waiting for a referral.
- How to fill in the Thank You for Closed Business slips.
- Help writing a 60 second speech and 10 minute presentation.
- Website log on and password. Bio and photo. BNI Blog.
- Membership Success Programme (MSP) Training.
3. Mentoring usually occurs after a regular meeting.
BNI Wine Country’s success illustrates how valuable a mentoring programme is for adding members and keeping them engaged.
So why not try introducing a similar scheme in your chapter? You’ll notice the increased number of visitors converting to become members, energy in your weekly meetings will only get stronger and you’ll all see more referrals and business growth.
