Over this past year I’ve been very fortunate to have my hard work forming relationships at BNI pay off in a big way. As a Real Estate Consultant for LJ Hooker Dunedin I have 10 years’ experience in the industry and am an expert in the local Dunedin market. Recently I was awarded two major honours based on my sales; In the LJ Hooker New Zealand National Awards, I took first place in the Top Salesperson category based on number of transactions. In addition to this, in the LJ Hooker International Awards I achieved 5th Place for number of transactions.
Jason Hynes of LJ Hooker Dunedin and member of BNI Octagon
I attribute a large part of my success to my membership at BNI. At BNI Octagon we have formed a business hub which involves a solicitor, mortgage broker and property manager. Through my relationship with these businesses, and the rest of the members of BNI Octagon, I have been able to achieve incredible results this year.
Jason Hynes of LJ Hooker Dunedin and member of BNI Octagon
One of the great advantages I have found in being a member of BNI involves learning about other people’s businesses. Being a part of a larger business group which is packed with a range of businesspeople – many with years of experience – means you have a huge amount of expertise you can draw upon when you face business challenges. Buying and selling property is not only a major decision, but can also be a very stressful process. My focus is to make every transaction as stress-free as possible and drawing on the expertise and knowledge of my fellow BNI members can certainly help when business gets stressful. Take your time
One of the lessons I have learnt about networking is that good things take time. Networks develop over time as your relationships grow. In BNI it’s important to remain receptive to learning about other people and their businesses without expecting anything back. As you get to know people and your relationships strengthen, they will begin to have faith in you that you will do a good job for them and their clients.
Certain professions (like mine) attract high dollar referrals so it’s only logical that these referrals will take time to be given. It’s important to build your relationships and credibility, this will only happen over time. Think about what business area you are in and take a long-term view – when I started I gave myself 12 months. It takes time to establish trust and before you resonate positively with people.
Business hubs
This is where the business hub comes in. By forming three close relationships with businesses that are directly related to mine (a solicitor, mortgage broker and property manager) we’ve been able to generate a constant amount of business through referrals for each other. I really recommend that other people who are in the sales space and are struggling try creating their own hub at BNI – it’s an immediate boost to your confidence.
Another part of BNI that has built my confidence is delivering the 60 second pitch every week at networking meetings. Public speaking was never my strong suit and by delivering the 60 seconds each week my confidence in this area has grown. It’s particularly valuable for me because now I’m moving into auctioneering, practising the 60 seconds has been very helpful in this area.
So to summarise, I recommend:
- Taking some time to build your relationships in your networking group
- Creating a business hub in your group if possible
- Drawing on the expertise of the members in your chapter when things get stressful
- Building your confidence with public speaking and pitching your business
Jason Hynes of LJ Hooker Dunedin and member of BNI Octagon
