Our weekly presentation, 60 secs sales or elevator pitch, sales manager minute, weekly sales presentation or the ask…. call it what you will, is our opportunity each week to build our visibility and credibility. Crucially, it is where we ask for the referrals, we want so we can be profitable in BNI.
Each year we have around 48 minutes to educate our fellow chapter members about what we do, why we are good at it and importantly the exact type of business we would like referred to us.
So, are we using our time to our best advantage?
Your weekly presentation at BNI is like a sandwich….
When you pitch at BNI your weekly presentation (60secs) should be thought of like a sandwich. The combination of bread and filling is what makes the whole sandwich delicious to eat.
The bread should be the same each week but the filling should be different.
The bread…….
So, what is the bread? The bread of the sandwich or the constant of the pitch is made up of:
•Your name and company.
•Your position in the company and your BNI category.
(Both these give you authority and credibility)
•Where you carry out your business.
(This shows how convenient it is to do business with you.
•Then there should be a statement as to why you are qualified to do you the work you do. (This can be experience, membership of industry body or an actual qualification. This is key for credibility and can be the same or change each week. Never assume members or visitors know that you are good and/or qualified for what you do.)
Start with the end in mind……
When preparing your weekly presentation (60secs) think of your specific referral request before thinking of the filling because the filling gives the reason why a member might want to introduce your specific referral to you. The filling has to flow to your specific referral request.
If you sell Business to Business then you should name the company and the person and the position of the person in that company. If you sell Business to Consumer you can’t name the person but you can be very specific as to the type of person you can help.
The filling…….
Once you have worked out your specific referral request it’s time to add your filling. The filling should be a case study, story or example of how you have helped a similar client to your specific referral request. This becomes easy when you know what you are looking for.
Tasty Tips for the perfect BNI sandwich (weekly presentation)
• Energy, passion, clarity and humour, are also important in a successful pitch.
• Don’t forget to prepare and practice.
• Stick to time, everyone stops listening when you go over time.
• Keep using a specific referral request, it can take time to find the diamond you are looking for.
The order of the sandwich can be mixed up, it just needs all the components to be really tasty.
BNI University references:
BNI Podcast Episode 630: Seven Rules for an Elevator Pitch
BNI Podcast Episode 574: Knock the Socks off Your Audience
BNI Podcast Episode 574: Why You Might Not Be Getting Referrals
This week’s Education files:
Education PowerPoint: https://www.schoox.com/academies/library2.php?acadId=8723&id=2827222
Education Notes: https://www.schoox.com/academies/library2.php?acadId=8723&id=2827221
To access the links above you need to use your BNI University login. You can organise a reset yourself here: BNI University Reset OR click here to request help to reset your BNI University credentials.
