Are One to Ones just about having a “Cup of Tea”?
This week we are looking at One to Ones and how they help us achieve BNI’s core value of “Building Relationships”.
One to ones are imperative to our success and a great use of business time, but only when done properly. Well executed one to ones are crucial in building true referral partnerships, but… they take time and they need to be more than meeting once or twice for a “cup of tea” and a chat.
Are One to Ones just about having a “Cup of Tea”?
One to Ones and Visibility, Credibility and Profitability (VCP)
It’s a key point that through attending your BNI meetings and participating actively you can achieve Visibility and Credibility in the chapter. To achieve Visibility and Credibility with individual members, where they will refer to you as a matter of course, takes getting to know each other and each other’s business really well. A series of effective One to Ones can help this to happen.
Effective One to Ones
The initial One to One is about getting to know the other member personally and helps you to find out about their business. It is to help establish the initial relationship. At this stage it’s probably unrealistic to expect to generate immediate referrals. The GAINS sheet is a good tool to use for the initial One to One. It’s also a good idea to have the initial One to One at one of the member’s place of business.
The subsequent One to Ones are where business gets generated (especially within HUBS). Potential clients and projects for each other are discussed. For these One to Ones there are specific questions that can be asked to help uncover these opportunities and deepen the referral partnership. At some stage the One to Ones crossover to a business meeting where business is constantly generated.
One to Ones can sometimes be seen as a meeting that has lower priority than a meeting with a client. In reality, One to Ones carried out effectively and with a purpose can generate multiple referrals.
