This weeks workshop has again been sourced from the excellent UK blog – My BNI Day
Have you ever been one of the last to leave your meeting and scattered around the tables are a leaflet that a member gave out?I have often – and it’s not only been leaflets. Sometimes there have been note pads, invitations to a private view, free tickets to a seminar, all kinds of things.A few weeks ago I was just leaving a meeting and a member was collecting up their product brochures that had been left behind, so I collected those nearest me and handed them to the member. I guessed only a few could have been taken by the members. They thanked me and I replied, ‘No problem’.
The member then said a funny thing: ‘I really meant thank you for taking my brochure’. I had one amongst my things. We then talked for a few minutes and I have to say that they were pretty disappointed that almost no one had taken their brochure.
Thinking about it later, what the member said, certainly had a ring of truth about it.
Whenever I am given something at a meeting I take it away with me – not because I am interested necessarily in whatever it might be myself, but because I may be able to pass it on to someone else who is and more importantly, as I have not been able to read it during the meeting, I can read it later when I can concentrate better and find out something more about the member.
But what the member said that really hit home was two things: first, that obviously the other members weren’t really bothered about them or their services and second, that they didn’t really feel like putting themselves out for those members during the coming week!
I have to say that I gave out some of my company’s pads during my 10 minute once and had to collect up a handful afterwards and I must confess that I was not too happy with the members who left them.
So, please take handouts away with you and read them. Not only will it assist you in finding referrals for that member but it may very well increase the number that you receive.
1 comment
Hi Graham, thanks for the post. Yes, I agree. But I also think that members should put some decent thought into what they are giving out.
Hey thanks but I have enough writing pads to last me a lifetime. And pens and folders ect etc. I love it when someone uses their imagination and gives me something that says something about their business AND makes me smile and/or makes me think ‘now that’s useful and cool, I can certainly talk about that to my customers!”
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