Recently Bernie Gojar from Identity Headshots on the North Shore of Auckland discussed how substituting at BNI led to her membership. She notes: “A key thing my journey at BNI has taught me is that substituting was a great way to initially get a taste of BNI and introduce myself to a chapter. Chapter members need to show there is a great chemistry there with the substitute, start to the build credibility with them by engaging with them at the meeting and importantly taking the time to do a one to one with this person.”
The power of great substitutes is that not only can they represent you when you are away, they can potentially increase your chapter’s membership as well. Start thinking about who you will invite to represent you next time you need a substitute at BNI. 
Here are 3 tips to help you:
1. Who should substitute at BNI?
For most BNI members there are times during the year when you can’t make a meeting. In these cases, you should ask someone to substitute for you. Who to ask, can range from other members in your business to customers/clients or even family and friends. If you can’t find a substitute from your own personal contacts, your chapter is likely to have a list of people who are interested in substituting for you. Planning ahead, when possible, is vital.
2. What’s the role of your substitute?
Great substitutes add value to the chapter by giving excellent 60 second presentations about the member they’re representing. They are always well prepared and have also been well briefed beforehand. When you are looking for the occasional substitute, it’s worth putting effort into finding someone suitable because they are going to represent you.
3. Look for new substitutes
- It’s in the best interest for your chapter members to have new faces acting as your substitutes. The more different business people that you get to come along to your meetings, the higher the likelihood they can pass referrals and possibly even go on to join in the future.
- Try to target people who have never been to one of your BNI meetings before. Take a more self-centred approach when looking for a substitute and invite people with whom you want to do business with personally.
- If you’re struggling to find someone new, ask other people within the chapter, the leadership team, your BNI Director Consultant or even your wider business network for help.
