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One to Ones – Are They ROT?

by Richard Foulkes

One to Ones – Referral generators or a cup of coffee and a catch-up? 

In BNI we believe that One to Ones are necessary to build credibility and to generate referrals. Is that true? Hands up who agrees?

Or are they just something we are supposed to do, and usually they are just a cup of coffee and a catch-up?

Do they provide a good Return on Time (R.O.T.)? Hands up if you agree with that statement!

Let’s look at some statistics and see if the facts support either supposition.

In our chapter in the last 6 months, we’ve collectively recorded <insert your chapters figure here> One to Ones  and recorded <insert your chapters figure here> referrals. That means, on average we have <work out the average and insert it here> one to ones to generate 1 referral.

How long does the average One to One take? Ok, that means, that on average it takes <insert the average time taken for your chapter to generate one referral> hours to generate 1 referral. How do we feel about that? Is that surprising in a good way? (Someone might argue that not all referrals are getting recorded, but it probably evens out as in that case not all one to ones are getting recorded either).

What if we gave or received referrals at/after every One to One? (terms and conditions apply)

When One to Ones are conducted strategically and with intent, they can lead to the point where referrals are being passed after every One to One.

The question is, right now, even if we do have strategy and intent with our One to Ones, are we following a proven strategy?

If we expected to give or get referrals at our One to Ones, would we reschedule them when “something more important came up”? If you are rescheduling your One to One, what is that doing for your credibility?

If you do want more Return On your Time (or ROT) with your One to Ones taking them beyond just a Coffee and a Catch up then Richard Foulkes, BNI Director Consultant is holding a one-off 1-hour Webinar on Effective One to Ones on Tuesday, November 3 at 18:00. And, no, it is not just about how to use the GAINS sheet!

Register here:
https://www.bniconnectglobal.com/web/secure/appsEventsViewEventDetails?eventId=307132

Educators please email this link out to your chapter members following the chapter meeting.

Top Tip – BNI App – One to Ones

When recording One to Ones in the BNI APP, both participants receive credit for the One to One regardless of who initiates or records it. If you receive a message saying the One to One has already been recorded, you should NOT record it again.

This reflects the fact that both members have contributed their time to the One to One. You can also record cross-chapter One to Ones by using the Worldwide search feature.

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