Referrals slow? Visitors thin on the ground? Here’s why…

“We’re all out of referrals!”

Have you had that thought before? Heard it before? I’ve heard it a few times. I’ve also heard people say “we’ve exhausted our networks”.

If your chapter has started to stagnate, referrals have slowed to a trickle and you’ve invited all the people you can possibly think of… it’s because you’ve gotten lazy.

Now before you send me an irate comment or email, think about it… We would all love referrals to come to us without us having to do very much other than turn up at the meetings and hold the occasional dance. We would all love our visitors to say “yes please” and sign-up after the first or second visit. We would all love people around us to say — out of the blue — “I need help with… do you know somebody you can refer me to?”

Looking at it that way, it doesn’t sound very realistic, does it?

BNI or any other networking system isn’t a foolproof, get rich, money for jam scheme. It’s a structure and a system that works if you work the system. The fact is you have to role up your sleeves and sell, sell, sell…

1. If BNI works for you, why take “no” from a visitor? Demonstrate enthusiasm. Sell your BNI because you know its good for the visitor, or else you would never have invited them in the first place.

Let them know why you think they would benefit from your BNI. Don’t just shrug your shoulders and say “oh well, your choice”.

2. If you believe you’ve run out of opportunities to pass referrals to your fellow members, learn more about them and their businesses. Knowledge creates opportunities. Look to actively sell them to people you believe will benefit from their services. Don’t wait for an opening, make one!

3. If referrals coming your way have slowed to a trickle, identify the people in your chapter who share a similar target market with you. Get to know them better, dance once a week at least and start teaching them how to sell on your behalf. Increase your exposure to your fellow members and educate them better.

It’s all about top of mind, it’s all about selling and it’s all about ‘what you put in, is what you get out’.