I'm optimistic that despite what I say, I'll still get leads and dance cards.. . . which is why I'm here. . . to grow my business.
And for me, using BNI as a method of business growth is based on 2 things:
The commercial is one of the opportunities for active listening.
If you are in this only for you, then you'll be going, “Yeah, yeah, yeah he's looking for busted computers again. Whoa! Look what just landed on my Blackberry!”
If you're thinking about me then hopefully you'll be trying to match my cues to your rolodex. This makes my job to fine tune my request and jog your memory. . . and, “Anyone with a pulse who has a computer.” will get me about the same result as asking my kid, “How was school today?” “Fine.” That's productive dialogue.
My rolodex comes from being in town almost 30 years. However, truth be told, I’m recirculating a pretty small list of those to talk to. It seems that my list of those you don't want to talk to is substantially longer.
I consider, “working a lead” to be a euphemism for, “I'm embarrassed to keep standing up and saying, ‘I have nothing to give.’”, because in my experience “working a lead” on week 1 is usually not delivered on week 2 or 3 or 4.
I believe my BNI job is to get you face time, not sell you or your product. That's your job and besides, you'll understand how to do your business far better than I will.
If Englebert says to me, “My gribenes just aren't working right”, and Team Gribenes is in my group, I'll offer to make the match.
If I know Englebert's gribenes aren't working right, and I've got a genuine interest in Englebert as well as in Team Gribenes, I'll steer the conversation, “Englebert, how are your gribenes doing these days?”
What will Englebert think of me if I offer him help? Unless Englebert thrives on chaos, he usually welcomes assistance and solutions because I've tried to demonstrate that my interest in Englebert is genuine.
I try to use the referral slip lead barometer because it lets you know your chances for face time.
The dance card is the other active listening opportunity.
I consider standing up and saying, “I'm looking for dance cards.”, to be no different than looking at your phone and saying, “Ring dammit! Why don't you ring?”
If you're in this only for you, then save your lunch money and spend your days doing your thing.
If you're thinking about me, then get up and move your calendar into my face.
Is it hard to do all of this?
Yes and No
It's about conscious decisions, being consistent, and understanding that if you continue to do what you've done, you'll continue to get what you've got.
Any questions?
