From This Week's Education Slot :

17th August 2011 - Why give a testimonial?

Well, why not? Didn’t your mum tell you always to say “thank you” when someone gave you a present, or when somethone did something nice for you or paid you a compliment?

Why not? After all, it doesn’t cost us anything to say “thank you”. More to the point, it has a disproportionately positive effect on the person who receives it. When you’ve finished a job, you may be tired, you wonder, perhaps, whether you’ve done a good enough job… but when the client says “thank you”, those doubts all dissolve!

A testimonial is not just a verbal “thank you”: it’s in writing, on your letterhead.

So, why give a testimonial?

The purpose of giving a testimonial is to build up the confidence of chapter members, to refer the person whose name is at the top of the testimonial.

That’s why, when we give a testimonial, as well as handing the letter to the member concerned, we read it out to the chapter meeting. You tell the members of the chapter how good his/her work is, and why you will be likely to give this member referrals.

To achieve this, the testimonial needs to do three things:

• It should be succinct and sincere. (Don’t write: “The beauty of your workmanship reminds me of sunrise over the Sahara,” when what you mean is: “You did a good job and completed it on time.”)
• It should explain exactly why the product or service supplied was exceptional.
• It should be typed on your letterhead, so that when the member who has received the testimonial shows it to other clients or potential clients, they will know it comes genuinely from a satisfied customer.

As well as giving the testimonial on paper to the member concerned and reading it out to the chapter meeting, we also put a copy on the chapter’s website. Send me a copy of it and I can do that for you. If you and the member are both on linkedin, why not put it there, it would add greatly to their profile and get a much wider audience. We will also be setting up a chapter testimonials file (which will be available for anyone to study, and will be on the welcome table as people arrive). This will mean we need to bring two copies of each testimonial – one for the member, one for chapter files.

6th July 2011 - People Buy People Buy Passion

I was searching and found this title - and what it means to me, is that People buy from ME. In a business world where every one competes with a range of similar products and services in their own field - what makes the difference? ME! Or YOU! As a person.

People

P is for Posture (and gestures) - How do you use hand gestures? Sitting position? Stance?
E is for Eye Contact
O is for Orientation - How do you position yourself? In a group? One to One? In a meeting?
P is for Proximity - How close do you sit / stand to clients and colleagues?
L is for Looks/Appearance - What impression are you conveying? Does it fit with the culture of your client?
E is for Expressions of Emotion - Are you using facial expressions to express appropriate emotion?

Then I thought about what the word "Passion" means. I looked it up in several dictionaries.

• noun: strong or intense feeling or emotion
• noun: a feeling of strong sexual desire
• noun: any object of warm affection or devotion (Examples: "The theatre was her first love" or "he has a passion for fashion")
• noun: an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action
• noun: something that is desired intensely Education Slot

PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE BUY PASSION

6th July 2011 - Receiving Better Referrals

It's easy to blame others for poor referrals but these guidelines should mean that you getter better referrals by briefing the Chapter on what you really want

• Make your 60 second specific and clear - use the slot to describe your ideal client - never use terms like everyone, anyone, etc.
• If you have more than one type of client brief the Chapter one type at a time
• The whole premise of BNI is to build business through building relationships so use one-to-ones to brief chapter members
• Always follow up on a referral you are given
• If a referral is not appropriate then tell the person who gave you the referral tactfully and politely

Remember a referral should be a win-win-win

You should benefit, the end client should be pleased and the person who gave you the referral should be seen as helpful by both you and the client

Be clear about what clients you want

Precision works better than being vague

Go back to people who gave you an inappropriate referral and explain why this isn't good for you

Think about your own 60 seconds before rushing to judgement

Follow up any referrals promptly

29th June 2011 - Thank You Cards

The 'Thank you for the business' card is so small; I really think that it should be A4 size.

Now I know for practical reasons it can't be, but the card does such an important job that I really believe that if it were bigger more BNI members would understand its value.

This card is all about credibility, not only a member's credibility, but also the chapter's. Giving referrals is great, but at the end of the day they are just scraps of paper. But, being thanked for the business when a referral turns into actual work, well, that is what BNI is all about.

Real business being done. And, with each card dropped into the 'Thank you' box, a member's credibility goes up - and it is REAL credibility. What's more their fellow members will look forward to receiving a referral from them.

Now I also mentioned the chapter's credibility. Wouldn't it sound great if the Membership Coordinator could announce that in the last six months a chapter had been thanked for an amazing amount of business? And, even more importantly - what would that say to any visitors in the room?

So, members please don't forget to use those little cards

- they are vitally important to both you and your chapter

22nd June 2011 - Referral Slips

A referral slip is perhaps the most important BNI 'tool of the trade'.

It is why members spend hundreds of hours each year networking in BNI. So, it is one of the most critical concepts to understand.

For a referral slip to be of use, it must be completed properly. This means that contact information should be included. A referral slip with the words, "I will get back to you with the information" is simply not as useful as priving the information. I would suggest it's better to hold off giving the referral until you can add the information.

Next, we need to make sure we are using the thermometer properly.  Consider the referral thermometer as a measure of  the level of introduction.

Say a one is where you have handed the business card to someone

A three is where you have had a chance to really recommend the person and they are awaiting a call

And a five is an almost definitive they can't wait to get in contact with them

Knowing the level of introduction is important for someone being referred. No one wants to call on a referral and have the person at the other end of the phone say, "Who are you?" In BNI, we try to give referrals at level 3 or above. Anything less than a one is simply a lead ... and we do not give leads in BNI. We give bona fide, qualified referrals.

Finally, if you are receiving referral slips and are not able to close a large percentage of the sales, I have some bad news. You are not getting referrals ... you are getting leads. If this is the case, ask someone for assistance with your sales manager minute or focus on the way you are asking for referrals. Many people in the group are eager to assist you. After all, we are all in BNI to make money!

Then to the colours of slips:

• White goes to the one receicing the referral
• Pink goes to the membership coordinator
• Yellow you keep for your records

1st June 2011 - Attendance

Why show up?

• For Yourself
  • showing that you are committed and that you are serious
  • to build stronger connections and win the trust of the other members
  • if your not there, you won't get referrals - be in it to win it.!
  • To learn more - about everyone's business
  • and you won't get a chance to meet visitors
• For the Chapter
  • Attendance is critical to the group
  • if we don't have full attendance we don't gain the full potential of the chapter
  • we've seen how the number of business relationships grows with the number of people involved

What is the BNI attendance policy:

• You are allowed just three absences in a 6 month period

What happens if you don't attend?

• After two absences, the Membership coordinator will send a warning letter
• After three absences the membership committee shall notify the member that they are at risk of having their classification opened up with any more absences

If you can't make it - what should you do?

• Arrange a substitute - we'll talk more about that in another education slot
• If there are particular circumstances - discuss with the membership coordinator

25th May 2011 - 10 things people will get out of membership.

1. Public Speaking practice - from doing a 60 second speech every week
2. Learning to speak concisely - through getting practice in getting your message across within a your 60 second speech.
3. Straplines / Taglines - if you don't have already have one you may be inspired by hearing what others have.
4. Making friends - I think that we are a friendly group! Even a connection with just one or two members makes it all worthwhile.
5. Other networking opportunities - through BNI you can get to hear about other networking events
6. An education on how to network - by hearing and seeing how other members network and practising those skills.
7. A focus group - for testing out new products, marketing, and even new businesses
8. Joint ventures - It happens quite often in BNI groups that members team up for pitches, new business ventures, events, partnerships and collaborations. Seeing each other every week at BNI means you can easily meet regularly to move things along.
9. Knowledge of other types of businesses - through the 60 seconds and the 10 minute presentations and one 2 ones
10. Business referrals - This is the reason people join BNI in the first place - and yes, you do get these, and you learn how to along the way.

20th April 2011 - How to present your company on ONE minute.

So, you have one minute to make an impact at a networking meeting. What do you do ?

Plan: There is no use in being asked to speak and making it up as you go. Make an introduction for yourself, so you are ready. Lets face it Every networking meeting someone will ask what do you do?

How to start: Introduce your self and your company. "Hello, I'm Fred Bloggs from Widgets and co."

Pick a middle: Here are some examples:

• Pick a product or service - say why it is good.
• Pick a customers problem, Tell a story - say how you helped.
• Describe a job you have been doing this week.
• Pass on some bit of knowledge that you have and will be useful for others to know
• Describe what a good referral would be for you. Be Specific.

How to Make it Better: Bring a Prop. "Look we are the only company in the world that make Green rubber Widgets".

How to close: Ask the members to do something.

• Ask them to Listen for a phase "Oh no my Widgets got stuck in the door!"
• Ask them to Contact someone, " I need to talk to the manager of Wibbery Widgets, Can anyone make ain introduction ?"

How to End: Repeat your Introduction. "Fred Bloggs from Widgets and co."

And how to make it memorable: Use a memory Hook. http://www.memoryhooks.com  or ask the other members.

If it wobbles, wedgit with a widget!!

Yes its that easy!

A couple of things not to do:

• Don't pick more than a couple of products or services to describe. They just won't remember more than the first couple anyway.
• Don't write it verbatim, write bullet points as reminders. If you read it you will be looking down. Try to look at your audience.

4th August 2010 - Taking Control of Your Email Inbox

• Do you get emails?
• Do you look them, leave them and then go back to them?
• Do you reopen them, close them, and then go back to them?
• Do you keep them all in your inbox?
• Do important emails get lost in a vast sea of emails?

Here’s how you can get control.

1. Set up a simple reference system by creating folders outside your In Box
   
   1. @Action (longer than two minutes to deal with)
   2. @Waiting (waiting for something/someone to do something)
   3. @Reference (need to keep for some reason)

You can set up outlook to automatically move certain items, or you can do it manually.

1. Set aside time to deal with your emails. Treat this as a meeting. If necessary put a time in the diary call it – TFM meeting. You will need to be disciplined to do this. Don’t be tempted to check out your emails every time you get a ping to say there is a new message.
2. Deal with one email at a time, from the top of your inbox. Choose how you want to view your emails by date, sender or subject. You can also set outlook to give you a preview pane so that you don’t need to open the email.
3. Use the 4 D’s to deal with email
4. Delete it - not meaningful, info you can get elsewhere, not use in next 6 months,
5. Do it – if it takes less than two minutes
6. Delegate it – send it to someone else
7. Defer it – send it to your tasks/calendar for action later

Statistics show:

50% emails can be deleted or filed

30% can be delegated or completed in under two minutes

20% can be deferred to you Task List or calendar

www.timelesstime.co.uk

7th April 2010 - If You Can't Make It

Use Sussex subs, staff from your company or try something new and use a client. Try using different people, zest up the chapter.!

Sussex subs can be found by using the link in the Member Resources area of our website or at http://www.sussex-subs.co.uk/. Just go to the site and if you haven't done so already, register.

The Most Important 'Meal' of the Day

'Its not net-sit or net-eat its net-work' 

The essence of BNI is that although the meeting takes place at breakfast the sole reason for coming is to net-work! Efficiency and timings are maintained because every BNI meeting follows a structured 20 point agenda.

Being active in BNI is like having up to 40 sales people working for you, because your fellow members will be carrying your cards and referring your business to people they meet, without you having to pay them any salaries or commission. Successful businesses depend on 'word-of-mouth' marketing as the best form of promotion there is. 17/2/2010