BNI 769: BNI Has Spoiled Me - How Do I Use Other Networking Events?

Summary

BNI & The Power of One: Episode 769 Summary

Title: BNI & The Power of One
Host: Tim Roberts
Episode Title: BNI 769: BNI Has Spoiled Me - How Do I Use Other Networking Events?
Release Date: December 9, 2024

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Introduction

In Episode 769 of the BNI & The Power of One podcast, host Tim Roberts addresses a common challenge faced by BNI members: transitioning effective networking strategies learned within BNI to other networking environments. The episode is prompted by a question from Madeline in Lansing, Michigan, who shares her struggles in adapting BNI’s structured approach to different networking events.

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Madeline's Question

Madeline reaches out with the following concern:

Madeline [00:40]: "I feel like B and I has spoiled me when it comes to other networking meetings. B and I was my first networking group, which is great and it is, it's taught me a lot, but it does leave me a little lost when it comes to other networking events. When I want to have a meeting with someone in my chapter, all I have to do is ask if they'd like to have a one to one and then we match up calendars. This may be a silly question, but how do I phrase these kinds of questions outside of B and I?"

Madeline fears that the structured and reciprocal nature of BNI makes her uncertain about approaching and engaging in less formal networking settings.

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Tim's Response

Tim Roberts provides a comprehensive strategy to help Madeline and listeners navigate networking outside the BNI framework. His advice centers on two fundamental principles and practical steps to implement them effectively.

1. Building Strong Referral Relationships

Tim emphasizes the importance of developing deep, trust-based relationships to generate consistent referrals.

Tim [02:15]: "You need to develop the relationship with that person to the point where they're willing to risk their reputation on you... That's what's really happening when we pass a referral to somebody or we get a referral from somebody. They're putting their reputation on the line."

Key Points:

• Trust and Reputation: Referrals are valuable because they involve trust. To receive and give meaningful referrals, mutual respect and reliability must be established.
• Consistency: Regular interactions nurture these relationships, ensuring that referrals are based on genuine connections rather than fleeting acquaintances.

2. Teaching Others to Identify Referrals

Beyond building relationships, Tim highlights the necessity of guiding your network on how to spot and provide valuable referrals.

Tim [05:30]: "You need to teach them actually how to do that for you. Most people don't just know how to do that... They don't know how to identify opportunities on an ongoing basis."

Key Points:

• Education: Equip your contacts with the knowledge and understanding of what you offer so they can recognize and act upon suitable referral opportunities.
• Systematic Approach: Implementing structured methods, similar to BNI’s system, ensures that referral generation becomes a routine and effective process.

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Applying BNI Strategies to Other Networking Events

Tim transitions to practical advice on leveraging BNI principles in various networking settings such as social gatherings, chamber of commerce events, and after-hours meetups.

1. Being Memorable: Standout Conversations

To differentiate yourself in less structured environments, focus on creating meaningful and memorable interactions.

Tim [12:45]: "The best conversations People have are the ones they do the most talking in... I want them to feel like it was a great conversation because they talked, not because I went and said some magical word to them."

Key Points:

• Engagement: Encourage others to share about themselves, fostering a two-way dialogue that leaves a lasting impression.
• Memorability: Unique and thoughtful conversations make you stand out compared to those who engage in superficial networking.

2. Preparing Unique Questions

Preparation is key to initiating standout conversations. Tim advises crafting distinctive questions that go beyond the typical "What do you do?"

Tim [14:20]: "Think of three to four questions that would be business related, but also personal. That would be questions most likely nobody else is asking or very few people would be asking."

Examples of Effective Questions:

• "What's the most common misconception about your business?"
• "How did you get into the business you're in today?"
• "What's your passion behind that? What drives you to want to do this?"
• "What's one crazy story you can tell about a client?"

These questions prompt deeper discussions and reveal insights about the other person, fostering a stronger connection.

3. Conducting Meaningful Conversations

Tim outlines a step-by-step approach to engaging in impactful conversations.

Step 1: Initiate with Prepared Questions Start with a warm introduction and segue into your unique questions to encourage the other person to open up.

Tim [18:10]: "When you walk up to somebody or you get introduced to somebody... you ask those three questions... you're getting them to talk about themselves in a way nobody else is getting them to."

Step 2: Request a Follow-Up Meeting As the conversation concludes, express genuine interest in learning more and propose a follow-up meeting.

Tim [21:05]: "Say, you know, Madeline, I'm really fascinated by how you answered some of these questions. I would really love to learn more about you, about your business, and how I may be able to help you find more people to work with. Would you be open to meeting..."

Step 3: Effective Follow-Up After the event, send a personalized follow-up message referencing key points from your conversation to reinforce the connection.

Tim [25:30]: "Send them an email, put in some keynotes from the conversation... 'I'm super fascinated about some of your answers, especially when you told me your why behind what you do...'"

These steps ensure that the initial connection evolves into a productive networking relationship.

4. Challenges and Integration with BNI

Tim acknowledges that while applying these strategies outside BNI can yield positive results, it requires more time and effort compared to the structured environment of BNI.

Tim [30:50]: "The challenge with those types of networking and doing that is it will take longer to produce the results than your B and I chapter ever will... But it can be done and I think it's an add on too. You should be doing both."

Key Points:

• Time Investment: Building relationships outside BNI lacks the consistency of weekly meetings, making the process slower.
• Supplementary Approach: Utilizing both BNI and external networking can enhance overall referral generation by expanding your network beyond the immediate group.

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Conclusion

Tim Roberts offers valuable insights for BNI members seeking to extend their networking prowess beyond the familiar confines of their BNI chapters. By emphasizing the importance of building trust-based relationships and equipping others to identify referral opportunities, he provides a roadmap for effective networking in various settings. Additionally, his practical steps for creating memorable conversations and following up ensure that these new connections can translate into meaningful professional relationships. While acknowledging the greater effort required outside BNI, Tim encourages integrating these strategies to complement the robust system that BNI offers, ultimately empowering members to elevate their networking game through the Power of One.

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For further discussions and to share your success stories or questions, visit bnipowerofone.com. Your engagement matters, and we appreciate your participation in the BNI community!

Transcript

[A]

Welcome back to B and I in the Power of One podcast. Appreciate everybody being with me again today. We are back with some show submissions, questions, topics submitted@bnipower of1.com if you ever have one just go to bnipower of1.com leave it there and we will make sure to get to it could be B and I related, it could be business related for Mike and I as we get back to recording here soon as well. Today comes from Madeline in Lansing, Michigan. Says, I feel like B and I has spoiled me when it comes to other networking meetings. B and I was my first networking group, which is great and it is, it's taught me a lot, but it does leave me a little lost when it comes to other networking events. When I want to have a meeting with someone in my chapter, all I have to do is ask if they'd like to have a one to one and then we match up calendars. This may be silly question, but how do I phrase these kinds of questions outside of B and I don't think it's a silly question, I think it's a good question and it's a challenge for most of us. The beauty of B and I is that we put structure and focus to it, which does make it a lot easier. I've always taught at my visitor days and startups and everything else, you know, what do we need to do to produce referrals from our word of mouth marketing? And so let me explain that to you and then I'll explain how do you approach it outside of beta, what you need to do to get referrals from somebody on a consistent basis. So we're talking about not just like not sales, so not going to a meeting to target people and not just, you know, the lucky happenstances which happens just from being very visible. So you can run around and go to a lot of networking events over a long time and you will get lucky occasionally from that. When somebody happens to get asked like hey, who do you know that does this? And they're like, oh well you know, I know Madeline, she does that. Like I've met her a few times, go check that out. If you want consistent referrals from people, if you want a true profitable networking relationship, what you need to do is accomplish two things. You need to one, develop the relationship with that person to the point where they're willing to risk their reputation on you. Because that's what's really happening when we pass a referral to somebody or we get a referral from somebody is they're putting their reputation on the line again. Not just say, hey, who do you know that happens to do? I met this person. They might do it because I'm even in that introduction kind of at arm's length of it, right? So my reputation is not really on the line. Reputation's on the line when I go, you need to work with Madeline. She's amazing. You need to work with this person. I've got the person for you. Those kind of comments, that is me putting my reputation on the line for you. So in order to do that, you have to earn that. The way you earn that is we've developed a relationship where I trust you with it. That takes time, it takes consistency with meeting. It takes like any other relationship in your life, development. The second thing you need to do is you need to teach them actually how to do that for you. Most people don't just know how to do that. They know how to give the easy ones, the obvious ones, the lucky ones. But they don't know how to identify opportunities on an ongoing basis. This is why B and I so powerful is BNI is the greatest system in the world that is designed to allow you to do those two things in the most efficient and effective way. Right. That's what it is. It is entirely a system in your business that gets you in front of people on a consistent enough basis, gives focus to that meeting with the givers game philosophy and the fact that we all are trying to help each other and gives you time each and every week to train the people how to do it. That's what your weekly presentations are about, your future presentations, your one to ones. That's why being effective in those skills is so important to your end result. Okay, so we've got the B and I thing. That's awesome. How do I do this in other networking events? And I'm going to just think mostly of like your social style networking events, chambers after our chamber of commerce, after hour events, those type of things. Two things you need to do number one is you need to be prepared for that meeting in a way that you will be remembered after. The question is, how am I memorable? And the best way to be memorable is to have a standout meaningful conversation with that person. So as you meet somebody new, goal number one is when I try to follow up with them, will they remember who I am? How do I get them to remember who I am? It's not going to be what I say. It's going to be how much can I get them to say, right? The best conversations People have are the ones they do the most talking in. So if I want to be memorable, I want them to leave. Go. That was a great conversation. And they're going to feel like it was a great conversation because they talked, not because I went and said some magical word to them. I got them talking, I got them talking about themselves and I get them talking in a. About things nobody else is asking them. So you think of three to four questions that would be business related, but also personal. That would be questions most likely nobody else is asking or very few people would be asking. And you prepare those questions. Things like, what's the most common misconception about your business? How did you get into the business you're in today? What's your passion behind that? Like, what drives you to want to do this? What do you love the most about your business? What's one crazy, you know, story you can tell about a client, you know, good, bad or ugly? If you could do anything differently, what would you do? Those types of questions, right? Think about those, prepare them, Think about how you would answer those questions. So the best way to think of is like, what are three questions you would love to be asked? If this was reversed and somebody was going to come and have this conversation with you, what would you want them to ask you? So you think of those three questions, you think of your answers. Be prepared. Then what you do is you go to that meeting and when you walk up to somebody or you get introduced to somebody, and if you're uncomfortable going up, go with a team, go with a couple people, you know, so you can kind of make introductions for each other, etc. But basically you go up to somebody, hey, you know, my name is Tim. It's very nice to meet you. What do you do? And then you ask those three questions, you know, oh, I'm whatever. I'm an insurance agent. Really? What led you into insurance? Why are you so passionate to have picked, out of all the different careers, where does that come from? What's the most common misconception about your line of work and your line of insurance? Right now you're getting into that conversation. The beauty of this is, again, you're asking questions nobody else is going to ask. You're getting them to talk about themselves in a way nobody else is getting them to. You're making them think a little bit because they're not just the, hey, what do you do? Who are you looking for? Kind of questions. And once they answer it, their natural instinct is going to be to just regurgitate the Question right back to you and say, well, what about you? And now you get to answer the same questions you wanted to be asked. That's step one. Step two is at the end of that conversation as it's kind of wrapping up a little bit. Say, you know, Madeline, I'm really fascinated by how you answered some of these questions. I would really love to learn more about you, about your business, and how I may be able to help you find more people to work with. Would you be open to meeting af, you know, next week or in the next couple weeks for me to learn more about you and can I follow up with you tomorrow or this week to schedule that? It's gonna be very rare if you hear no to that, very rare. And if they're like no, then that's not a person you want to be networking with anyways. Right? So you have the conversation, you ask the questions, you ask for permission to follow up with them. When you're talking about the follow up, it's not a, hey, can I meet with you and tell you more about what I do? It's, you gotta, if you really want that meeting, you gotta tell, basically tell them what's in it for them. And you selling your stuff is not what's in it for them. Right? It's I want to learn more about you. I want to learn who I can introduce you to to help you. Is it okay if I follow up with you in the next couple days? We can schedule something for a week or two out? Yes. Great. Then you do that. The third step is you follow up with them, send them an email, put in some keynotes from the conversation. Hey, man, it was again, really nice to meet you. I'm super fascinated about some of your answers, especially when you told me your why behind what you do or misconception I never thought of. Super interesting. Like I said, I'd love to get to know more about you. I'd love to learn how I can help you find more referrals, more people to work with. What's your availability next week on this day or this day and follow up. And that's how you're going to get it and you're going to stand out amongst Everybody else because 99% of the people at that event are not prepared for that event at all. They're going because, you know, they believe they should be networking. So they're going to the networking event, which is great, but it's not enough. They're not prepared, they're not ready to have the conversations most will run around and prospect and not network at all. They're just going out there trying to find the next target they can sell to. Most of them will collect a bunch of business cards but then do nothing with them. They didn't ask for permission to follow up and they never do follow up. So if you go in prepared, you ask some meaningful questions, you get them discussing having a conversation about themselves in a way nobody else is. You ask for permission to follow up and then follow up, you will get way more results than anybody else. Now the challenge with those types of networking and doing that is it will take longer to produce the results than your B and I chapter ever will. Because again, B and I you're meeting with them every week. Standard set plus one to ones. This one you got to do all the work to find it. It might be every month, every couple weeks. What have you. Much more difficult to do without the set structure, purpose, focus. But it can be done and I think it's an add on too. You should be doing both. And then when you start really learning about people, if there's an opening in your B and I chapter, you should pull them into your BNI chapter so that now you have them in that system that does have more consistency, does have that focus, does have that expectation if you will, and thus becoming far more effective. But to your question, that's how I would approach it. Hopefully that's helpful, gives you some things to think about. I'd love to hear from others or whatever you found super successful. Or if you have any other questions too, go to bnipowerofone.com let me know. Again, B and I related networking related, business related for Mike and I on the Business Matters podcast. Whatever. Be your weekly presentation for weekly presentation reviews. Keep them coming in. Your engagement really does matter and I appreciate it. Have a great day.