BNI 786: Cross Chapter Visitors at Visitor Days - BNI & The Power of One

Summary

Summary of BNI Podcast Episode 786: Cross Chapter Visitors at Visitor Days

Podcast Information:

Title: BNI & The Power of One
Host: Tim Roberts
Episode: 786: Cross Chapter Visitors at Visitor Days
Release Date: February 10, 2025
Description: This episode delves into the dynamics of cross-chapter visitors during BNI visitor days, offering strategies and insights to maximize the effectiveness of these networking events.

Introduction

In Episode 786 of BNI & The Power of One, host Tim Roberts addresses a pertinent question submitted by a director-level member regarding the practice of inviting cross-chapter visitors to visitor days. This discussion is particularly relevant for chapters looking to enhance their success and referral rates by optimizing their visitor day strategies.

The Issue of Cross-Chapter Visitors

The core question revolves around whether chapters should invite members from other BNI chapters (cross-chapter members) to their visitor days. Tim Roberts begins by outlining his initial opposition to this practice, highlighting several concerns that may impact both the visitor's experience and the chapter's objectives.

Reasons Against Allowing Cross-Chapter Members at Visitor Days

1. Perception of Pre-established Relationships

At [00:45], Tim explains that inviting cross-chapter members can give potential visitors the impression that these individuals already have solidified relationships within the chapter. He states:

"If the seat is open, it may appear to the visitor that this cross chapter member is already connected because they are likely chummy with members and feel the relationships already solidified discouraging them from joining." [00:45]

This perception can deter visitors from considering membership, as they might feel that new connections are less likely to form.

2. Time Consumption and Limited Benefits

Tim further argues that cross-chapter members primarily use visitor days for self-promotion, which diminishes the meeting's effectiveness. He notes:

"It only takes time away from the meeting and the only benefit is the self promotion of the cross chapter member and exposure for their business." [02:10]

This self-serving behavior reduces the time available for actual visitors to present their businesses and engage with current members meaningfully.

3. Signaling the Existence of Other Chapters

Another significant concern is that allowing cross-chapter visitors inadvertently promotes the existence of neighboring chapters. Tim articulates:

"It also spreads the message that there are other chapters close by that the visitor should visit before applying." [03:20]

This can confuse visitors about where to commit, potentially weakening the commitment to the hosting chapter.

Potential Benefits of Cross-Chapter Visiting

While Tim acknowledges that there are some potential advantages to cross-chapter visits, such as learning best practices or making new connections, he emphasizes that these benefits are often limited. He remarks:

"There is potential value in visiting other chapters... However, even those connections are limited because you cannot join that chapter." [05:00]

The restriction of not being able to join another chapter limits the practical benefits of such visits.

Managing Cross-Chapter Visitors

1. Restricting Cross-Chapter Attendance During Visitor Days

Tim advises that cross-chapter visits should be rare and discouraged during designated visitor days. He emphasizes:

"You should absolutely not have members from another chapter visiting your chapter during a visitor day." [07:30]

This stance is grounded in preventing the negative consequences discussed earlier, such as lowered visitor conversion rates and confusion about chapter affiliations.

2. Proactive Measures to Prevent Cross-Chapter Attendance

To mitigate the presence of cross-chapter members, Tim suggests chapters should:

Monitor Registration Lists: Keep a close eye on who is registering for visitor days to identify potential cross-chapter attendees.
Communicate Clearly: Reach out to cross-chapter members ahead of time, expressing appreciation for their interest but requesting they attend another time:

"We really appreciate your interest in visiting our chapter. You're free to come some other week, but we'd ask that you do not come this week." [12:15]

3. Handling Unapologetic Cross-Chapter Members

In instances where cross-chapter members attend despite requests, Tim advises:

Limit Their Participation: Encourage them to focus solely on introducing their own business without promoting their home chapter.
Reinforce Chapter Boundaries: Remind them not to reference their membership in other chapters to maintain the integrity of the visitor day:

"Don't even mention you're a member of another chapter. Stand up, introduce yourself in your business. Do not say anything else besides that." [14:50]

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Tim Roberts concludes the episode by reiterating the importance of maintaining the sanctity of visitor days to foster genuine connections and maximize visitor conversions. He underscores that while cross-chapter members can offer value in specific roles, their presence during visitor days intended for potential new members is generally counterproductive.

He wraps up with a proactive outlook towards the upcoming spring season, recognizing it as a prime opportunity for chapter growth and effective visitor day strategies:

"Spring is your biggest growth opportunity of the year for your chapter. It's the time for member extravaganza... it's ripe to happen." [20:00]

Tim encourages members to apply the discussed strategies to enhance their visitor days and invites further engagement through feedback and questions on the show's website.

Key Takeaways:

Limit Cross-Chapter Visitors: To ensure visitor days are effective, chapters should minimize the presence of cross-chapter members.
Protect Visitor Experience: Prevent potential visitors from feeling discouraged by perceived pre-existing relationships within the chapter.
Enhance Conversion Rates: Focus on creating an environment that maximizes the likelihood of visitors joining the chapter.
Strategic Timing: Utilize peak seasons like spring for well-planned and focused visitor days without cross-chapter distractions.

By adhering to these guidelines, BNI chapters can optimize their visitor day outcomes, fostering a more inviting and productive networking environment.

Transcript

A (0:31)

Foreign welcome back to BNI and the Power of One. Thank you for listening again today. Back with questions and topics submitted at bnipower of1.com today's all around cross chapter visitors so people visiting from Chapter A to Chapter B in the region. Chap question comes from a director level, but I think is important for everybody to hear, understand the philosophy behind my answers and everything else. So says Someone asked me if they should invite cross chapter members to visitor days and I've always been against this for a few reasons. Number one and advice. This is the question I'm still reading. Number one if the seat is open, it may appear to the visitor that this cross chapter member is already connected because they are likely chummy with members and feel the relationships already solidified discouraging them from joining. 2. I feel it only takes time away from the meeting and the only benefit is the self promotion of the cross chapter member and exposure for their business. 3. I also feel unintentionally it spread the message that there are other chapters close by that the visitor should visit before applying. Overall, I feel it is a bad practice even though some do it under the guides of quote I'm here to support their visitor day. While this may have some truth, I feel it distracts from the chapter's visitor day as a whole. On the flip, I know some smaller chapters actually invite cross chapter members to make the room look fuller, not realizing the unintended consequences of them being there. So curious on what your thoughts are. Is it worth trying to curtail and if so, how do you suggest approaching that in a chapter that won't harm relationships with cross chapter members? Okay, I think cross chapter visiting should be used rarely, meaning I don't think it's in any members great interest to just be going to chapter to chapter to chapter and visiting other chapters all the time. I don't say that meaning there isn't potential value in visiting other chapters. There is. One of them is to learn what that chapter might be doing if they're getting better results than your chapter is. 1. It is to it could be to see potential new connections, etc. However, even those connections are limited because you cannot join that chapter. I go back to the podcast I did a few weeks ago around one person per profession, networking groups. My general feeling this is from somebody thinking about visiting other chapters is oh, I want to go visit that chapter because they've got classifications in there I don't have in mind. I say that is not the answer. The answer is look at the classifications that they have that are not yours and find one of those people for yourself because the person in the other chapter either has a relationship for your profession or may soon. Because if, let's just say you, I don't whatever you you do a profession that's not in theirs either, that doesn't mean it you won't be that position won't be filled in their chapter. And once it is, that's going to negatively in fact which your your relationship and referral opportunities, which means the whole thing kind of. And I know I'm already going to get mad with emails and everything else. Well, no, I get a lot of value of it. No, I, I don't want to hear those because I get it. I get it. I. This, this is not a black and white answer, but it's what's in the best interest of everybody as a whole. So generally speaking, I don't think we should be having a ton of cross chapter visitors in, you know, in big numbers. The question here though is specific. Around visitor days, you should absolutely not have members from another chapter visiting your chapter during a visitor day. The unattended consequences of that are great and they are mentioned here. The first one is actually true and one that most people don't think about. So kudos for even kind of seeing this problem, which is cross chapter member comes in, they immediately will be perceived as being connected to the chapter, even though they're not in it because they are a fellow BNI member. They're going to come in with a B and I badge on. They're going to know some members in there. So they're going to be. You could see that they already have some relationships. They're going to know the protocol, they're going to know the system. They're going to be better prepared all of those things than any visitor for a first time at that chapter is going to be. And that visitor from the chap that's visiting for the first time very well could misintrude that that, oh, I can't join or I shouldn't join this chapter because they already have a relationship with this person who competes with me, which hurts the visitor and the chapter who worked hard at getting the visitor there in hopes that they apply to become a member. Number two is it definitely will lead to a lower conversion of your visitors because not that they just know now that there's other chapters around, they may already have known that, but. But they're going to get invited to it. No matter how much the cross chapter member says I'm only here to support you. I would never, I would never. They do, even unintentionally do poach visitors. Some very strategically try to poach visitors which you want to kill your credibility. Go to another chapter and try to poach their visitors for your chapter. You will upset a whole lot of people and that's not something you want to be doing. But even unintentionally, oh yeah, I'm not a member of this chapter, I'm in another. You should join here. This is a great chapter. Then they go, well, why aren't you a member of the chapter? Well, I have my chapter and blah blah, blah, like it will pull your conversion down. There is no benefit to having members from another chapter who are just visiting at your visitor day. Even the one here where the comments said that some, some small chapters do it to try to make the room feel bigger, that's not a benefit for you because what's going to happen is they will quickly see that they're not from your chapter. And even if they don't, it misrepresent represents what your chapter is actually like. So even if the visitor decides I'm going to be a part of this and they come back the next week and it's half as many people, that's not a good thing. So there really is no benefit, especially on a visitor day, to have cross chapter visitors. And I won't say everyone, but the high, high majority of people who go and visit chapters during their visitor days. So I'm in chapter A and I'm going to go to chapter B's because they're having a visitor day are doing it for a self serving reason. It's not about supporting their visitor day. Who the hell has the free time on their hands that they want to go, oh, you know what I want to do? I want to go help a chapter I'm not in have a more successful day. The only ones who do that, that really do that with that purpose are the amazing directors and ambassadors we have who actually volunteer their time to be there to ensure the chapter has an amazing visitor day. But you know what they're not doing when they're there representing their own business, they are there as a director, as an ambassador of bni. So that's an entirely different thing. If you're going there to represent your own business at a meeting, it's really not about supporting their visitor day. And in fact, even though not intentional, you could be having the exact opposite effect on their visitor day. Now I've seen over the years too people Invite cross chapter members to their visitor day to say that they have a visitor. Keep in mind a BNI member from another chapter is not ever to be considered a visitor to your chapter. In terms of the Palms report, they are a guest. A visitor is somebody who could potentially join that chapter. That's the definition of visitor. A visitor is somebody who could potentially join the chapter. A fellow BNI member from another chapter cannot do that. Your admin from your office cannot do that, these kind of things. So it's really about being very careful about how we even define visitors. So I've seen members do it just to, you know, make it seem like they did something that they didn't really do. I've seen some, again, do it because they want the room to feel full, all of those things. I, it's why I'm not really a big fan of like publicly promoting your visitor days. I get the benefit of like, you know, you put it on social media and stuff and you think, all right, it's a great way to get some exposure. Maybe somebody will invite because they didn't know about it. And I, I understand that philosophy, but for everyone that you have of that, you're going to get two or three of the people you don't want there. That would be other BNI members or the people who constantly try to visit chapters, never going to commit to one, but they'll visit all of them. Those type of networkers. Your best bet is to actually personally invite people. So trying to just read through the question again real quick. It does take time from the meeting. That's also factually accurate too. That means there's more people speaking now, so, you know, with no real benefit to the chapter for them speaking. So yeah, I think it's a great question. You know, we're entering, believe it or not, here in a few weeks, spring, which, thank God, because where I am right now, it has been a cold, cold January followed by a cold and snowy February. So far. I cannot wait for spring. And spring is your biggest growth opportunity of the year for your chapter. It's the time for member extravaganza. It's a time when all kinds of chapters are doing all kinds of visitor days, rightfully, strategically, smartly. It's the time of year this is ripe to happen. Now if your chapter doesn't want it to happen, the only way thing you can do is be paying close attention to your chapter registration list for visitors. And if you identify somebody who's coming, who's already a member of another chapter, I would reach out to them ahead of time. Say, we really appreciate your interest in visiting our chapter. You're free to come some other week, but we'd ask that you do not come this week or whatever, because that is our visitor day, and we are really focused on the visitors who could potentially join our chapter that morning and ask them not to come. If you got somebody who still walks in or does walk in, you didn't reach out, and they happen, it's really important that you remind them not to speak of their chapter in any way. Don't even mention you're a member of another chapter. Stand up, introduce yourself in your business. Do not say anything else besides that, because you don't want them to take away from all the hard work your members have put in. You would be surprised how many times a year in the spring, we get emails or phone calls from members who are so upset because they had a visitor day. And Bob from this other chapter showed up and he talked about his. His meeting and why they should consider visiting his meeting as well. And those visitors didn't apply, and now they're gonna go visit Bob's chapter. And it's just full of drama and full of anger, and Bob just hurt his reputation, and the chapter's losing out on the visitor, and the visitor has no idea what's going on. It's just completely avoidable. So hopefully this answers your question. Hopefully this helps everybody else as we enter what will be a very busy visitor day time of year across the world. And if you got any comments, questions, suggestions, all that, go to bnipowerofone.com let me know. Look forward to hearing from you. If you got any questions you want to submit, go there as well, and I'll talk to you soon. It.