BNI 808: Getting Referrals From Others Outside Our Chapter - BNI & The Power of One

Summary

BNI & The Power of One Podcast Summary

Episode: BNI 808: Getting Referrals From Others Outside Our Chapter
Host: Tim Roberts
Release Date: April 14, 2025

Introduction

In this engaging episode of the BNI & The Power of One podcast, host Tim Roberts delves into the strategies for expanding referral networks beyond one's immediate BNI chapter. Emphasizing the importance of building valuable relationships outside the core group, Tim provides actionable insights tailored for professionals seeking to enhance their referral streams.

Listener's Question: Expanding Referral Sources Outside the Chapter

Submitted by Jen Hill from Toledo
Timestamp: [00:26]

Jen Hill, a professional organizer, reaches out with a pertinent question:

"I'm a professional organizer and I've found that having relationships with house cleaners are wonderful referral partners. My clients need them often and their clients need me. We have an excellent cleaner in our group and it's who I refer my clients to, but I'm trying to connect with other cleaners too. How do you recommend building a good relationship with other cleaners without being able to reciprocate referrals?"

Tim Roberts' Response: Building Valuable External Relationships

Timestamp: [00:26] to [10:10]

Tim responds thoughtfully, addressing Jen's concern by outlining a two-pronged approach:

Leveraging BNI for Networking:

Tim suggests using the BNI chapter as a foundation to identify and connect with additional cleaners. He emphasizes the role of BNI in facilitating these relationships through its networking capabilities.

"Use your BNI chapter to build these relationship-based referrals."
— Tim Roberts [02:15]
Adding Value Beyond Referrals:

Understanding that Jen may not always be able to reciprocate referrals immediately, Tim advises finding alternative ways to add value to these external relationships. This includes offering resources that enhance the cleaners' service quality, such as helping their clients become more organized, which in turn makes their cleaning jobs easier.

"You're going to be an additional resource that they can offer to their clients that makes them more valuable to their clients."
— Tim Roberts [03:40]
Identifying Mutual Exclusions and Opportunities:

Tim encourages Jen to have conversations with her current cleaner to identify areas or client types they prefer not to handle. This allows her to seek out other cleaners who specialize in those excluded areas, creating a reciprocal referral system without overlapping or competition.

"Ask your cleaner where the areas, what are the types of clients, what are the types of things you don't want to do... and then try to connect with cleaners in those areas."
— Tim Roberts [05:50]
Expanding the Network Strategically:

While external cleaners may not provide the same volume of referrals as those within the chapter, cumulatively, they can significantly enhance Jen's referral network. Tim highlights the importance of diversifying referral sources to ensure sustainability and growth.

"Each one of them will probably feed you less referrals than the one in your chapter... but in total they could be extremely valuable."
— Tim Roberts [07:10]
Providing Multifaceted Value:

Beyond client referrals, Tim underscores the importance of offering various forms of value, such as making introductions within the BNI chapter or referring external cleaners to other professionals. This holistic approach fosters stronger, more resilient relationships.

"You might be able to make other introductions to people in your chapter that they work with and stuff."
— Tim Roberts [09:00]
Encouraging a Giver's Mindset:

Emphasizing the "Power of Giving," Tim advises that even if the immediate reciprocity isn't evident, consistently providing value will naturally lead to mutual benefits over time.

"In a true giver's game way, help those other people in return."
— Tim Roberts [09:45]

Key Takeaways

Diversify Referral Sources: Relying solely on internal chapter referrals can be limiting. Expanding to external partners like other cleaners can provide additional referral streams.
Add Value Beyond Referrals: Offer resources, support, and introductions to enhance the relationship and make external partners more valuable to their clients.
Strategic Networking: Identify the strengths and preferences of your current referral partners to find complementary external partners, ensuring a balanced and reciprocal referral system.
Holistic Relationship Building: Building strong external relationships involves multiple layers of value exchange, not just direct referrals.

Special Segment: "Together We Rise" by Steve White

Timestamp: [10:10]

As a heartfelt conclusion to the episode, Tim shares an inspiring song titled "Together We Rise," written and produced by Steve White, a member of the BNI Legacy Partners chapter in Central Florida. The song celebrates the collective effort, dedication, and the power of giving within the BNI community.

Lyrics Excerpt:

"With strength of spirit we leave the average behind,
The power of giving lifts us high and wide,
That's why we are proud to be a part of B and I."
— "Together We Rise" by Steve White [10:10]

Tim expresses his excitement about incorporating such creative contributions into future episodes, highlighting the vibrant and supportive nature of the BNI community.

Conclusion

This episode of BNI & The Power of One offers invaluable strategies for professionals aiming to expand their referral networks beyond their immediate BNI chapters. Through Tim Roberts' insightful advice, listeners learn the importance of adding multifaceted value to external relationships and the benefits of a giver's mindset in fostering sustainable business growth. The special musical tribute by Steve White serves as a motivational reminder of the collective strength inherent in the BNI community.

For more insights and strategies on maximizing your BNI membership, tune into future episodes of the BNI & The Power of One podcast.

Transcript

A (0:26)

Foreign welcome back to BNI and the Power of One podcast. We are back with your show. Submissions Topics Questions submitted@bni powerofone.com I really appreciate everybody who continues to do so and encourage you all to continue to do so as we want to make this show yours. Today we are hearing from Jen Hill and oh by the way, before we go and Jen, thank you for submitting. Special treat at the end, something I'm super excited to share. Hopefully we'll be able to share it more often, but I'm going to share at least one time so stay tuned. At the end I'll explain it more but I'm excited for that. Let's get to the topic. Jen Hill so from Toledo says Hey Tim, not sure if this is a BNI topic or business topic. Here's the scenario. I'm a professional organizer and I've found that having relationships with house cleaners are a wonderful referral partners. My clients need them often and their clients need me. We have an excellent cleaner in our group and it's who I refer my clients to, but I'm trying to connect with other cleaners too. How do you recommend building a good relationship with other cleaners without being able to reciprocate referrals? So it's a really good question and it's much like if you think of Mortgage brokers can't always live off one real estate agent. One real estate agent can obviously live off one mortgage broker or insurance broker and everything else. But there are ways to add value and what you really want to be doing is using your BNI chapter to build these relationship based referrals. So one thing is when you're meeting with them is what do you offer them in return to the relationship? Outside of referrals, there are other value points that you're going to have to other cleaners, right? You're going to be an additional resource that they can offer to their clients that makes them more valuable to their clients. You're going to be able to maybe help their clients be more organized, which makes the cleaning job even easier on their part. And there are also referrals to potential cleaning clients that might be out of the scope for the one that's in your group. Meaning maybe that potential client for a cleaner is outside the range of service the cleaner in your chapter wants to work with. Maybe it is a different size house than they want to work with that the other does, right? So you might be able to find cleaners as well where you can give referrals. I would have this conversation, even with the cleaner in your group saying, you know, listen, you're my cleaner, I've been referring you, I want to, I'm going to continue to refer you, but tell me the areas that you don't want referrals in, right? Is it, Tell me the types of clients you don't want referrals in, tell me the scope of or the radius of service you don't want to be outside of and then try to make connections in those areas so that you can have a reciprocal relationship without feeling like you're holding something back from the cleaner in your group or you're being shady or secretive or what have you. So that would be my two two prong approach. First, I would use BNI to get more cleaners because they are a referral source for you, they are golden gooses. So you can ask for them, you can ask your cleaner for they often know other people in the industry as well. Who else can they connect you with to get a, a network of them around you who can feed you referrals? Each one of them will probably feed you less referrals than the one in your chapter because you're not going to have the same depth of relationship, you're not going to have the same consistency of meeting with them with a purpose of passing referrals, but so they're not going to be as valuable. But in total they could be extremely valuable. Ask your current cleaner, where the areas, what are the types of clients, what are the types of things that you don't want to do, don't like doing, don't want to go to? Because there even could be different types of cleanings. You know, they don't want the customer who's only going to be spring and fall, they want week to week or a bi weekly cleanings or maybe they only want the spring and fall versus the other. So figure out where are they really enjoying, what do they really like so that you pass them more referrals of what they really like, but also learn the areas they don't and then try to connect with cleaners in those areas that service the type of clients your current cleaner doesn't want to service, areas they don't want to go to, serve, do different types of services they don't want to do and build your network out that way so that it can be reciprocal. Again, it won't be to the same volume or in quantity that the ones are going to the cleaner in your chapter, but it can be somewhat reciprocal and even if it's not even if it is another cleaner right in the area doing the same types of clients you're your clean current cleaner is doing, doesn't mean you can add value and have a somewhat profitable relationship with that cleaner. Yeah, maybe you're not passing them a ton of referrals, but you're providing value to the services that they're doing and thus making them more valuable to their current clients and future clients. And so there's a give there too, and that's okay. I, I think it's a great question because I think a lot of people think, you know, that when we join BNI that we sign some kind of agreement or drink some kind of Kool Aid that says, you know, all other relationships outside of this group are null and void. That's it's not true. It's not how it works and nor how should should it work. You should be looking for people in the industries that are going to pass you or have the opportunity to pass you consistent referrals, your contacts for your professions. The one in your chapter again will be the deeper relationship. It will be the most profitable relation ideally anyways, the most profitable relationship, the one with the most consistency and commitment to one another. But even if they're amazing, it's not likely that you can live off just one of them depending on again, real estate agents and mortgage brokers, and vice versa, insurance reps. So this is a great question to be thinking about. How do I expand that network knowing that I only have so many referrals to give that can only go to so many places? I do have this level of commitment in relationship with somebody in my BNI chapter. Ask yourself, okay, well where else can I provide value? Where else can I help them that isn't going to be taking away for what I'm currently doing with somebody in my chapter. You might even be able to refer them to other organizers or other professions that again are going to feed them referrals. So yeah, you're cleaning clients to go into the cleaner in your chapter, but you might be able to make other introductions to people in your chapter that they work with and stuff. So there's a lot of other ways to provide value than the one tangible, you know, client based referral. I teach in member success program. And just when we're talking, the direct referral to the next customer is extremely valuable obviously, but is only one point of value we can add to somebody. It's only, it's one example of value we can add it unfortunately at times is the only one we think about. So Again, your chapter can be giving you extreme, really providing you a lot of value by connecting you with more cleaners because those be will, you know, keep referring you on and vice versa for those cleaners. You might be able to make great connections with other members in your chapter who will get referrals from them or be able to provide them value, et cetera, et cetera and et cetera. So it's not an uncommon concern. And so I really appreciate you sharing because I, I would bet there's a lot of people who are very. Who are thinking much like you are or have the same kind of concern based on their professions because we could think of a lot of them. So start there. I hope this provided some value for you to think about and some strategies to implement to be able to expand that network for yourself. But, and in a true giver's game way, help those other people in return. All right, so Jen, thank you so much for submitting that. Everybody else, again who's continued to submit, I really appreciate it. Want to continue to make this show for you guys. We, we do have a very special ending here. So just the other day we got back from National Conference and got an email from my managing director in Central Florida with a song that was written and produced by one of our BNI members in Central Florida. His name is Steve White. He's in our B and I Legacy Partners chapter. If you want to look him up in BNI Connect, I would encourage you to do so. Let him know what you think of this song that I want to share with you. I think it's amazing. I think it's truly amazing. I know our team's reaching out to Steve to see if we can maybe even use it weekly on the podcast or share it around. I've already sent it out to the CEO of bni, the US President of BNI told them to share it because I think it's really, really well done. And so, Steve, if you're listening, thank you for your time and effort in putting this together for your chapter and for bni. Thank you for sharing it and I hope you don't mind me sharing it here, but I wanted to play it for everybody. So here is Together We Rise by Steve White.