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Wayfair Every style, Every home. Welcome back to BNI and the Power of One. Thank you for joining me again today. Appreciate everybody trying to see if we can get a few out while travel season is back upon. We have the U.S. canada National Conference coming up which I'm excited to be at and if you're there, try to find me. Maybe we can introduce ourselves to each other at that great event. So today's question I'm going to keep it to one has to be kept anonymous, which is perfectly fine. So I won't even talk about where it is from. And the question is I'd love to hear your suggestions when it comes to director consultant weekly presentations at their chapter visits. I would also love a breakdown of what a director consultant should work on once they become a director consultant, one to three months, three to nine months, nine to 12 months, and so on. If a director consultant is providing amazing coaching, where should we see a small or struggling chapter grow in that time? Okay, I'm actually going to answer all of this, but under the guise because not everybody listening to this is a direct and consultant. In fact, I think it's only roughly 1% on two fronts. Answer these questions directly, but also what is the role of a director consultant and even how that changes based on operations in each region. So to give you a case in point, there's the very traditional role and then there's how some regions like ours utilize this important resource. So I want to kind of answer from multifaceted because I think it's valuable for a member to understand what the role of a director consultant is as well and what value they can add and what kind of resource they are as part of your membership. So let's start there. What is the role? Two fronts. There is director consultants who are assigned specific chapters that they are, for lack of a better term, in charge of, and that's the traditional model. And a director consultant might have one to three, maybe upwards of four or five chapters that they are directly working with in our organization, we have managing directors and area directors who are directly in charge of chapters in that role. And our director consultants are used completely differently. They're not assigned to chapters, they don't manage any chapters. They are really our B and I leaders and are those who are volunteering their time to want to help make an impact on chapters collectively, sure, but really members. So as a member, how would you look at a director consultant? It's pretty much the same in the sense of these are people who have been having tremendous success in BNI themselves and through the Giver's Game philosophy, want to help others see the success they desire from their membership. Now, whether they're assigned to your chapter and they kind of help manage the operations of the chapter in the traditional model or they don't in our model, the from the member standpoint, they should be looked at the same. This is a resource I have access to, someone who's willing and able to invest time again at our chapter because our director consultants still visit chapters. They do featured presentations and such, but also for me individually if I so desire to take advantage of that. These are people volunteering their time to meet with you one on one to give you advice, to give you coaching on how to maximize your results in bni just as they are currently doing. They are almost always fellow BNI members who have been identified as highly successful inspirational leaders. Okay. They are, as I often describe, the least utilized resource you get access to as a B and I member. There are no other real networking organizations that offer the level of coaching and support that BNI does. But it is one of those resources where you kind of have to seek the value. Meaning, you know, a lot of these director consultants are not going to know. You might feel like you're struggling in some way or that you're looking to get more out of your membership. Specifically, unless you reach out to them and state so and ask for some help. Ask for a one to one. If you're not doing one to ones with the director consultants you're seeing, whether it's the one you see because they're assigned to your chapter or in our region, the multiple you might see because how we use them and give them visibility, you're really leaving a lot of the value you're paying for on the table. Okay. Even if you don't feel like you're struggling, these are the best of the best. In many cases. These are people who are having tremendous success. They're very well connected. They have exposure across a region at a level you may not have that you should be trying to build a relationship with for that reason alone, but to really also pick their brain on how have they maximized their value in BNI and how can you emulate some of that in your business and in your membership? Now, based on this question, I can tell this is under the traditional model where a director consultant is working specifically with a chapter. And let's just start with the what should we work on once you become a director consultant? First and foremost, relationships. It is, it's just, it shouldn't be shocking. That is the number one thing. If you're going to be a leader in a chapter that you are not a member of and that you're not visiting every single week, then your first and primary focus is to develop proper relationships with as many people in the chapter as you can. Because only then will they believe in you and follow the advice and the direction that you're giving them. Most director consultants will only try to focus on the relationships with the president, the vice president maybe of the chapter. And that's a big mistake. You want to really have influence impact on as many as you can. And everybody's coming at their membership from different points of views, different angles, different strategies, everything else. So I would be invested heavily in the first three months one to ones with as many members in that chapter as I possibly can. Now, the one to one is not about you meeting with them to pitch your business and talk about what you do in BNI and what a good referral for you is it would be to learn about that member, learn about where they are in their journey in bni, learn about their business, learn about where they feel like they wish they were getting more of or where they're getting where they might be having struggles. Learn from their perspective what is their view as on the chapter as a whole and where you might need to figure out. What you're trying to figure out, I'm sorry, is where do you need to make some impact? Where can you utilize your influence to make that experience each week better for every member. If you only talk to the president, you're not going to get that full picture. So I would be really doing that. And then along that in that three to nine months, working with the current leadership team on what their perspective is and sharing some of the insight that you're getting from the one to ones you're doing to come up with what's the strategic plan, what are our goals and what is the strategic plan to achieve those goals? Okay, this is what our area directors and Managing directors are doing is they work intimately with every chapter as a part of that chapter to help identify where do we want to go and what's the best strategy to achieve it. Then, as you progress, it is helping the chapter follow that strategy, holding them accountable to the strategy, making sure that we are providing the resources proactively to help them achieve the goal that they want. This is my biggest frustration with these roles, is oftentimes the perception from the person holding the role and then thus from the chapter and the members and everybody else is, oh, we're here just to serve. We're here to answer questions when you have questions. We're here to provide resources when you ask for them. And that is just not the purpose of a director, consultant, area director, or managing director. You are the B and I expert and leader. You are now a part of this chapter and its journey. Journey. You're not just a person waiting to be asked questions. You are supposed to be the one who can help the chapter identify, again, what's the appropriate goal? They might have a goal that might be way off base, either too low, too high, whatever, but what's the appropriate goal? And more importantly, what is the appropriate strategy to achieve that goal and help them and hold them accountable through that process again, proactively? So if you know your chapter has growth goals, let's say you would want to be talking about, okay, when do we strategically want to do visitor days in the calendar year that are going to give us the best opportunity to really amplify our results in achieving that growth goal? And what do we want to do in the months between? And then when, you know, okay, they're going to do a visitor day in October, what? Well, then in August, you're starting to talk to them about that visitor day, lining up the timeline to that successful visitor day, providing them, again, proactively the resources to achieve that successful visitor day, Whether it's, hey, you should be listening to this podcast right now. You guys should be here. Here are some resources that help you accomplish it. And okay, now you should be here. Here's another podcast or educational moment proactively leading them through. What most directors will do is they'll get the chapter to agree to do a visitor day and in October, and then, you know, cross their fingers, hope and pray, show up to the visitor day that there are visitors there and react to that, and then blame the chapter on, well, they didn't invite, they didn't do this, they didn't do that, but we weren't a part of the process the whole way, leading them to get to understand what is a impactful visitor day, what is a successful visitor day look like, who should they be targeting, how should they be inviting, who should they not be targeting and bringing in all of that. We just kind of scheduled it and then showed up. So a truly impactful director, area director, managing director, who's in charge of a chapter needs to be again, intimately involved in that chapter, even though they're not there every week. Because what is absolutely bogus is when the chapters and the members go, well, this is our chapter and we'll come to you when we need help. It's not, it's not your chapter. So BNI chapter, and we're all in this together for the same goal, which is every member in that chapter making so much money they never leave. And this divide that can happen sometimes is because the leader, the director, area director, managing director, has taken such a passive approach that the chapter kind of just looks at him like, yeah, we'll call you when we need you, and that you're not part of their team, you're not part of their group, you're not part of their journey. And that's the biggest mistake a director can make. So early on. It's about developing the relationships and the understanding of where everybody's at and what their perceptions are and what their challenges are. And as you further develop those relationships, it's helping to line up the skills, line up the strategy, line up the vision. And then as you're moving on, it's, you're intimately apart, you are the strategic planner for accomplishing those goals. That's the whole purpose of a director in the traditional model. Now, in our model, the director again is the leader, the inspirational, the coach. They're not involved in a strategic layout of the chapter. That's what our managing and area directors are doing. So they're an additional resource for each individual member to have access to for again, coaching on your membership, asking questions on how do you get better at whatever area it is you feel like you might need to be able to get better at. So we've added additional resources because now the chapter has a full time person, area managing director, who is intimately involved in that strategic thing, like I talked about the director consultant does in a traditional model, plus director consultants and ambassadors who they're seeing multiples of so that they can connect with the right person for them to, to get the coaching and leadership individually. And so we've just kind of added a layer to it. But the goal is the same. The focus is the same when it comes to a weekly presentation. If you are visiting a chapter in any kind of B and I title, ambassador, director, consultant, area director, managing director, whatever it is, your weekly presentation should be on how you provide services to that chapter and the opportunities for for those people to take advantage of it. You can also identify your referral ask should be for those who are currently locked out of the chapter. Right? So it's hey, who from your office, your coworker who's seeing the results you're getting but doesn't have a chapter of their own. That's the referral ask. But the vision is what is BNI doing and offering that they should be tapping into? Just because again, not every member has had an opportunity to see you, hear you, whatever may not realize the resources that are available to them. In particular, again, what it means to have a director, consultant, ambassador, whatever, as part of this organization. So this is what our role is to provide. I wouldn't say for you, you can try to avoid those U words but you know, I'm here to provide resources for members who are looking to amplify their results from their BNI membership. Whether that's they're getting results and they're looking to take it to the next level, or maybe they're not getting the results that they thought they might get and they feel like they're struggling. So if you hear a fellow member complaining or sharing some struggles they're having, I would love the referral to them to be able to sit down, meet with them and coach them on how they can, you know, get better results, get a better experience, whatever it is. In your weekly presentation, great referral for us as BNI is always your co worker who's seeing the results you're getting but doesn't have access to it themselves. Something like along those lines, okay, so you're going to follow the same kind of thing, but if you say I'm here to help you again, members will shut down and be like I don't need your help. But if you start talking about their co fellow member who's complaining or doing this or whatever, maybe they'll, they'll self qualify themselves. If a DC Director consultant is providing amazing coaching, where should we see a smaller struggling chapter grow in that time? It that's really impossible to ask. It kind of all depends on where the chapter's at. What do you define as small? What do you define as struggling? Oftentimes the biggest impact we can make is helping them create an environment for success before we start focusing on adding people to it, because you can do a great visitor day and add 10 people. But if the chapter is just hemorrhaging 10 people in the back, that's not changing anything. Right? So again, each chapter is individual. Each chapter has its own place in their journey. And every chapter goes through journeys. They do. They go through growth seasons, they go through retraction seasons, they go through struggles, they go through successes. Everybody's going to have a little bit of, you know, difference depending on, you know, where they're at. So, you know, I, I firmly believe, you know, the true indicator of success is growth. If we're growing, we're doing a lot of things right. It means we're inviting, it means we're converting, it means we're retaining, it means we've got all these things working. So I can't really answer where they should be without knowing all that. And each chapter, again, is really different. But you look at your progression based on what you've perceived as a challenge. What you've heard is the challenge for members or the, the perception of challenges is. And are you making progress throughout that? Don't just be the person who shows up, says, hey, I'm here, if you need me, call me, and then leaves. I mean, again, if I said this to my own team, if our role is just to sit back and wait for them to ask questions, we can just do a call center, probably cheaper, right? That's not the purpose. These are leadership roles. These are roles that are strategically involved in the chapter. These are roles that want nothing more than that chapter and each individual member to succeed beyond their own expectations. And that should be your mindset with it. And you own the results that chapter is seeing. In many ways, if you have that right mindset, and from a member standpoint, these are people who want you to succeed. They want to help you get more out of this, utilize that resource, tap into it, meet with them, do one to ones, be vulnerable, share where your struggles are. Be open to hearing feedback and advice that might sound like criticism at times, like, hey, you know, your weekly presentation isn't very strong. Let's work on it. And be open to that because it's all focused on you getting more. But the only caveat to getting the help is you often need to ask for it, reach out, ask for it, do the one to ones. And again, even if it's just a relationship thing, these are the most connected people you're going to see in bni. Take advantage of that. That alone. So, anyways, great question. I hope this helps add some clarity to everybody for you know what a director should be and how to take advantage of it, even if you're not. And if you're if you're having success in BNI and you're looking to amplify your visibility and credibility in the region, reach out to your managing director, executive director, whoever, and learn what it would be to become a director, because it will absolutely grow your business if it's done right. As always, appreciate you listening. Share this with fellow members. That's the biggest thing you can do is help us help more people by sharing the podcast getting them to subscribe if you're not subscribed, do that. Leave a review all the things. Have a great day. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone Paying Big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment
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Podcast: BNI & The Power of One
Episode: BNI 892: The Role of a Director Consultant
Host: Tim Roberts
Date: April 21, 2026
This episode explores the function, responsibilities, and strategic value of the BNI Director Consultant (DC) role—both in the traditional chapter-assigned model and in regions employing a more flexible approach. Tim Roberts answers an anonymous listener’s detailed question about weekly DC presentations, effective strategies across a DC's first year, and the expected impact of strong DC coaching on smaller or struggling chapters. The discussion highlights not only how DCs provide support and leadership but also how BNI members can better leverage this resource.
“These are people volunteering their time to meet with you one on one to give you advice, to give you coaching on how to maximize your results in BNI just as they are currently doing.” — Tim Roberts [04:05]
“These are the best of the best...you should be trying to build a relationship with for that reason alone, but to really also pick their brain on how have they maximized their value in BNI?” — Tim Roberts [06:17]
First 1–3 Months:
“Your first and primary focus is to develop proper relationships with as many people in the chapter as you can. Because only then will they believe in you and follow the advice and the direction that you're giving them.” — Tim Roberts [07:30]
3–9 Months:
9–12 Months and Ongoing:
“You are supposed to be the one who can help the chapter identify, again, what's the appropriate goal...and help them and hold them accountable through that process again, proactively.” — Tim Roberts [10:42]
“If our role is just to sit back and wait for them to ask questions, we can just do a call center, probably cheaper, right? That's not the purpose.” — Tim Roberts [18:50]
“Oftentimes the biggest impact we can make is helping them create an environment for success before we start focusing on adding people to it, because you can do a great visitor day and add 10 people. But if the chapter is just hemorrhaging 10 people in the back, that's not changing anything.” — Tim Roberts [17:45]
For further insight into BNI leadership roles or to learn about becoming a Director Consultant, Tim encourages reaching out to your region's managing or executive director. Share this episode with fellow members to help spread these strategies for growth!