Episode 894: Your Business First

Summary

Episode 894: Your Business First
The Official BNI Podcast
Host: Dr. Ivan Misner
Guest: Frank Dey
Release Date: January 22, 2025

---

Introduction

In Episode 894 of The Official BNI Podcast, Dr. Ivan Misner delves into the crucial topic of prioritizing your business within the BNI framework. Joined by Frank Dey, a seasoned BNI member celebrating his 30th anniversary with the organization, the episode explores foundational strategies for maximizing referral marketing and leveraging BNI’s resources effectively.

1. Laying the Groundwork: Understanding BNI’s Framework

Dr. Misner emphasizes the necessity of comprehending how BNI operates to harness its full potential. This involves familiarizing oneself with the available tools and resources through mentor programs and training sessions.

Dr. Ivan Misner [02:03]: "When you get involved as a member, you've got to understand the tools, the resources that are available in BNI and have that really taught to you through the mentor programs, the trainings that we do."

Understanding that BNI is more than just attending meetings—it’s a strategic component of your business development—is fundamental. This foundational knowledge sets the stage for integrating BNI practices into one’s business model effectively.

2. Crafting a Clear Business Plan: The Power of One Page

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the importance of having a concise, actionable business plan. Dr. Misner advocates for a one-page business plan that outlines clear objectives and strategies.

Dr. Ivan Misner [03:28]: "It's gotta be a one page business plan, you know that because it's something that's practical, it's something that's actionable that you really take and go forward and basis really knowing."

This approach ensures that business goals are tangible and directly aligned with BNI activities. A succinct plan facilitates better integration with BNI’s referral processes, making it easier to communicate needs and goals to fellow members.

3. Leveraging BNI’s Tools: Mastering the Weekly Presentation

Dr. Misner highlights the weekly presentation as a pivotal tool within BNI meetings. He underscores the importance of the one-minute pitch, which serves as a critical opportunity to educate and train fellow members about one’s business.

Dr. Ivan Misner [04:59]: "In out of a 90 minute meeting, you have one minute to educate and train people on who you are, what you do, what are good referrals for you..."

Strategizing this brief window effectively can significantly enhance referral potential. By breaking down the presentation into a progressive 12-week series, members can gradually build a comprehensive understanding among peers, fostering more accurate and beneficial referrals.

4. Effective One-to-One Meetings: The Triple Play Strategy

The conversation progresses to the significance of one-to-one meetings within BNI. Dr. Misner introduces the "Triple Play" approach, a structured method to deepen professional relationships and enhance referral opportunities.

Dr. Ivan Misner [09:53]: "Make the first one to one a get to know you one... the second one to one that we do is about... the third one to one we do is what I call the referral commitment meeting..."

This method involves:

1. Building personal rapport.
2. Gaining a deeper understanding of each other's businesses.
3. Committing to actively seek and provide referrals.

By systematically strengthening these aspects, members can cultivate trust and reliability, crucial elements for a thriving referral network.

5. Mindset Matters: From Selfish Goals to Givers Gain

A pivotal theme in the episode is the transformation of mindset from individualistic business goals to a collective, altruistic approach epitomized by BNI’s "Givers Gain" philosophy.

Dr. Ivan Misner [11:26]: "If I have the mindset of giving to other people and everybody in the room is doing that, that's pretty much the definition of synergy."

Dr. Misner explains that while members may join BNI with the primary intention of growing their own businesses, the true power of BNI lies in fostering a culture of mutual support and generosity. This shift not only benefits individual members but also enhances the overall effectiveness and synergy of the entire network.

6. Practical Insights and Strategies

Throughout the episode, Dr. Misner provides actionable strategies for members to implement:

• Strategic Presentations: Developing a series of connected presentations to gradually build a comprehensive understanding among members.
• Referral Readiness: Preparing detailed profiles of ideal referrals to make it easier for members to recognize and act upon referral opportunities.
• Consistent Follow-Through: Ensuring that commitments made during one-to-one meetings are diligently pursued to maintain trust and reliability.

Conclusion

Episode 894 of The Official BNI Podcast offers a deep dive into optimizing one’s business strategy within the BNI framework. By emphasizing the importance of a clear business plan, effective use of BNI’s tools, structured relationship-building through one-to-ones, and adopting a "Givers Gain" mindset, Dr. Ivan Misner provides listeners with invaluable insights to enhance their referral marketing efforts and achieve sustained business growth within the BNI community.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Dr. Ivan Misner [02:03]: "When you get involved as a member, you've got to understand the tools, the resources that are available in BNI..."
• Dr. Ivan Misner [03:28]: "It's gotta be a one page business plan... something that's practical, it's something that's actionable."
• Dr. Ivan Misner [04:59]: "You have one minute to educate and train people on who you are, what you do, what are good referrals for you..."
• Dr. Ivan Misner [11:26]: "If I have the mindset of giving to other people and everybody in the room is doing that, that's pretty much the definition of synergy."

---

For more insights and strategies on enhancing your BNI experience, visit MeisnerAudioPrograms.com and use promo code IVAN50 for 50% off.

Transcript

[Priscilla Rice]

Episode number 894. Your business first.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

You're listening to the official BI podcast with BNI founder and chief visionary officer, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Stay tuned for networking and referral marketing tips from the man who's been called the father of modern networking, along with suggestions and insights into getting the most from your membership in the world's largest networking organization, bni.

[Priscilla Rice]

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the official BNI Podcast. I'm Priscilla Rice and I'm coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. And I'm joined on the phone today by the founder and the Chief visionary officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Hello, Ivan, how are you and where are you?

[Frank Dey]

I am near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico this week and I'm doing three different organizational meetings. One is for Corporate Connections, a sister company of bni, doing another presentation for bni. And then I'm attending the Transformational Leadership Council meeting, which I'm a member of.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

And I get.

[Frank Dey]

I always get great ideas for conventions from tlc, so I'm looking forward to this one in Mexico.

[Priscilla Rice]

Oh, that sounds like fun. And who do you have on the podcast today?

[Frank Dey]

I have a guest who's been on the BNI podcast before. He was on episode number 673, proactive referrals. And his name is Frank Dey. Frank's been part of BNI for over 30 years and 2025 is his 30th anniversary for BNI Mid Hudson Valley region, where he serves as the Executive director. He is a New York Times bestselling author of four books, an international speaker and MC a workshop leader. He speaks on leadership performance and business development and success. And I consider Frank a really good friend. Frank, welcome back to BNI Podcast.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. So I know about every 250 I can be on. I'm excited.

[Frank Dey]

Yeah, we can make it quicker than that if you'd like. That's not a problem. Hey, so your topic is your business first. And I love where you're headed with this talk about the groundwork that's needed as a B and I member to be successful in BNI receiving profitable referrals.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Well, I think there's two things, Ivan. One is there's gotta be the groundwork of understanding how B and I works. When you get involved as a member, you've got to understand the tools, the resources that are available in BNI and have that really taught to you through the mentor programs, the trainings that we do. So that way you understand the B and I concept and how it works. It's not just a meeting to attend, it's actually a way to develop it into a division of your business. But it's really not going to work effectively unless you have a very clear vision of your business where you want to be in three to five years and you have kind of the strategy set up of how you're going to go about getting there. Basically having kind of your business plan together of really what you want to accomplish in your business in the next few years. Because once you have that clear on what you want to do, then you can say, okay, how do I want BNI to help me with that? And then we can use BNI in its most effective manner.

[Frank Dey]

So the second point you have I think is right on the mark. And that's the business plan. You believe in starting off with a short business plan, correct?

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Yeah, I think it's gotta be a one page business plan, you know that because it's something that's practical, it's something that's actionable that you really take and go forward and basis really knowing. I mean we come down to a business plan in this environment we're talking about with BNI is really about your marketing and sales. How are you looking to increase revenue over the next X number of years? What products or services do you want to offer to what target markets and then how you plan on reaching those target markets or the different verticals you want to go after. And once you know that type of detail, then that can be translated into BNI of exactly what you need to be asking for to make it work. Here's what I believe. I believe that BNI is about leveraging your time. It's about leveraging your relationships, right? It's about leveraging your knowledge. So it's all about when you hear a lot of people say, you know, how do I work less and make more? BNI is kind of the answer to that. You know, if you really know how to do it, you're you're able to. Now instead of me going out and making 30 sales calls in a month trying to reach all these different people, I now go to one meeting a month for an hour and a half and I meet 30 or 40 people. And those people, by me educating and training them, by developing relationships, they're able to go out on a weekly basis and kind of be my part time salesforce, go out there when, when they find the opportunity to refer me out. They can do that, but they're not going to be able to do it. Unless I make it as easy as for them. And that means I have to do my homework, I have to know what I want out of my business and how to translate that into the BNI process.

[Frank Dey]

Well, let's go back to the one page thing because when I was a consultant, you know, I worked with a number of companies and they would want, you know, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100 page business plans and those got put on a shelf and were almost never used. And I would always have them reverse engineer that. I had, I had a professor and I think I've talked about this in a podcast before where they had us do, he had us do a 10 page paper and then we had to cut that 10 page down to 5 and then we had to cut it back down to two and then he made us do a one page summary. And I gotta tell you, it was although we wanted to just strangle this guy because he did this over a period of weeks, it was the best exercise ever did. Because that one page summary of the 10 page paper we did was what we would mostly utilize to be able to talk about that paper. And so that one page plan, it's okay to have details, but that one page summary is what you're going to mostly be working from. Wouldn't you agree?

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Yeah, I think 100%. I think the value of doing the 50 page business plan is there's so much thinking that has to go into it. You have to deep thinking and going through it and all of a sudden you've thought this all through. Pretty much once you've finished it, it's obsolete. Right. Because everything changes on a daily basis. You're going forward. But because you've done that deep thought process, you, you can now start to cut it back, as you said, from that 50 to 25 to 10 to 5 to 1. Then it's like, okay, and now that one page, when you read it, you know that it means 50 pages worth of stuff to you. So it's very, very meaningful. But you've boiled it down to things that are the most important thing to do. And you can say, okay, this is what I need. These bullets are really what are going to make me happen. And you have the justification behind it versus if you start out with just five bullets, you're not going to really know what that means. So that deep thought process is important.

[Frank Dey]

All right, so what's the third step?

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

I think the key here with BNI is going to be so once I know my vision, I know where I want to go with my Business. And then I learn that BNI process. Then what I have to say, okay, what are the tools available for me in BNI so I can make it work? So if we look at this and say, okay, well I know we have the open networking portion of meeting, how do I use that most effectively? My weekly presentation, which I think is probably the single most important part of the meeting. Meeting. Because in out of a 90 minute meeting, you have one minute to educate and train people on who you are, what you do, what are good referrals for you, how to recognize referral, how to get into that, into that conversation, and how to get that person to actually say yes. They'll take a phone call with me, if you will. Right. And there's a lot in that one minute. So how do you strategize that out to make it really work? And you're not going to be able to do that unless you've thought out what you really want in your business. And there's all different ways to do it. But a quick couple examples is, well, you know, let's say you're at the beginning of the year, let's say it's January, so you could think of BNI of, okay, what do I want to do for the first quarter of my business and how do I want B and I to help me in that first quarter? January, February, March, and then you can, you can put together a series, a 12 week series that you're going to do in your weekly presentation. So each week it's, it's kind of like, like here's what I think about lads. If I'm trying to get you to recognize a referral for me, I would imagine that in my head, right, I have, I have a very clear picture of what the perfect referral is for me. But my job is to take that picture and put it in the brain of every single person in the room. In my BNI chapter, I can't do that in one week, but over, let's say 12 weeks. And if I give, imagine it's a puzzle, each week I give them a different piece of the puzzle, both visually and in terms of knowledge of my business. And week by week they're saying, oh, I get it more. Oh, I see what Frank's want, oh, I see what that means because they're tying together. And then by the end of those 12 weeks you're like, yeah, I get what he wants. I fully understand now because I've tied it together. So I'm actually doing one presentation, if you will. That's 12 weeks long versus 12 different things that don't connect to each other. And the only way I can do that I can do that is if I fully know what I want in my business. And that means my job is to make it as easy as possible for the people in BNI to get a referral from me. Not to make them work for it, but to me to make it easy for them. So when they leave that meeting and they go around during the week that all of a sudden referrals for me start to pop out because I've given them visual and auditory cues to recognize things, saying, oh, this would be a good referral for Frank. But again, you can't do that unless you've really thought your business out and you know how to use those tools in bni.

[Frank Dey]

Yeah, there's a variation of that that I did in a podcast. It's episode three, 27 your business 101. Episode 327. I'd recommend that people check that out. It's similar conceptually to what Frank is talking about here. You also mentioned one to ones being important. Anything you want to say about one to one?

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Yeah. I see one to ones as being important in two ways. One is doing a one to one is about one, obviously building trust and confidence in the relationship for us to get to know each other better. And two is to get a deeper understanding about each other. So one of the things that we do is what's called the triple play one to one. We recognize every member. I'm sorry, educate every member to look. If you're going to do a one to one with somebody, do a triple play. Make the first one to one a get to know you one. So you and I get together and say, what do you do? What do you enjoy? What are your hobbies? That type of stuff. And I walk away and I say, hey, I like this guy Ivan. He's really nice. Because if you walk away and go that kind of Frank, he's kind of a jerk. And that means I'm not getting referrals. We're not taking that next step. Then the second one to one that we do is about. Let me understand more about your business. What your business, what your service, your products, who do you help, what problems do you solve, when do people need you, et cetera. Now I understand more about your business, so I like you, I understand your business. And now the third one to one we do is what I call the referral commitment meeting that we're going to get together. And I'm going into the one to one with a mindset of I'm committing to getting you a referral by the end of this one to one. Which all that really means is not that I'm going to have a referral because referral means I've already spoken with the person, but I may walk away with two or three connections or leads for you that I can say, okay, I'm, I'm going to reach out to these people now. I'm going to follow through with it and see if I can get them to talk to you.

[Frank Dey]

So you're recommending multiple onetoo with somebody. It's an interesting approach. We're almost out of time, Frank. I know you want to talk about mindset. We've only got a few seconds left. You want to hit that on that topic? Yeah.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

I think the, the, the greatest thing about mindset is understanding that I, I believe when you come into bni, it's perfectly fine. And what you should do is come in with it on a very selfish reason. You come in to make more money at your business. It's very selfish. While you're in bni, however, the process, the way that we do that is very unselfish. It's called giver's gain. And you have to have that mindset of look, I want to make money, but the only way I'm going to do this, we all have to contribute. We all have to kind of put it all on the table in front of us. So if I have the mindset of giving to other people and everybody in the room is doing that, that's pretty much the definition of synergy. We're all coming in to help each other. And that's, I think one of the main things that's really make me and I grow so much over the years is that mindset of givers gain.

[Frank Dey]

Yeah. Thanks, Frank. I really appreciate you. And of course you're in the Hudson Valley, your executive director there. You also have a website. Frankdirath Lee.com that's Frank de Raffa Lee. That's D as in dog D E R A F F e L E. Frankterathely.com Frank, thanks for being on BNI podcast again.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

My pleasure. Good to be here with you.

[Frank Dey]

Thanks. Over to you, Priscilla.

[Priscilla Rice]

Okay, great. That was wonderful. Thanks, Frank.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Yep.

[Priscilla Rice]

I think that's it for this week. This podcast is sponsored by MeisnerAudioProGrams.com these audio programs will provide you with the tools and the inspiration to powerfully enhance your BNI experience. So check out the great material that's available to [e-mail] and then use the promo code IVAN5O for 50% off of everything. All of the proceeds go to the B and I Foundation. Thank you so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we look forward to having you join us again next week for another exciting episode of the official B and I Podcast.