Episode 907: GAINS Profile Updated

Wed Apr 23 2025

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Official BNI Podcast – Episode 907: GAINS Profile Updated

Release Date: April 23, 2025
Host: Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI
Guest: Priscilla Rice

Introduction

In Episode 907 of The Official BNI Podcast, Dr. Ivan Misner delves into the updated GAINS Profile, a fundamental tool in BNI’s referral marketing strategy. Joined by Priscilla Rice from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California, Dr. Misner discusses the evolution of the GAINS Profile, its components, and its significant impact on generating referrals within networking groups.

The GAINS Profile: An Overview

Dr. Misner begins by revisiting the origins of the GAINS Profile, initially introduced in his now out-of-print book, Business by Referral. The GAINS Profile, also known as the GAINS Exchange on platforms like BNI Connect, is an acronym that stands for Goals, Accomplishments, Interests, Networks, and Skills. This tool is designed to foster deeper connections between members by sharing comprehensive personal and professional information.

Dr. Misner [01:00]: “GAINS stands for Goals, Accomplishments, Interests, Networks, and Skills... it was first discussed in episode number five.”

Components of the GAINS Profile

1. Goals
Goals encompass both business and personal objectives. Members are encouraged to articulate their aspirations clearly and discuss how building relationships can help achieve these goals.

Dr. Misner [03:00]: “Define your goals. You need to have a clear picture of those goals and talk about how you want to build relationships with people to help achieve them.”

2. Accomplishments
This section highlights personal achievements, such as degrees, awards, and significant milestones. Sharing accomplishments not only showcases expertise but also builds credibility within the group.

Dr. Misner [04:30]: “Talk about the things that you're proud of... know the things that you've actually achieved.”

3. Interests
Personal interests, including hobbies and passions, are crucial for building rapport. Discovering shared interests can lead to stronger, more meaningful connections.

Dr. Misner [05:30]: “I love to go out on my boat on Lake Austin... these are interests of mine.”

4. Networks
This component details the formal and informal networks members belong to, such as organizations or associations. Understanding each other’s networks can uncover common affiliations and potential referral sources.

Dr. Misner [06:30]: “Talk about the networks that you belong to, both formal and informal... it can be an organization, an institution, a company.”

5. Skills
Highlighting specific skills and talents allows members to understand each other's capabilities, facilitating effective referrals based on expertise.

Dr. Misner [07:30]: “The more you know about the talents and abilities of the people in your network, the better equipped you are to find and refer competent, affordable products and services.”

The Power of the GAINS Profile: A Success Story

Dr. Misner shares a compelling story from Episode 005, where two members initially hesitant to engage with the GAINS Profile found common ground through coaching their sons’ soccer teams. This unexpected connection led to a surge in referrals between them, demonstrating the profound impact of finding overlapping interests.

Dr. Misner [02:30]: “They made such a great connection over the sport... they never finished the profile, but after connecting, they started giving each other referrals.”

Updating the GAINS Profile Process

Originally, the GAINS Profile involved one member sharing all five components before the other member took their turn. However, Dr. Misner now recommends an alternating approach to ensure each participant has equal opportunity to share.

Dr. Misner [08:30]: “I now recommend that you go one at a time with each... otherwise, one person inevitably gets the majority of time.”

This adjustment addresses the previous issue where lengthy sharing by one member limited the time available for the other, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the profile exchange.

One-to-One Meetings: Doubling Your Referrals

Dr. Misner emphasizes the significance of regular one-to-one meetings in boosting referral numbers. Referencing a European university study, he highlights that members who engage in weekly one-to-one meetings generate nearly twice as many referrals compared to those who meet monthly.

Dr. Misner [10:00]: “People who do one a week instead of one a month give almost exactly 100% more referrals. The most amazing part is they receive almost exactly 100% more referrals, almost double.”

He advocates for incorporating the GAINS Profile into these one-to-one meetings to maximize their potential in fostering meaningful connections and increasing referral flow.

Recommendations for Maximizing the GAINS Profile

Dr. Misner advises members to utilize the GAINS Profile not only within BNI but also in other networking contexts. Whether it's a first-time meeting or a follow-up session, the GAINS Profile serves as a versatile tool for building and maintaining strong professional relationships.

Dr. Misner [11:30]: “Start using it certainly with BNI members and potentially with other people as well.”

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Episode 907 of The Official BNI Podcast underscores the transformative power of the GAINS Profile in networking and referral marketing. By systematically sharing Goals, Accomplishments, Interests, Networks, and Skills, members can forge deeper connections, uncover mutual interests, and significantly enhance their referral generation capabilities. Dr. Misner's updated approach to the GAINS Profile ensures balanced participation, fostering a more equitable and effective networking environment.

Dr. Misner [12:15]: “It does both relational topics as well as transactional kinds of topics... it works both very, very well with men and women who are trying to network.”

For members looking to elevate their networking strategy, integrating the GAINS Profile into regular one-to-one meetings is a proven method to double referral output and build a robust professional network.

Resources Mentioned:

The Official BNI Podcast Episode 575 and 570 for further insights on one-to-one meetings and referral strategies.
GAINS Profile PDF available through the podcast platform.

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Transcript

Priscilla Rice (0:00)

Episode 907 Gaines profile updated.

Dr. Ivan Meisner (0:06)

You're listening to the official BNI 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 (0:28)

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the official BNI B&I 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?

Dr. Ivan Meisner (0:49)

Oh, I get to have a few weeks here at my home office in Austin, Texas. I just love being home. People ask me where's my favorite place in the world? And I tell them it's home.

Priscilla Rice (0:58)

Oh, that's great. Yeah.

Dr. Ivan Meisner (1:00)

So today we're going to talk about the Gains Exchange. It's also known as the Gains Profile. Online on being I connect. It's called the Gains Profile. It was first. I first did it in a book that's out of print now called Business by Referral, but you can find it in a number of my networking books. And certainly it's a big part of bni. Ironically, the first time I ever talked about this on and really focused on this subject on a podcast was episode number 005. Episode number five. Yeah, that's a long time ago. I think I started these in 2007. So that would have been in 2007. And so I thought it was about time to update a couple of things with the Gains Profile. And again, it's Gaining Gain. It's originally was called the Gains Exchange because you exchange profiles. So either term is fine. But the. The profile is about that acronym and GAINS stands for Goals, Accomplishments, Interests, Networks and Skills. And if you go back to episode five, you'll see the story of when I tested it, and I tested it in a chapter to see how it would go over where I had one member, you know, share with the other member their goals, accomplishments, interests, networks and skills. And then the other member shared it with. With the first person. And it was a couple of gentlemen that really didn't want to do it. But they only got halfway through and found out they were both coaches for their son's soccer teams, which is called football in. In many countries. And that was it. They never finished the. They never finished the profile because they made such a great connection. It was the rest of their discussion was about the sport. And what's funny is they had never given each other a referral. They'd been in the group together for many months, never given each other a referral. But all of a sudden, after they made this stronger connection, they really looked out for each other, and within just a few months, they were giving each other referrals. And it hit me just how powerful this is because it's, it's, it's about finding overlapping areas of interest. And so we're going to include a PDF of the Gains Exchange profile in this podcast. But let me review with you what you want to do with each one. First, you want to start with your goals. Your goals are business or personal objectives that you want or. Or need to meet for yourself or the people who are important to you. You need to define your goals. You need to have a clear picture of those goals. And you want to talk about how you want to build relationships with people to help achieve those goals. So talk about your goals, business and personal. It's when you learn about someone's personal interests, you really are able to make a better connection with that person, particularly if you're talking about family, children, spouse, something like that. It's very powerful. The second is accomplishments. And here, you know, to some people, feels like a little bit of bragging. It's okay. These, these are, these are your friends. These are your associates. In bni, sometimes people are really shocked at, you know, certain accomplishments that someone may have Here. You want to talk about the things that you're proud of. Remember that some of your best insight into others comes from knowing what goals they've already achieved. So talking about your knowledge, your skill, your experiences, your values are really important. So when I'm talking to people who don't know me well, I talk about my interest in fine art and my interest in astronomy. Astronomy, not astrology. My interest in astronomy and wines. I studied to be a sommelier. So these are things that I love and talk about, and they overlap into interest with the accomplishments. You also want to talk about. Know the things that you've actually achieved. Your, maybe your degrees, maybe awards that you've been given a particular skill set that you may have. Interests are the next. Here you, you want to talk about, you know, if you'd like to play sports or read books, listen to music. For me, I have, I have a boat. I love to go out on my boat on, on Lake Austin. I, I have a walking trail on my, on my property. It's a quarter mile Walking trail. I go out there almost every day and I love to do that. And as I mentioned, I love wine and astronomy. So these are interests of mine. And when you find overlapping areas of interest, and this is where the two men really connected was in their overlapping areas of interest of coaching a sport, that's when you make a connection with someone. And then Networks. You want to talk about the networks that you belong to, both formal and informal. It can be an organization, an institution, a company, or some, some organization that you've been active in in the past or, or for a long, long time. Networks that you're in. And you'll be surprised to find out that certain people have also been in those organizations. For me, I was a Rotarian for 16 years. I was also, and this may surprise you a little bit, Priscilla, I was also a member of NABO for several years, which is the national association of Women Business Owners. They, I was a member. I had a partner in a business years ago who was a woman. And. But I was the member and they allowed members, men to be in the organization. And so I think I was like, I think it was like 5% of the organization showed up that were. They were men. But I, I was in nabo. And so it's always interesting when other people are in it and you have a, a talking point and then Skills. What's that?