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A
Episode 936, why New Members Struggle.
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B
You're listening to the official BI podcast with BI 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.
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A
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 B and I, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Hello, Ivan, how are you and where are you?
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B
Well, I am on my way to the international convention which is being held in Sydney, Australia, and I made a little stop in Fiji. So this week I'm in Fiji, but I'm on my way to the BNI convention.
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A
Great.
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B
I have somebody who's been on our podcast before, Dr. Lisa Renz. And she was on. She was a previous guest on episode number 770. And she's back. Dr. Lisa Renz is the president of BNI USA. She holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership with a major in Entrepreneurial Leadership from Regent University School of Business and leadership. She joined BNI in 2004 and I'm pretty sure she was probably 18 about the time she joined. In 2006, she became a franchisee for BNI Southeastern Virginia until 2021. She's a published author, international speaker, and has won many business awards. I also consider her and her husband a friend. Lisa, thanks for being on the BNI podcast again.
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C
Thank you. I appreciate having you on today.
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B
It's good to have you on. You're highly, highly qualified to talk about the subject that we're going to talk about, which is about new members and why they struggle. So why, in your opinion, why do new members struggle to see results? Sometimes not all new members, but some really struggle. Why do you think that is?
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C
Yeah, it's one of those things I really hate to see. So it really makes me sad when I see it. So I really appreciate giving me this opportunity to talk about it today. I really want to key on probably like two major areas that I really see why new members can struggle. And I think the first one is the misuse of our philosophy, givers gain. And I remember when I first joined bni, I asked the most successful person in my chapter, what do I need to do to be successful in bni? Cause I figured if he gave me the you Know the information on what I needed to be successful. Just do that, and I will be successful. He said, lisa, all you need to do is just give more referrals than anybody else, and you'll be successful in bni. And I did that. I followed his. I followed that, and I gave the most referrals month after month, year after year. And I was. My business grew 200% in two years in BNI. So it absolutely worked for me. But I. Not everybody's in that position and has those types of results, I think.
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B
Can I. Can I. Can I throw something in here? My guess is you also learned how to ask for referrals simultaneously. So it wasn't just giving. It was learning how to ask while you gave.
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C
Yes.
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B
Yeah. Okay.
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C
It's true. So one of the things I had is not only did I learn how to give or ask. Refer. Give referrals. Not only did I know how to ask for referrals, but I had a chapter that was very intentional about making sure I understood all that from the very, very beginning.
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B
Yeah.
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C
So one of the things that my chapter did is they knew the traditional view where people believe you give first and then you have to receive, and they flipped it. They were very realistic about really what it's like to be a new member. And they made sure that they worked really hard to recruit me. They wanted me in the chapter. And so they immediately started showing value to me. They started pouring into me and teaching me really what givers gain was all really about. It's two ways. It's the chapter giving to me, but also me giving back to the chapter right away. So we both were very intentional in our interactions. I was intentional about giving to the group, and the chapter was intentional about giving referrals to me in the very beginning and also mentoring me and understanding how to give in the very beginning. And I think that by doing that, you build trust right away by not only showing that you're a giver when you're a new member, but also when you are a member of a chapter, a leader of a chapter, making sure that you invest in others. That way they know how to give. And to the point you just made also is, you know, I learned how to be specific. And I know you say specific is terrific, and it truly is, but I think the problem with a lot of new members is they don't know how to clearly ask for what they need in order to be successful in BNI.
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B
And to make it different every week and to educate. I think those are key points.
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C
Yeah, absolutely. And the thing is, we have lots and lots of valuable training online, and they a lot of times that they don't understand the value of it, so they don't take it right away. And one of the things that if you're a new member, I would encourage you, or if you're a leader of a chapter, is get those new members through the new member training within the first week or two. It makes a big difference in their ability to start immediately generating the referrals.
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B
We've seen over and over again that one of the levers you can pull to increase retention is get new members through member success program training, the orientation training, get it through quick, and the chances of them renewing go up substantially.
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C
Absolutely. And also helping them get referrals right away. So if we really approach it from a way, a lot of chapters think of it where the new member has to give first before they receive. It could be a good period of time before they do that. But we realize also the research also shows if they get referrals right away, they start to also they become more committed to the chapter, they believe in the process, and they invest more in others and they help the chapter overall. So I think that's one of the biggest things that we can do. So when a chapter really misapplies, givers gain. They just got to start shifting the culture, really understanding that you value that person being in the chapter. You worked really hard to get them. So invest in them, because an investment of them is an investment in the entire chapter success. And I think they can also lead by example.
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B
You mean to invest in them?
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C
Yes. Yeah, you invest in them by, you know, leading by example and by helping them get the referrals that they need, helping them find introductions to the people that would be best referral sources for them or great opportunities for referrals and providing with the types of visibility and opportunities that they themselves may not even realize that they need to have. And then, you know, of course, working really hard to get referrals from them right in the beginning. So trusting in the beginning with them and their referrals is really, really important in order to help them build that relationship with the chapter and really get them off to a solid foundation. So I think it's one of some of the most important things that chapters can do is really investing in the success of the new members and treating it like a really good strategy for the whole chapter. And it's really usually having to do with a big culture shift in the entire chapter to really make it work. I see Sometimes that like one or two people in a chapter will invest in new members. Like a lot of times the visitor host might do that. But the reality is the whole chapter that really needs to invest their time and energy into getting to know the new members, understand how to help them generate those referrals, get them through MSP training, the new member training. And then one of the things Ivan, I really think is important is mentoring and coaching them.
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B
Yes, yes, yes, yes. You know, this is the title for this is why new members Struggle. But I think really it's what you're talking about is aimed at existing members who as much or more than the new members. Because we're trying to tell existing members this is why your new members could struggle if you don't do these things. Would you agree?
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C
Absolutely. I think that's the whole point, is making sure that everybody understands when a new member struggles, it's not the new member's fault. They just don't know what they don't know. And it's really important that we work really hard to get our visitors there, get them to join, and that we help them learn how to be successful through bni. BNI is not intuitive when you first start. For a lot of people, it's unnatural. Like a lot of people don't learn networking until they usually join an organization like bni. So it's incumbent upon the tenured members to really help them understand how to do that, making sure that they recommend your podcasts and the importance of it. These podcasts have valuable information that'll help a person really understand how to speak our language and get the type of referrals by being more specific and really, like I said, being mentors and being mentors.
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B
You also like the idea of accountability partners in the program?
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C
Yeah, absolutely. Yes. Having accountability really helps the person become most successful. When we lack accountability with our newest members, we don't set them up for success. They don't understand the things that are actually lead to their success. They don't understand going to MSP right away is very, very important. They don't understand how doing one to ones is really important, how to do the right one to ones, how to make a clear message, how to make sure every week when they stand up, it's with intention and that's gonna produce the results that they expect. And so I think it's just making sure that the chapter really understands it and does a big culture shift. So that way we don't have members, new members struggling.
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B
What else do you think the chapter.
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C
Should be Doing well, I think the chapter could do a lot of different things, but really reflecting and looking at really how their chapter's currently performing, a lot of times, you know, they don't take the time to really see, you know, they think that they're doing really great with new members, but really, you know, talk to the new members and asking them, you know, what it was like when they first joined and really kind of find out, you know, did they get what they needed from the beginning to help them get the results. They can look at how their palms reports are and see is the person getting the results and really paying attention to that and really monitoring that. And that's really important for like the membership committee to do.
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B
And I think one of the things that you like is curating a list of B and I related podcasts or YouTube videos. And I think the operative word here is curate. And that meaning, you know, each chapter has its own issues at that moment, which may change. And so you want to take a look at podcasts and YouTube videos and business builder content that's applicable at that moment and share that with new members.
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C
Absolutely. And MSP has a workbook that has a lot of recommended podcasts and YouTube videos that you can watch and of course, courses on business builder that are helpful for the members. So making sure that you have a library that. So when a new member, you can see that they're struggling or maybe your chapter doesn't know how to solve a problem, you can go to those resources. Of course, you can always ask one of your directors to give you guidance as well. But we, we have so much available to our newest members. We shouldn't have new members struggling. So we want new members. Need to know where to go to get the resources. But most important, the chapter has to have a culture of making sure that they reach out to the newest members, make sure they're set up for success, and paying attention to the results that they're getting from the very, very beginning. So that way they have good success throughout their entire time in bni.
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B
So what are your closing thoughts and any call to action that you might have?
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C
Yeah, I think the biggest thing is if you're a new member, start MSP the new member training right away. Follow the program. The program does work. If you're on the leadership team, be intentional. Make sure that you're actively recruiting our newest members and making sure that you add value to that relationship from the beginning by both parties. Doing that, you build trust and the referrals just come for the long time. So that's what I would encourage chapters to do and for our newest members to do is to really get involved in the program the way it's designed to be, and you'll have great results.
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B
All right, I'm going to give you one more quick question. What's one small change a chapter could make this this week to improve how new members are welcomed and supported?
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C
Yeah. Just ask them, are you getting all the business out of BNI that you want? And if their answer is no, then find out what you can do to help them make that happen and then make it happen. Usually it's a small change. Usually just information. Usually they just need to be specific on their commercials. So help them get the business that they need.
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B
Yeah, I've seen that done. I saw it done once with a chapter where the president stood up and said something about a particular member that was struggling, although they didn't say they were struggling, and they said how this is how we can all help this person. And the chapter all got behind her and absolutely, she told me, saved my business because he did that. So, yeah, great suggestion. Lisa, it's fantastic having you as part of the BNI team. Thank you for being on the BNI podcast again. I appreciate you.
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C
Thank you.
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B
I'll turn it over to Priscilla.
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C
Thank you so much.
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A
Thank you so much. That was great information. This podcast is sponsored by MeisnerAudioPrograms.com these audio programs will provide you with the tools and the inspiration to powerfully enhance your B and I experience. So check out the great material that's available to you@meisneraudioprograms.com and then use the promo code IVAN5O for 50% off of everything. All of the proceeds go to the BI 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.