Episode 968: Your Connection Team

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 968: Your Connection Team
Date: July 8, 2026
Host: Guest Host Spencer Reynolds with co-host Priscilla Rice

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Overview

This episode centers on a key mindset shift within BNI (Business Network International): moving from viewing your chapter as a "sales team" to embracing the concept of a "connection team." Guest host Spencer Reynolds (standing in for Dr. Ivan Misner) discusses how fostering connections, rather than pushing sales, is at the heart of effective referral marketing in BNI. The discussion covers practical strategies for making connections, setting realistic member expectations, choosing the best communication tools, and cultural shifts that enhance chapter experience.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sales Team vs. Connection Team Mindset

Timestamp: 00:55 – 04:15

• Traditional View: BNI members often expect their chapters to function like sales teams, directly selling or closing deals for one another.
• Revised Focus:
  • BNI’s true philosophy is about opening doors, building introductions, and transferring trust—not being an unpaid salesforce.
    • “Their focus should be opening doors. They transfer trust to people. They can identify opportunities for us, and then they get in conversations where they can connect us. They help us create that visibility that we really need.” (Spencer Reynolds, 01:20)
  • Members should shift expectations from receiving ready-to-close sales to receiving authentic connections and introductions.

2. Core Differences Explained

Timestamp: 02:26 – 05:04

• Sales Team Activities: Scripts, handling objections, closing deals, managing pipelines.
• Connection Team Activities: Listening for opportunities, introducing members to contacts, transferring credibility.
  • “When you have a connection team, you’re listening for opportunities… you can recognize the problem…and then make that introduction.” (Spencer Reynolds, 02:46)

3. Power of Authentic Introductions

Timestamp: 04:15 – 05:11

• Meaningful connections trump forced sales approaches.
• "Authentic introductions will outperform forced sales pitches every time." (Spencer Reynolds, 04:15)
• The goal is to introduce members as friends, not simply as vendors.

4. Cultural Impact & New Member Experience

Timestamp: 05:11 – 06:07

• Reframing expectations reduces anxiety for new and long-term members.
• Members are encouraged to see themselves as enablers of meaningful connections.

5. The Importance of Trust & Friendship in Business

Timestamp: 06:18 – 07:29

• Notable quote from Jeffrey Gitomer, “All things being equal, people will do business with their friends. And...all things not being equal, people will still do business with their friends.” (Spencer Reynolds, quoting Gitomer, 06:18)
• Fostering friendships within referral relationships increases the likelihood of mutually beneficial business.

6. Best Practices: How to Make and Receive Connections

Timestamp: 07:29 – 12:10

• Preferences for being introduced differ among members—some prefer email, others text or phone.
  • Spencer notes a shift toward texting and messaging apps as preferred methods for faster, more effective communication.
    • “It used to be so many people wanted emails and I think we’ve gotten too emailed out.” (Spencer Reynolds, 08:38)
    • “...about 90% of the time...not text messages is the way...” (Spencer Reynolds, 09:10)
• Action Tip: Members should clearly communicate their preferred method for being connected to referral partners.
• Practical Suggestion:
  • Consider a three-way text introduction for immediate engagement.
  • Provide referral partners with a prepared introduction or “connection message” for accuracy and consistency.
    • “If you give me those words, now I can give your words out as though they’re mine in a very easy way.” (Spencer Reynolds, 10:28)

7. Leveraging Tools and Technology

Timestamp: 11:58 – 12:21

• Utilize technology (e.g., AI or BNI Connect app) to create easily shareable, succinct introductions for your referral partners.
  • “It’s so easy to get a succinct paragraph that you can send to every member of your chapter that they can look up and then...forward it out to anybody.” (Spencer Reynolds, 11:58)

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Memorable Quotes

• “Their focus should be opening doors...They help us create that visibility that we really need. And they position you in rooms that you can’t be in because you’re not even in the room.”
  — Spencer Reynolds, 01:20

• “Authentic introductions will outperform forced sales pitches every time.”
  — Spencer Reynolds, 04:15

• “All things being equal, people will do business with their friends. And...all things not being equal, people will still do business with their friends.”
  — Spencer Reynolds quoting Jeffrey Gitomer, 06:18

• “If you give me those words, now I can give your words out as though they’re mine in a very easy way.”
  — Spencer Reynolds, 10:28

• “Changing our mindset around the idea of the people here are here to sell me compared to...to give me introductions...can really make a big difference overall for all of our experiences in BNI and in our chapters.”
  — Spencer Reynolds, 11:32

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Notable Moments & Segment Timestamps

• 00:55: Spencer introduces the concept of "connection team"
• 02:26: Breakdown of sales team vs. connection team activities
• 04:15: Spencer on the advantage of authentic introductions
• 06:18: The value of business friendships, citing Jeffrey Gitomer
• 07:29: Discussion of communication preferences for referrals
• 09:10: Spencer on the popularity of texting for introductions
• 10:28: Practical tip: share your own introduction language with referral partners
• 11:58: Leveraging AI and digital tools to streamline referrals

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Actionable Takeaways

• Shift your mindset: BNI isn’t about members acting as your sales team, but your “connection team.”
• Focus on making authentic introductions and building credibility rather than closing sales.
• Communicate your preferred method for being connected to referral partners. Teach your chapter how you want to be introduced.
• Use technology (AI, BNI Connect App, messaging apps) to facilitate and speed up the introduction process.
• Help referral partners by providing ready-made “introduction messages” they can use.

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This episode reinforces that BNI’s greatest power lies in connections built on trust and genuine relationships—not simply moving prospects through a sales pipeline. By embracing the "connection team" approach, members can foster a more supportive, comfortable, and productive networking culture.

Transcript

[A]

Episode number 968, Connection Team.

[B]

You're listening to the official BNI 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.

[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 Spencer Reynolds, who's standing in today as a guest host for Dr. Meisner and he will be joining us from time to time. Hello, Spencer. Welcome to the podcast.

[B]

Thank you. Priscilla, how are you today?

[A]

I'm great. And how about you?

[B]

I'm fantastic. I'm so excited to be here with you. We're going to talk about something that I think has evolved over time and has become more important now than ever before. And that's really about, you know, in the past, we used to think of, well, I don't know, I've been around about 20 years, so I think we had a lot of conversation in the past about sales and having a sales team and doing a sales manager minute. And things have evolved in BNI as we've all gotten to know the world that we live in today. And I really think that we need to start thinking about it differently, and that is our connection team. So, you know, BNI's global referral philosophy has always been around relationships and credibility and introductions and not really closing the sale for each other. So I think a lot of members secretly think that, you know, why isn't my chapter sending me business? Or why aren't they selling for me? Or why am I not getting referrals? The answer to that's often because they were never supposed to become your unpaid salesforce. Instead, their focus should be opening doors. They transfer trust to people. They can identify opportunities for us, and then they get in conversations where they can connect us. They help us create that visibility that we really need. And they position you in rooms that you can't be in because you're not even in the room. You know, that mindset, it shifts everything. Don't you think?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

[B]

I mean, the core concept of a sales team versus a connection team, if you really think about it, a sales team is talking about scripts. They handle objections and overcoming them. They close deals, they follow pipelines, they negotiate pricing. And I've been in the real estate World and been into a lot of those types of sales meetings where we focus on that. The difference in this one is really when you have a connection team, you're listening for opportunities, Right. You're getting that introduction of like, well, if I hear this now, I can recognize the problem that people are having and then I can make that introduction to them. It really does. That transference of credibility, which I think is one of the most important parts of having our referral partners in bni. Would you agree with that?

[A]

Yeah, absolutely.

[B]

Well, that trust creates a bridge. It expands the visibility that we have with people and it gets us. And I always say, people are talking behind your back, but they're talking in a good way. Right? They're talking where you can't be. They're behind your back, they're doing things. And it's much easier for members to understand and actually execute consistently when they think about the fact that I'm here to make a connection for you. I think it lowers the expectation that some of us have because if we're like, oh, I have to pass them this perfect referral and actually sell the deal for them and get them so they're ready to buy, that's not what we're here for. What is your experience inside of that, Priscilla?

[A]

Yeah, no, I agree with you completely. It's a wonderful way to meet other people. And, you know, you just. You want to help them because you're in BNI and, you know, that's the main concept in bni.

[B]

Give us the. Exactly. We're here to gain, but we have to give. Right. That's the connection that we're doing there. So authentic introductions will out. They'll outperform forced sales pitches every time. Right. Having a good conversation. You and I, Priscilla, are out to lunch. We're talking about something, and something comes up in the conversation when I then say, oh, and you should meet my friend and I introduce you to that friend. It's so like, that, to me, is such a great opportunity to connect. It's not about, oh, I've got to position you to have that person sell you. No, I want you to meet them so that you can see if they're the right person that you want to do business with. And if they're the right person, they. That they want to do business with you. That's really what we're doing.

[A]

Right.

[B]

We're connecting people, giving them opportunity, not closing the deal.

[A]

Yes, you're so right.

[B]

Yeah. So, you know, and I really think that this can improve our chapter culture when we get it when we have the whole group of us that are all thinking the same way together. I've gone into chapters where I've seen some older term, some long term members, older members that have been around for a while and they kind of have this thought sometimes where it's like, I want to, I want to do my sales manager minute. I want to, I want to get up and really tell people how they can sell me. And I'm like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Let's bring it back. Let's really look at the opportunity of your chapters. Not your sales team, but they are your connection team, you know, and when you do that, it takes so much of the angst out of it for the members, especially new members. What do you think that, that, how do you think that works with our new members, especially Priscilla?

[A]

Yeah, they don't want to be pushy. And so if you present it as a connection that you're going to help them make, it's completely different.

[B]

Yeah, it strengthens your position as a member. It strengthens your position as a referral partner with that person. Because now they're saying, you need to meet my friend.

[A]

Right?

[B]

And I love this line by Jeffrey Gittamer. And in his book, the Sales Bible, he talks about the fact that all things being equal, people will do business with their friends. And he follows it right up by saying, all things not being equal, people will still do business with their friends. And so we want to be their friends.

[A]

Right?

[B]

We've got to position ourselves to do the connection because we're introducing our friends to some of our other friends. Sometimes they're people we may not know and have a deep relationship with, but having the ability to say, I have comfort. That's why we have our referrals and testimonials in bni. We, we want to hear what other people are talking about. We want to hear the way that they've done business with them so that we have multiple ways to bring that ability to say, hey, this is somebody you need to meet. Because they, they do exactly what you're talking about. Would you like to be introduced to them? And you know, I think that connection as well is something that's evolved over time. You know, what is your favorite way right now, Priscilla, when somebody is going to connect you and you ask for a referral in your BNI chapter, what is the way that you like to be connected? Is that a phone call, a text message, an email? What's your favorite?

[A]

My favorite, you know, I don't really have a Favorite any of those ways works for me.

[B]

That's great. So here's the thing. A lot of people, they have a main method that works for them. Other people, right. They may not. They may not. I'm one of those where I'm not a major email person. I actually have somebody who deals with my email most often and hands me the ones that I actually need to do. And so I have a specific inbox they bring them over to and so I can do that. So email is not my best method. And phone calls I'm phenomenal on. But the reality is I'm kind of hard to catch at times because I'm in between meetings, I'm going to different groups, I'm doing different meetings all over the place and doing trainings in the afternoons. And so I'm not the easiest person to get a hold of. But a text message or a WhatsApp message in particular for me now I know I can respond to and it's been interesting as, as I, as I do trainings around, I ask that question for people that raise their hand and I say, what is your best connection method? And it has changed dramatically over the last 15 years. It used to be so many people wanted emails and I think we've gotten two emailed out.

[A]

I think the problem is I get hundreds of emails.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And trying to sort through the ones that are really important even though it seems like they're trying to make that happen. But you know, in my email program, but it just doesn't work that well. So once you have so many, you're in trouble.

[B]

Volume is just, it keeps getting more and more it seems today. So it's harder and harder to get their attention that way. And so as I, I ask now the thing I get hands raised about 90% of the time, which blows my mind. Not text messages is the way and if you listen to marketing podcasts or you listen to, you know, read part articles out there on ways to get in touch with people in the marketing world. Like I don't know the number exactly, but it's something in the high 90% range of people will respond or look at their texts very quickly compared to email. And that's a really powerful thing to think through. So if you're asking for the connection, make sure you're also clearly communicating how to connect you. What is the right connection method for you? Because if you are a phone call person or you are a text message or if you still like email is your best way, you just need to really instruct your referral partners so that they know the right way to connect you. Because this connection team, you want it to happen as quickly as you possibly can. That's why I tell people all the time, turn your notifications for the, the BNI Connect app on. It may not be all your apps and I know a lot of people who turn notifications off for just about everything because they don't want to be bothered. But this is one where it's a speed, right. When you get a referral, you want to respond. So if that's not the method you do, then what is your method? And knowing that and teaching all of us as your referral partners in your chapter, how can I connect with you the best way so that I can get the response the best way? And I think a lot of it comes down to having a three way text is such a simple way to really engage people. To me, that's what we teach in our member success program a lot now is do you have the right message that you can send to a member that then they can then send it to others when they ask for a referral connection? Because I don't know the right words to introduce you, Priscilla, but you know exactly the right thing to say so that somebody will want to talk to you. So if you give me those words now, I can give your words out as though they're mine in a very easy way.

[A]

Right, that makes sense.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The one thing I do sometimes do, which is I send out a text, but the text is alerting them that I just wrote them a longer email and that seems to work.

[B]

That's, that's really good because if you do get that, then you will go in and look at that. That's. That's the way to get somebody's attention. That's great.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, I really think that, you know, changing our culture, changing our mindset around the idea of the people here are here to sell me compared to the people here are here to give me introductions and to connect me with other people can really make a big difference overall for all of our experiences in BNI and in our chapters.

[A]

Right. Well, that's great. Is there anything else you'd like to add to that? No.

[B]

I really do think having an opportunity to get your words and with AI today, it's so easy to get a succinct paragraph that you can send to every member of your chapter that they can look up and then they can click on that, copy it and forward it out to anybody that they want to send a message to is probably one of the most usable tools you could ever do right now in today's day and age.

[A]

Great idea. Well, do you think that's it?

[B]

I think that's it. Thank you so much for your time.

[A]

Okay, great. 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 [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.