business

1. Visitors - Why and how?

2. • How many people know someone who wants
to join BNI?
• How many people know someone that wants
more business?
• That is the key to bringing visitors to our
Chapter meeting

4. • Visitors are the lifeblood of every BNI Chapter.
• Bringing in a visitor is just as good as a referral
– because now that person can become a
referral – even if they never join

5. • Visitors are the key for our Chapter’s survival
and for the growth of our business through
BNI.
• Visitors that become members open up over
250 new contacts for reocurring referrals each
week.

6. • And – even visitors that do not become
members provide us with one-time shot at
referring business to us from their contacts
and they themselves can become someone’s
best new client.

7. • Eligibility :
– People looking for more business – not just a lead
or a job
– People who live or work within 30 minutes of your
Chapter venue
– People whose category is not already taken
– People who are not already a BNI member –
although companies with members in other
chapters are fine

8. • Remember …
– You are inviting them to a meeting…you are not
trying to get them to join!
– It is about ‘who wants more business’ not about
‘who wants to join BNI’

9. Invite FROGS

10. • F-Friends-who do you know who is in business and wants
more work?
• R-Relatives-who do you know who is in business and wants
more clients?
• O-Organizations-who do you know in organizations that you
belong to who is in business and wants more work?
• G-Geographical-who do you know who live close to or
works close to our Chapter venue who wants more clients?
• S-Social Sphere-who do you know in the gym, golf club,
church/temple community? What about people you know
on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin

11. Where can you Find Visitors
• A person who cold calls you trying to sell you
something is someone who should be in BNI –
They are looking for more business!! Don’t
just try to get rid of them, talk to them about
their business – invite them to the meeting.

12. Where can you Find Visitors
• Local press-people spending money on
advertising!! Free papers, local magazines
• Fliers through your door!! Don’t bin them-
invite them

13. Where can you Find Visitors
• Day to day business contacts while you are out
and about-have your BNI card folder with you-
it will automatically get people asking ‘What’s
BNI?’ Use the told BNI has given you

14. Four Initial Questions to Ask….to open
up the discussion!
1. How’s Business?
2. Are you able to cope with more business at
the moment?
3. What are you doing next Thursday
morning?
4. Would you like to meet one of the best
local business in the area that can help you
generate more business?

15. • Our Goal is to get them to attend the meeting
not to get them to join BNI

16. How do you invite visitors?
• Don’t talk too much when inviting visitor. The
more you say, the more you might talk them
out of it. Seeing is believing!
• Get them in, the meeting will sell itself, and if
it doesn’t they arent the right fit.

17. • Try to avoid saying the following at the initial invite
stage, unless you are asked directly and then you must
be truthful:
– 7:0AM
– Breakfast
– Weekly Meetings
– Networking-usually associated with Multi Level Marketing
– JOIN- you are not getting them to join, you’re asking them
to attend
– Meeting Agenda-just get them to come, they do not have
to understand the structure before hand- they will see it
for themselves.

18. Inviting Techniques
• Third Party Referral
• Email to warm up potential contacts
• Text Message
• Social Media
• The key to every type of inviting is FOLLOW-
UP.

19. Text Message

20. • A chapter in Ireland used this method to build
their chapter. Members sent 30 text to local
business who were advertising in the shops,
e.g. business cards on notice boards, fliers etc.
and secured 8 visitors and 4 new members
from the initial 30 texts sent out. All 4
members are still there today, thriving!

21. • Mobile numbers can be generated from a
whole host of different sources:
– Branded Vehicles-great for Trades Power Team
members
– Local Papers-Adverts
– Online Business Directories
– Notice Boards in Shops
– Fliers though the door
– Business cards

22. • Be sure to change the text message in each
case so that the people know where you got
their number from[e.g. I got your number
from your van/sign/adverts etc]. This method
will involve you making a call and following
up.

23. Email/Social Media

24. • LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are fantastic
for generating interest and excitement around
our chapter. Post our meeting as an event in
LinkedIn, Facebook and then promote the fact
that we are looking to refer business to a
status updates

25. People say they will come and don’t.
• That’s people for you. Often, something
simply ‘gets in the way’. Sometimes people
simply forget, so it is always good to remind
them the day before or send a text … “looking
forward to meeting you tomorrow morning.
Remember to bring plenty of business cards.”

26. Common Responses and how to
handle them.
• Don’t get involved in explaining the breakfast, weekly
meetings or anything else for that matter. Everyone is
tempted to explain too much, we get enthusiastic and
they start to feel they are being sold.
• Remember, your mind set is that you have been asked
to recommend a good {florist} and that is why you have
called, to see if they can handle extra business. We
want to meet people who are at least open to new
business. If they are not that ambitious, (many people
in business aren’t) do we want them?

27. Q: What is all about then?
• “Simple. A group of business people wants to
work together on an exclusive basis to develop
business referrals. They have identified that
they can refer business to a {florist}. I thought
of you. There may not be a good fit but I think
it is worth you meeting them.”

28. Q: What does membership cost?
• “I am not inviting you to become a member.
You don’t have to be a member to attend a
meeting and unless you are impressed with
the meeting, you wouldn’t want to become a
member. We are only talking about breakfast
here – I don’t even know if there would be a
good fit.”

29. • TWO reasons why BNI members do not bring
visitors on regular basis:
– They don’t know how to invite
– They do not spend any time on inviting people
• Which one are you?