If you're looking to add high quality referral partners here are three successful recruiting ideas:
- The Ultimate In Inviting. From BNI Founder, Dr. Ivan Misner:
“The most important thing to remember is that the person you’re inviting isn’t doing you a favour by showing up, you’re doing him (or her) a favour by inviting him. Here’s what you say – We’re interviewing for a ___________ (insert your category of choice here). I think you’d be a good fit in our chapter. We’re meeting next _________ at 7:00 am. Our members are looking for a ____________ (repeat category) to give their referrals to, would you like to come and let them meet you? We can see if there’s a good fit.”
If the person says no (for whatever reason) Dr. Misner suggests saying, “No problem. But we are looking for a good _________ (same category) to give our referrals to. Do you know a good _____________ (same category) in the area?”
Dr. Misner says that when you ask in that way, you will almost always get 1 of 2 reactions. The first, “Yes I would like to meet them.” Or, the second, “No, I can’t come, but I know someone in my office who might be a good fit, can they come and meet you?” Your answer, of course, is yes.
- ASK
Every great, profitable company has a system to bring in new clients/customers. Your BNI network can as well. One way to grow our BNI network (and our future referrals) is to increase our referral partners. That means inviting.
Try the following:
1. Ask everyone you talk to, “How’s business?”
2. Ask, “Are referrals important to your business?” When they answer, “Why, yes they are”, then ask “how do you generate referrals for your business?” When they ask how you get referrals, “I’ building a referral network with BNI.”
3. “What’s BNI?” “BNI stands for Business Network International and we are a referral network of diverse businesses that generate ongoing referrals for each other”.
4. Then INVITE. “Would you like to attend our meeting and see how we do it?”
What makes the above approach successful is activity. BNI members are the best referral generators in the world, but to produce referrals we need a network and to build a network, we need to be in contact with a lot of people, just as we need to be in touch with a lot of prospects to create new clients for our businesses.
Asking one person to attend won’t show results, asking five people to attend will.
- Don't push it if they're not positive
Denis Fuller, a member of the Magna Carta Chapter in Runnymede, UK has dazzled colleagues by introducing no fewer than 53 visitors to his chapter, nine of whom have become members.
"There really is no special formula, but it's important not to try to sell the BNI concept. I merely tell potential guests that I'd like to introduce them to a group of colleagues who may be able to offer them new business, knowing they'll soon discover the opportunities for themselves. The other vital aspect is to follow up with every visitor after they've attended a meeting."
