1. “Innovative.” - Innovation is something you demonstrate through working with clients, to say you are innovative is a waste of breath.  Let others sing your praises, maybe with a testimonial, about how you had an innovative solution. 
2. “Proven track record.” –  Unless you opened your doors yesterday you have a track record.  Your track record may be good, or it may even be bad, but in either case you have proven your track record to your customers.  This is the time to give facts and figures not figurative language, think achievements and highlight your track record. 
3. “Unique blend of…” - This sounds like you have a patent on a spice blend.  Really, how unique are you, there may be certain things you do better and that is what you describe.  What makes your “blend” so special and what do I need to tell people about you are far more important phrases to be using. 
4. “World-class.” – This term honestly does not have meaning, can you describe what a world-class company is?  Are you doing business globally?  In either case it is more effective to describe your ideal customer than it is to use the term “world-class”. 
5. “Outstanding customer experiences.” – In today’s changing market when it comes to providing an outstanding customer experience, either you will provide a great experience, or you will be out of business.  The term itself is very vague, if you are a real estate agent and you do something special like provide hot cocoa to people while driving them around to see homes, than say that!
6. “Myriad solutions.” – When it comes to giving a sixty second sales manager moment the last thing you want to give is the “Also Do” list.  You may do many things, but only talk about one thing at a time.  Impress me with one thing and I will find out more about your business and its many capabilities as we develop our business relationship. 
7. “Results oriented.” -  I would hope that when I give you money that I have the expectation of seeing results.  This is one of those phrases that brings no value to what you have to say about your business, instead talking about specific results that people have had using your product or service.
8. “We’re located…” - While this might sound like a good idea to throw in when you have sixty seconds or less on the line it is a detail that can be left to side-barred conversations.  Leave your location on your card where it belongs and focus on telling your sales team what really matters about your business. 
9. “Customer focused.” - Where else are you going to focus?  If you focus on your customers in a unique way, maybe you have a special form that you have all your customers fill out that serves as the basis to begin your relationship with them, talk about the form, not that you are focused on the customer.  Being specific with what sets you apart is more important generalities any day.
10. “Anyone with…” - If you are saying that you help: “anyone with skin”, “anyone with hair”, “anyone that drives a car”, etc – STOP!  I can’t find you anyone, I don’t have an anyone in my email contacts, and I don’t run into anyone on the street.  Be specific about the type of person you are looking for.  Describe that person to me, bring that person to life, so that in my mind I picture my neighbor, mom, best friend, or a co-worker.  

This story really begins about six years ago, when I first met a very professional man. This man dressed in long sleeved button up shirts, wore a tie, and most importantly if you follow the story of Chris Gardner, he wore nice pants. This very professional man is now my husband. As we attended various events as a couple, he would ask, “Do I need to wear long sleeves?” I would always chuckle at the question, explain the event and leave the attire choices to him. He always tells me that people treat him differently when he displays his tattoos. I never believed him, until recently.

Not so long ago I walked into a BNI meeting as a visiting director and I watched a story unfold that perplexed me. This particular group had two visitors that day and to me it seemed that they had one visitor, and one outsider. Across from me sat a man with long tied back hair, Harley attire from tip to toe, and a great big smile. He stood to give his sixty-second presentation and unlike many visitors that talk for minutes, he only used about half of his time. He showed passion about his product and he displayed that he was excited to be there.

The meeting progressed and at the conclusion everyone was saying their good-byes, filtering out of the room, and heading off to finish up their days. I sat for a moment and pondered why no one approached the young man across the table from me. It seemed that many of the individuals in the room found the other visitor and thanked her for coming, inviting her back, and yet no one approached the outsider…except me.

I wanted to thank this person for visiting and to find out what he thought of the meeting. He was so enthused about his product. He launched into a story of how he is part of a multi-level marketing organization and he is one of the top money earners in the entire organization. He talked about how he quit his job as a heating and cooling professional and within twelve months he was making a six figure income. Now, I have heard all of these stories before, but it was the little details that I began to notice, such as his manicured nails, and the rings on his fingers that told his story without him opening his mouth.

Yes, this man had tattoos, and yes the man I am married to has them as well. Yet, I am continually perplexed at how people can profess to, “not judge a book by its cover,” and yet continue to shy away from a tattooed cover.

For me, as a director, I see all types of people. Recently I met a very nice man, with a very big business, that showed up a BNI meeting and almost left as an outsider. This story is meant for nothing other than a reminder, even a tattooed cover holds great potential as a business networking partner.

Most professionals tie what is happening today to the economy, or a slow down in business, when it reality it is a lot more complicated than that.  For those that have trouble remembering what they had for breakfast, this next part may be a little tricky, but what were you doing to build your referral network ninety days ago?

When the phone stops ringing, it is the past you need to start investigating, not what is going on right now.

Finding the right group of professionals to develop a referral network is a key element in keeping the phone ringing even when everyone else is tapping their desk with their fingers and wondering when the economy is going to turn around.

Take your economy into your own hands, stop tapping your fingers, and start making changes today.  Yes, this does mean that the effects of those changes won’t be seen for another ninety days.

Step One:  Find a strong contact network that meets on a very regular business.   The consistency in meeting will bring you closer to your business network.

Step Two: Lock out your competition by finding a group that will only allow you to represent your profession.  This ensures that you will be the one that is trusted.

Step Three: Participate!!  Belonging to a business networking group, and participating in one are completely different animals.  Be prepared to spend time outside of your meeting that is dedicated to getting to know the members better, and finding ways to help them achieve their goals.

BNI answers all three of the objectives mentioned above. Isn’t it time you stopped tapping your fingers? Visit a chapter today!

Enjoy your BNI day and we look forward to bringing you a BNI Business Builder image every week!

Think about someone that builds a house.  While a hammer is very crucial tool, if a builder only had a hammer the house just wouldn’t quite look the same.  While I am confident that there are many out there that could stretch the use of a hammer in construction, almost as far as the uses of duct tape.

A networker’s tools are far from hammers and duct tape, but none the less, still diverse.

Tool #1 Contacts – A contact database is the fundamental tool that all good networkers need to start with.  Some hold this database in their heads, some in a vintage Rolodex, and some in a business card cabinet that would rival the old library card catalogs.   The goal is to make sure you have a system that works for you, although I would challenge you to use a software tool so you can continue to learn more about each individual contact.

Tool #2 Education – Education is the whetstone of a business networker’s toolbox.  It is the education that will sharpen your skills.  Make sure your source of education is the right one.  Deepening your knowledge will only happen when you are connected with a true networking master as a teacher.

Tool #3 Positivity – A source of inspiration keeps you robed in a positive attitude, even through the darkest and most difficult times.  If you think about one person that personifies exuberance in your life, do you think that person never struggles, never feels fear, never has stress?  Of course they do, but the smile comes from a deep well of inspiration that a smile on their face through adversity is important for others to see.

Tool #4 Answers – Killer Internet searching capabilities, just think for a moment of the myriad of answers you have at your fingertips.  How many problems can you solve by typing the right phrase into a search engine?  Solving someone else’s problem even if it isn’t with your product or service builds trust.  Solving several of that same person’s problems over time builds a bond that is very hard to break.

Tool #5 Direction – A vision and goals, you have heard it before, and you may have scribbled your goals on a sticky note somewhere, but those goals are the cornerstone to your success.  If you can’t pull out a piece of paper, or a document, listing your goals for your business networking, you are not a serious networker…yet.  There is still hope, and I would start your goals with the number of people you want to help each month.

Tool #6 Plan – Having a direction does not necessarily correlate with having a plan.  It may feel good to put, “I will help 10 people this month by bringing new business in their door through referrals I generate.”  The last word, generate, is the important part here.  How are you going to generate referrals for those 10 businesses?  A plan is necessary to know what techniques you are going to use, are you going to look through your client base, are you going to introduce opportunities through casual meetings with your clients, or are you going to call on family members?  All of these ideas are viable, and there are a hundred more that are just as viable, but finding your plan is what is important.

Tool #7 Action – Without action then all is for naught!  Action is the pivotal tool in your toolbox that will separate the people that pretend to network with the master networkers.  A master networker spends on average six and half hours a week concentrating on building, cultivating, and farming, their network.  How much time do you spend?

How many of these tools do you have in your database?

The first step is to understand which tools you need to add, which ones you need to sharpen, and which ones you have mastered.

Becoming a master business networker is a lot like becoming a master carpenter, it takes practice!

Jim (name changed of course), could barely contain himself as he described what this referral would do for his business. What Jim might not be aware of is that he is fun to refer to and that is really what made this possible in the first place.

Fun to refer to?  Sounds like something you want in a Kindergarten teacher, not an entrepreneur.

Strong Contact Networking

Jim is in a strong contact networking group.  To be a strong contact networking group, first it should be designed where only one representative per profession is allowed.  Also this group should be meeting on a very regular schedule.  Finally, there should be accountability and practices in place to make the group form strong bonds.

The strong contact network was the foundation of what made Jim’s dream referral happen.  Within that group Jim become fun to refer to by making sure he followed a few simple principles.

1. Follow up quickly with both the referral and the person that passed the referral.
2. Make sure to deliver the service or product as promised and for the price quoted.
3. Professional appearance and actions at all times.

FUN / UNFUN Scale

Imagine if everything you did was being dropped down onto a scale for everyone to see.  The left side of the scale is labeled ‘FUN’ and of course the right side is labeled ‘UNFUN’.

Every time you do something right in your referral circle you get a 1lb block dropped down on the ‘FUN’ side of your scale.

What happens when something goes wrong?  Your referral circle will see a 10lb block dropped down on the “UNFUN” side of your scale.

So, even though you may have done the last ten things right, you can wipe out that track record with one thing!

This teeter-totter effect can of course be avoided by making sure that you don’t do anything UNFUN.  Yet, many times what one person puts on your scale as UNFUN, another considers no big deal.

Navigating the Teeter-Totter

Realistically this teeter-totter effect can effect your performance in any networking group, even without being aware.

It could be as simple as how you handled yourself at the meeting to as complex as a an overheard interaction between you and a grocery clerk.

Even more complex is that one person may hear you talk with the grocery clerk in a way that they find offensive and oops the 10lb weight is put on you scale.  However, another person may hear the interaction, question you, and feel that they would have done the same thing so no 10lb weight.

You Can’t Please Everyone All the Time

You guessed it…no matter what you do, how you do it, or how you try and explain it, there will be some people that will label it as an UNFUN action.

Understanding that you can’t please everyone all the time is the first step to your sanity.  The second is to be as professional as you can be at all times, as you never know who is watching.

Overcoming a 10lb UNFUN weight being dropped down on your scale is not the end of the world, you can overcome it, and sometimes lighten the load through open communications.

Being Fun to refer to is what helped Jim get his referral of a lifetime, but he did have times where he had to work through difficulties with his group.  He wasn’t always FUN to refer to, he was able to change a few things which in the end changed what type of business was passed to him.

At one time Jim was actually really slow in following up.  He was a very busy man, what he didn’t realize is that his network was not referring to him as much business because of the perception he was giving about being “too busy” to take care of the business that was passed his way.

Jim learned that he had to change his focus and once he made the referred business a priority it shifted the groups focus of how he was going to treat the business that was passed to him.  This is what truly opened the door to more referrals for Jim.

Tell me if you have ever experienced anything like Jim, how have you avoided that 10lb weight taking you down?

Last week we discovered the worth of our networks.  Now that we know who the heavy-hitters are in our network, we want to look at strategies on how to create momentum with those hitters!

Most relationships in business are very shallow, bumping elbows are networking events, a holiday card, maybe even a lunch or two shared throughout the year.  Did you know that you probably already know all the people you really need to know in order to accomplish all your business goals for the rest of the year?

Did you also know that more is not better when it comes to business contacts?  Now, that seems counterintuitive to everything that you may have thought about business networking; however, the work in networking is what makes it effective, not the size of the network.

The shallow relationships that you have built through networking, will return results equivalent to the  amount of time and effort that you have put into building that relationship.  If you want better results than you need to form a stronger relationships.

Here are five strategic ways that you can improve the relationships in your network, and in the end increase the return from your network.

Drill with 5

Do you have a bundle of business cards and you have contacted those people by either adding them your email list, or sending them a form letter?  Once you have identified your RON you will know the people that are really in your network.  Look at the five that are already working for you, and choose to work harder for them.

Once you have your five, start drilling down!

1. Really get to know them. – How well do you really know these 5 people?  You should know what business goals they have, what accomplishments set them apart, what passions drive them to succeed, where else they hang out and network, and what special skills that they have.
2. How can you help them? – The easy part is knowing how you want someone to help you in your business, turn around and find out ways that you can help the five people you are trying to connect with.  Maybe you can give some of their sales material out during your client meetings, or better yet make phone calls to your clients specifically about them.  It could be as simple as displaying their business cards at your place of business, just remember that every time you can help them, it makes it easier for them to remember you.
3. Stay connected. – A lot can happen in a month, six months, and even more so in a year.  Being out of contact for long periods of time can really slow down and impair business relationships.  Drop the occasional note, make a few phone calls, and sprinkle in some lunch meetings or coffee stops.
4. Connect online. – Take advantage of social networks online.  Connect with your five and then begin to interact with them.  Keep up to date with what is going on in their world, it will give you a better understanding of what their needs are and how you can continue to support them in their goals.
5. Tell them what you need. – You need to communicate what you need.  If you are looking to connect with a certain business, tell them!  Your network will only be able to bring you what they are aware that you need.  Avoid generalizing, and be very specific.  the results of this step alone will astound you!

The Most Expensive Network is One of Strangers

People do business with a person, not a profession.  If you know, like, and trust someone you are more likely to refer friends, family, and business associates to them.  Drilling down in your network builds the strong relationships that create those types of bonds.

At least consider this strategy before you go adding more strangers to your network.  A stranger is only worth the amount of time you are willing to put into building a genuine connection with them.  Just like it is more expensive for a company to add a new customer, it is just as expensive to add someone that will genuinely contribute to your network.

I was once under the assumption that Dalby, Wendland & Co. was only for a mid to large sized businesses, but after talking with Chris, it isn’t the size of the business that is important, it is the mindset of the business owner.  Even larger businesses may not have the right mindset to work with Dalby, Wendland & Co.

In the end, I learned that they look for businesses that think of accounting and taxes as an integral part of the decision process and these types of businesses are actually looking for a partner in that decision making process.  The companies that are looking at accounting as a commodity, or simply trying to find someone to prepare their taxes, quite simply are not a good fit for Dalby, Wendland & Co.

It is exciting to know that we have such a fantastic firm in our BNI family.  Dalby, Wendland & Co. will be there to help any  business owner that is serious business grow, whether you have 2 employees or 200+.

Why Care About RON

It’s the end of the first quarter and it is time to evaluate how well you have been doing in business so far this year. In order to do that many business professionals start to look at ratios, and financial statements.

Which means you probably have heard of ROI (Return on Investment), and you might have even heard of ROE (Return on Equity), but you may not have heard of RON (Return on Network).

Your network is your most valuable resource for new generating new business. Managing that resource should be at the top of your mind. Financial ratios are not everyone’s cup of tea, but they do provide a valuable window into the stability of a company, just as the RON will provide a valuable window into the stability of your network.

Information Gathering

Understanding how much business you are getting from your network is crucial to knowing if there is business being left on the table. In order to do this you have to calculate your RON, just as you would any other ratio for your business.

First things first, have you kept track of the business that has come your way from your network? This is absolutely crucial to determining your RAN. You need a few pieces of information:

1. The name of the person in your network that passed you business.
2. A determination if the referral turned into business.
3. Make sure the referral happened within the time frame you are tracking, in this case Q-1 2010.

RON In Action

Recently I was helping a BNI member determine her RON for the first quarter. She was able to identify that she had been given 14 referrals over the course of the first three months in the year.

She determined that those referrals were passed from 8 different people,

• Andy – 2
• Doug – 1
• Sue – 3
• Bob – 1
• Sally – 1
• Julie – 4
• Dan – 1
• Ellen – 1

Who Does Your Network Know?

This part is a little bit of an educated guess, now take each of the people from your list and guess how many people they know, keeping in mind that the average person knows about 250 people, and they could have upwards to a 1,000 active clients or customers. For the BNI member her list came out looking like this:

• Andy – 250
• Doug – 300
• Sue – 300
• Bob – 150
• Sally – 250
• Julie – 800
• Dan – 300
• Ellen – 450

After putting the list together she determined that she was being rather conservative with how many people they know, considering that most of these people probably have client lists that are three or four times these numbers.

Putting RON Together

The first step is to add all the referrals that were passed to this member over the past three months, in this case the number would be 14.

The second step is to add the network of those referral sources together, and in this case it would 3,100 people.

The last step is to calculate your RON by taking the number of referrals, 14 in this case, and divide it by the number of people those referrals sources know, in this case 3,100, to come to .004, to find the RON percentage multiple the .004 by 100 to get .4%.

Ouch! You may be shocked by your result. In many cases it will come out a lot lower than you thought it would.

Another Way to Calculate RON

Finding the RON of your entire network is not really the most valuable number to have. Using the same technique calculate the RON of the individuals in your network.

For this example let’s look at the RON of Sue, she gave 3 referrals and it is estimated that she has a network of about 300 people. In this case her RON would be 2%, much better. It is here that you can see that Sue is a valuable member of the network.

What is a Good RON?

Considering that a normal conversion rate for a direct mailing piece is right at 1% a RON of under 1% is really way to low. A good referral source should be giving you a minimum RON of 10%.

Looking at the example of Sue again, this would mean that in the same time frame Sue would need to give 30 referrals, or an average of 10 referrals a month to meet the minimum RON of 10%.

Beefing Up RON

It’s time to put your network to work, and get that RON number to represent something that you are proud to share.

So what are you going to change? What are some things that you can do to increase your RON?

Step one: Stop adding people to your network! This may seem counter intuitive to you, but with a low RON what it is saying is that you have very shallow relationships with your network. Find the heavy hitters in your network and concentrate on building stronger relationships with them, start with only 3 or 4 people.

Step two: Meet with your heavy hitters on a regular basis. You eat lunch, grab coffee, go to local events, each and every day, so why not start inviting people from your network along? Remember, people do not do business with a profession they do business with a person. Once you make the true personal connection with someone they will open up their network to you.

Step three: Add someone to the network. But wait, didn’t I just tell you to stop? Yes, that was until you completed step two. Once you have really built up your relationships it is time to grow your network. The goal is to focus on creating strong network relationships.

Looking Forward

It may be that you were not able to figure out your RON at all, or that you had to guess on how many referrals your network passed. This exercise is very helpful in pointing out that you need to track your referrals.

If you are tracking them with little pieces of paper, there comes a point when you want to purge those papers, I completely understand. Just make sure that you have quantified what your network has done for you before you shred the evidence!!!

The chapter had several visitor’s from several different industries, namely…

• Printer
• Attorney
• Accountant
• Craftsman
• Construction
• Landscaping
• Plumbing & Heating
• Landscaping
• Vacation Planning

It takes a lot of work to host a visitor’s day and the BNI Monument Chapter did a fantastic job of putting together a morning meeting that was sure to help anyone start their day! Maybe it could even be said that they gave the morning a power start, as can be seen in the photo below.

If you missed out on this dynamic meeting, never fear, you can still visit the BNI Monument Chapter, they meet Thursday mornings at 2893 Patterson Road (Church of Christ), from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. They will be sure to make you feel welcome, and their breakfasts are always a treat! I hope to see you there next time I visit.

His witty personality is rounded out by his desire to truly accomplish good for people as they make the biggest purchase in their lives. He has been extremely busy while the tax credit was in place to help families make the leap to purchasing their homes and he only hopes that the ending of the credit will not hamper people from making that investment.

Brownlee Appraisals, is a little different in that they are out there meeting and contacting their customers. To the Brownlee Appraisals team each client is important and deserves a very personalized touch.

If you are looking for an appraiser that knows what he is doing, and one that cares about the client, then look no further than Josh Wallitt of Brownlee Appraisals.

Erin has tremendous goals for her business and it is refreshing to know that she is well rooted in her current company and is not going anywhere. Sometimes when you look to a financial planner you get the feeling that they might not be there next year, with Erin you know that if you pick up the phone to call her she will be there. She has been entrenched in Waddell & Reed for twenty years, and completely believes in the philosophies of the company.

With all of the current regulations and the market shifts it is imperative to find someone you can trust, and with Erin she is has the philosophy to remember that it is your money, but what would she do in the same situation advising a family member. It is crucial to any of her relationships to make sure that you are taken care just as if you were family. Now that is worth something!

To find out more about what Erin and her team is doing click here to visit the web site.

It is easy to see why clients enjoy working with Joel, not only is he easy to talk with, you can tell that he is really interested in listening to what you, as the client, would have to say. Many designers seem to have a better idea of what a client needs more so than even the client. Joel comes across as a designer with many years of experience that still has his ears open to the client ideas.

Joel works with many start-up business owners, and his talent can really shine when he develops an entire look and feel for a new company from the packaging all the way down to the business cards and letterhead.

Merge2Media offerings don’t stop at the small business, as a matter of face the ideal client is a mid-size company that needs a graphic designer, but is not quite ready to put one on full time. Joel understands how to bring tremendous value to these clients, designing anything from the tri-fold brochure to full fledged catalogs.

Overall, if you choose Merge2Media you should know that you will taken care of.

To contact Joel, visit his website: Merge2Media.

New Member Ticket Report Form
As your chapter adds new members, notify the BNI Regional Office so your chapter can be entered into the drawing!

Personal Prospect List Expanded
Can think of who to invite? Start with this general list of categories to trigger your memory. Want to be even more specific? Consider creating a Top Ten List and focusing on filling your current Power Teams.

Suggested Follow Up Scripts
Following up with your invitees has never been easier. Use these suggested scripts to make it easy!

Visitor Day Etiquette
Tips and techniques to make your event successful.

PR Communications Checklist
More details on holding the PR/Communications Coordinator position.

Focused Inviting Press Release

Founders Award

Member Showcase

New Leadership Team

New Members

TYFCB Press Release

Visitor Day Press Release

Power Team Monthly Agenda and Action Form
Use this agenda as a guide for your weekly or monthly Power Team meetings.

Power Team Lists
Wondering what professions fall under which Power Team? Use this Power Teams List as a place to start. Remember, it’s more about the relationships you have with the people in your Power Team.

Event Goal Setting Sheet
Keep track of your measurable goals by setting more immediate goals to reach the bigger goal.

Event Ideas
Suggestions on events that your chapter can participate to increase exposure for your members.

Event Sign-Up Sheet
Encourage your chapter members to participate in the events that will give your members additional business exposure.

2008 Education Coordinator Handbook
Lots of material to draw from to formulate your Networking Education Moments.

How to Create a Great Networking Education Moment
Use this outline to develop a series of Networking Education Moments for your chapter meeting.

Networking Education Tracking Sheet
Coordinate other members to share their networking education expertise. Keep track of the topics discussed. Create an upcoming calendar of topics and presenters.

Confidential Visitor Evaluation
Get feedback from your visitors.

Sales Manager Moment for Visitors
Want to share with visitors what to expect when the Sales Manager Moment comes to them? Help them to feel comfortable by sharing this brief outline to develop a quick 30-second Sales Manager Moment. Please remind your visitors that this opportunity will only be available should time allow in the agenda.

Visitor Orientation
Scripts to use when setting the expectations of your future referral sources.

Visitor Sign-In Sheet
Make sure that each visitor completes an entire section so you can follow-up with them during the week.

Control Letter 00
Multiple applicants for the same classification

Control Letter 01
Classification overlap

Control Letter 02
Objections filed by members

Control Letter 03
Second absence letter

Control Letter 04
Third absence letter

Control Letter 05
Probation for a Code of Ethics Violation

Control Letter 06
Probation for BNI Member Policies Violation

Control Letter 07
Probation for Participation

Control Letter 08
Probation for Time-Keeping

Control Letter 09
Probation for Disruptive Behavior

Control Letter 10
Open Classification Letter

Control Letter 11
Denying a Renewal Application

BNINet Classification List
Not sure which specific classification an applicant should fill? Use this guide to narrow it down.

Business Reference Verification
Use this as a guide to ask brief questions when calling an applicant’s business references.

Control Letter Schedule
Please see the Control Letter section to download the WORD Form documents.

Interviewing Applicants
Here are a series of questions to get the interview started!

Monthly Membership Committee Meeting Report
Use this as an agenda for your monthly Membership Committee meetings.

Request for Leave of Absence/Certificate of Credit
Members who need to take some time away from their chapter must apply for either a Leave of Absence or a Certificate of Credit.

Transfer Policy & Request Form
Use this guideline when a member in good standing wants to transfer to/from your chapter to/from another chapter.

Vice President Checklist
An easy- step-by-step guide to understanding the responsibilities of the Vice President.

Credit Card Authorization
Remember to care for this information as if it was your own.

Member Bio Sheet
Forward this WORD Form document to your members to complete a legible Member Bio Sheet prior to their next Member Showcase presentation.

Receipts
Remember to make a copy for your chapter before giving the receipt out.

Secretary Treasurer Checklist
An easy, step-by-step guide to understanding the weekly and monthly responsibilities of the Secretary/Treasurer.

Speaker Rotation
Use this basic system to keep track of your weekly speakers.

DART Report
Drops, Adds, Renewals, and Transfer Report. Submit this report with any monetary transactions to the BNI Regional Office.

Transfer Policy & Request Form
Use this guideline when a member in good standing wants to transfer to/from your chapter to/from another chapter.

Chapter Business Plan
Here is an example of a Chapter Business Plan that will help your chapter to set goals for the year.

Chapter Goals Worksheet
A quick way to set and track your chapter goals.

Meeting Stimulants
Need some revitalized energy in your chapter meeting? Try a Meeting Stimulant to liven things up a bit!

Monthly Leadership Team Meeting Report
Use this a standard agenda to run your monthly Leadership Team meetings.

New Member Orientation Checklist
Use this as a guide for your brief New Member Orientation after a new member is inducted.

President Checklist
An easy, step-by-step guide outlining the weekly and monthly responsibilites of the President position.

Rate Your Chapter Survey
Get feedback on how your chapter members feel things are going. Find out areas of improvement and use this survey to begin setting chapter goals.

Watch For Those Red Flags
Wondering what signs indicate an upward or a downward spiral in your chapter? Check out these signs to look for.

GAINS Profile
Use this outline as a place to start when getting to know your One-to-One partner. Finding out more about the other person will begin a discussion that may lead you to referrals of a lifetime!

Inviting Mindset
Here are some key phrases to use when inviting someone to be a part of your network.

Know,Like & Trust
Since we do business with people whom we know, like, and trust, wouldn’t it make sense that we contact those people whom we know, like, and trust for a referral?

Member Bio Sheet
Update and submit this WORD Form document to your Secretary/Treasurer prior to your next Member Showcase presentation.

Mini Business Plan
How many Sales Manager Moments should be dedicated to a certain aspect of your business?

One-to-One Meeting Questions
Use these questions to get the conversation started with a potential referral source. The more you know about them, and the more they know about you, the more referrals are passed that result in closed business!

One-to-One Schedule
Be sure to schedule a One-to-One with each of your chapter members! It is recommended that you conduct a minimum of one per week.

Referral Tracking Sheet
Ever wonder where your referrals consistently come from? Are you getting the referrals you want out of the relationships that you are building in your BNI network? By tracking your referrals, you’ll know where to begin spending your time fostering relationships.

Request for Leave of Absence/Certificate of Credit
Members who need to take some time away from their chapter must apply for either a Leave of Absence or a Certificate of Credit.