Attendance is vital to each BNI chapter’s performance, not to mention that of the members within that chapter. Years ago, when a chapter felt that attendance was overkill, they asked for permission to run a BNI attendance experiment… the results made them change their minds! However, while your BNI meeting is a key to chapter performance, it’s the celebration and culmination of the week before. The secret weapon to success is BNI 1-2-1 meetings in West Virginia, BNI chapters, and across the country.
The Big Tent
The weekly meeting keeps you top of mind for every other member. Ideally, you craft an effective weekly ask with trigger words to help people refer you, you notice those for others, and you follow up on referrals you passed during open networking.
However, you likely have between 20 and 50 people in your BNI chapter, so you won’t have time in 15 minutes of open networking to have a deep conversation, drill down on specifics, or share what’s changed about your business.
That’s why part of the power of one is BNI one-to-one meetings.
Building Relationships In BNI
One of BNI’s core values is building relationships. That’s hard to do in a full room!
The secret sauce to relationship-building is what you do outside the meeting room - how often you think about the other member, when you reach out, and yes, who you invite, and yes, BNI one-to-one meetings.
You should have at least one BNI 1-2-1 meeting with West Virginia members of your chapter and, when the opportunity arises, people outside it.
But don’t let the floor be your ceiling. The more time you spend Building Relationships In BNI, the more success you’ll have helping other members build their business and, through Giver’s Gain ®, building your own.
Business Networking Tips for BNI 1-2-1 Meeting in West Virginia
So you know you should have BNI one-to-one meetings, and maybe you even do them as often as you should. But do you know how to make them successful? Like so many things in BNI, business, and beyond, the first key to a successful BNI one-to-one is preparation.
Be Prepared
Before meeting with the person, look them up. Check all the relevant sources of information:
As you get to know people, be sure you’re keeping up with them. You have a lot of members in your BNI group, and some of us have better memories than others, so don’t be afraid to take out what you spoke about last time right in front of them. Most people will just feel like you’re valuing their time.
Be Deliberate
Some people are easy to have one-on-ones with. Maybe you have an excellent relationship, or your businesses are naturally good referral partners. There are some members you talk to so often you forget to count legitimate one-to-ones!
But what about the others?
It’s important to be deliberate in your BNI 1-2-1 meetings in West Virginia. Referral partners that don’t come as naturally. Set an agenda. Perhaps let them know what you plan to discuss.
And barring other ideas, the GAINS profile is an excellent starting point!
Listen
Finally, whether your meeting is with a fellow BNI member, a client, or a fellow business owner, an essential key to a successful meeting is listening.
Don’t just waste your turn to talk, either. Ask good questions and reflect on your meeting partner’s answers. Then ask follow-up questions.
Worst case scenario? Your meeting runs long, and you need to schedule a second BNI one-to-one meeting. Two one-to-ones? The numbers are adding up so is your networking ability.
