This is a rebroadcast of Episode 308.

Synopsis

The one secret to success in BNI is that there is no one secret. There are at least three–plus one.

The three are

* Embrace quality

* Grow your team

* Seek engagement

The illustrations below show the advantage to growing your team. (Click for larger image.)

 

And the one is sharing stories. Sharing stories is the way that you embrace quality, grow your team, and get people engaged. A story is a fact wrapped in an emotion that compels people to take action that transforms them in some way. If you don’t have any stories of your own yet, go to BNISuccessNet.

Share your own stories here in the comments.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Complete Transcript of BNI Podcast Episode 308 –

Priscilla:

Hello everyone and welcome back to The Official BNI Podcast brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the net for networking downloadables. I am Priscilla Rice, and I am coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio, which is in Berkeley, CA. I am joined on the phone today by the Founder and Chairman of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello Ivan. How are you doing?

Ivan:

I am doing great, Priscilla. Today, I am going to talk about what I believe is the formula for transforming chapters into really great groups. As I travel around the world, BNI members will oftentimes ask me what is the one secret to success in BNI? So would you like to hear the one secret?

Priscilla:

I know the one secret.

Ivan:

You probably heard me or a good friend of yours say it because I know Mike who we both know says this as well. The one secret to success in BNI is that there is no one secret. In order for members to be successful in BNI, there are a number of things that members have to do in order for a chapter to really do well. I believe there are at least three plus one, and I will explain why the list I have plus one. Three plus one. That is where the title comes from. 3+1=member success.

The three are embrace quality, grow your team and seek engagement. Those are three. Then there is plus one.

First is embrace quality. Quality is first on the list for a reason. The process begins by being very selective about who you bring into your chapter. You want quality business professionals with positive, supportive attitudes. You also want people who are good at what they do. Networking is dependent on the quality of the relationships that you actually develop as a group. If your network is a mile wide and an inch deep, you won’t be getting the referrals that you expect. Therefore, it is important to build deep relationships with your referral partners if you want to generate more referrals.

In order to ensure quality participation, there has to be accountability in the group. You have to have accountability. I talked about this in last week’s podcast. Without accountability and some structure, you can have a coffee clatch and that is not why people generally join the organization.

If you expect the best from your members, you are going to get it. If you expect less than the best from your fellow members, you are going to get it. So why accept mediocrity when excellence is an option? Accountability in a group helps you achieve excellence, and you want quality people who are willing to commit. That is one.

Two, grow your team. Years ago, I learned that there is a dramatic correlation between the size of a group and the number of referrals that are generated by that group. Groups that are under 20 tend not to generate nea...