Synopsis

This week’s Ask Ivan question came in from a BNI member in India.

One thing that hasn’t been translated throughout the system is that people still aren’t as welcoming as they could or should be in a chapter. I’m personally an extrovert, so I work my way around it, but I see many new members find it difficult when they go to a chapter.

One reason people might not feel welcome is that the members of a chapter have such tight relationships that they seem cliquish. They stand in closed rather than open groups, making it hard to go up and talk to them.

If you are a new member and you don’t feel like people are reaching out, ask someone in the chapter to re-introduce you around. 

Making visitors and new members feel welcome makes a big difference to their experience of BNI. A person who doesn’t feel welcome won’t join. Don’t leave it up to the visitor host. Introduce yourself to new members, and introduce the new member to other people in the chapter.

Priscilla invites you to visit her chapter, BNI Connect2Success in Berkeley, California. She promises you’ll feel welcome.

Brought to you by the Networking for Success Channel on YouTube.

Complete Transcript of Episode 503 –

Priscilla:

Hello everybody and welcome back to the Official BNI Podcast, brought to you by the Networking for Success Channel on YouTube, featuring Dr. Ivan Miser and many other networking experts. I am Priscilla Rice, and I am coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. I am joined on the phone today by the Founder and the Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello, Ivan, how are you and where are you?

Ivan:

BNI Connect.Fantastic visit. Thank you to- I was in both South Korea and India over the last few weeks and my thanks go to amazing places for BNI.

Priscilla:

That’s great.

Ivan:

Todays’ topic is part of the Ask Ivan series, and I thought it would be perfect timing to share on of the questions that came in to [email protected]. It came from somebody in India. Arush from Bangalore, India said, “I am a new member. I have a lot to thank BNI for.” He went on to describe how he has traveled to certain countries including Singapore and made some great connections there. He met these people through BNI. Here is his question. He says that one thing that hasn’t translated throughout the system is that people still aren’t as welcoming as they could or should be in a chapter. He says, “I am personally an extrovert, so I kind of work my way around it, but I see many other new members that find it difficult when they go to a chapter.”

Arush, I appreciate your question and I agree with it. I think it’s important to have a discussion about this topic. I am glad that you brought it up. You know, I mentioned last week that I was going to touch upon this in this week’s podcast and that is one of the reasons why I started BNI.

In 1985 in Juanary, so it was really in 84 and 84 I was going around to a lot of different networking groups. I was a member of different types of networking organizations. I went to some that were really mercenary. They were just mercenary. It was very transactional. It was all about the business. There was no relationship. It was as I mentioned in the last couple of podcasts and the last one, the five least important steps in being a great networking. They were very direct, very sales oriented, very promotional. For me, it didn’t sit well and it was certainly not what I was looking for in a networking organization. It was too transactional.