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BNI trainings frequently tout the advice: "Back to the basics," "It's about building relationships" and "Power up with Power Teams."

But how do you put these theories into practice to make more money? After all, that's why most people get into BNI in the first place.

Unfortunately, many business owners have slightly skewed ideas about just how to do that. They try to fit what they hear at BNI trainings with what they think they already know about marketing - which is often misinformation, especially in today's economy.

Having been in BNI for almost seven years, I have observed three different levels of BNI member participation as it pertains to "business getting":

Level One: These members try to get clients by spending the bulk of their time crafting the "perfect" infomercial and tag line. They spend hours doing one-to-one meetings trying to find clients. Even if they are "ahead of the class" and can describe their target market (yes, many people don't have their niche dialed in), they use language that includes the word "you."  If the people they are in front of don't need whatever it is they offer, their business potential ends there.

Level Two: These members try to find clients in the rolodex of the members in their BNI chapter. These people use the phrase "Who do you know?" in their infomercials. They've stopped selling to the people in the room - and they look for clients one at a time. They have discovered that people in their BNI chapter (and everyone else they personally meet) are a much smaller number than the people they collectively know.

Level Three: These members are the people who know exactly who knows their clients and ask for them specifically in infomercials, during open networking, and during one-to-one meetings. They "get" how powerful it is to meet a few people who don't do what they do, but have the same clients they do.

Relationships: The Key to Power Partners

You can also think of strategic allies like this: Who do your clients need immediately before, during, and after they work with you?

Sounds like Power Teams! But here's what I sometimes hear about Power Teams in my region:

"Power Teams, that's JUST what I need - more meetings!  I barely have time to get through my day as it is, what with one-to-ones and chapter meetings every week. Who has time for another meeting?"

Sound familiar?

I couldn't agree more. While I don't believe in more random meetings, I do believe in Power Teams and the relationships you need to build for success. My experience is that Power Team meetings don't always work as intended. That said, I do think close personal relationships with Power Team members is critical.

And for heaven's sakes - think outside the box!  Just because BNI suggests that an insurance agent and a realtor are great Power Partners, doesn't mean that is your only option!

Let's say you are an insurance agent. What is your niche? - You DO have a niche, right? Remember, your niche will make you rich. If your niche is parents with teenage drivers, then maybe a better strategic alliance or Power Partner would be a skin care rep who focuses on teens with acne.

Or maybe you craft your infomercial to look for team managers of soccer or baseball teams (or my favorite, ice hockey). A chiropractor who works with sports teams could also be a good ally.

Do you see how identifying your niche opens doors to new groups of clients through potential strategic alliances?

BUT no matter how clever or targeted your infomercial is, the bottom line is relationships.  You will never be able to work with the skin care professional if you don't take the time to form a relationship with that person so he/she can understand how referring you will benefit their clients.

See, it's back to the basics, just at a different level; it's raising the bar!

There's no reason your local BNI chapter members can't help you achieve your goals.  You just have to know what to ask for and create the relationships necessary to make it happen.

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