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What Is the “Real” Value of Your BNI Chapter

An activity to get a clear look at what your chapter offers.

Submitted by Sam Schwartz, Director of Training –BNI Europe, Executive Director –BNI Northern Virginia, National Director—BNI Israel, BNI Hungary, BNI Romania, and BNI Bulgaria

Through my visits to chapters around the world, I have noticed an interesting phenomenon: More often than not, members do not appreciate the real value and size of businesses represented in their chapters.

As business people we tend to see people as being like us. Members who do business in the hundreds tend to think the rest of the world is like them—doing business in the hundreds; the same goes for those who do thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands.

But your chapter is a compilation of a variety of businesses that produce a range of revenue—and referrals within your chapter.

Over the years, I have developed a simple exercise that has proven effective in helping members change the perception of the real business represented in their chapter. At your next meeting, you can ask everyone to take a piece of paper and write on it the gross revenue of their business from last year.

You can give a quick explanation beforehand: "If I was a potential client interviewing each one of you and wanted to make sure that you are the right provider for my needs, a fair question is, ‘What was your business’ volume last year?’ Whatever answer you would give me as a potential client is the figure you need to put down on the piece of paper.”

You collect all the responses, add it up, and then you will have the true representation of the volume of the business represented in your chapter. It may surprise members how high that volume is. It may even entice them to invite people they’ve held back from inviting, believing that person is doing business at a higher level. This activity will shift the way members view their colleagues.

Quantify Referrals

You can take the same idea in order to quantify how much business is on the table for a potential member in a category you want to add to your chapter. You can ask the members to take a piece of paper and write down how much business/referrals realistically they and the people they have good relations/influence with, gave to this category last year. You can add up all the responses and now you have a dollar amount—or referral number—you can share with your prospect.

Let's assume you want to add a plumber to your chapter. You can ask members to write down how much business/referrals you might pass a good plumber if that plumber was an active member whom you know and trust. Once you have the total from all the members, you can call a plumbing company and share that information with them: "I am calling you because you came highly recommended. I belong to a group of business professionals that is looking to develop a business relationship with a reliable plumber. We did a quick survey, and we found out that last year we passed among us (total # of referral/business from the survey). Since you come highly recommended, I would like to invite you to meet the rest of my team."

As you continue to clearly represent your chapter—and how it can serve other business people—you’ll create a business team that will generate referrals, and a growing bottom line.

Tags: February 2012 Edition, referrals, Value, visitors

8 Responses to “What Is the “Real” Value of Your BNI Chapter”

kent gordon Says:
February 1st, 2012 at 10:15 am
Great information, I plan to implement these ideas in my chapter, especially since we have a visitor day coming up this month. It seems like a perfect way to entice people to visit and most importantly participate in BNI!
Salem Reiboldt Says:
February 1st, 2012 at 5:09 pm
Excellent – As a Director Consultant I am working with two chapters that need this excercize exactly! Wonderful timing, thank you for writing!
Geoff Butler Says:
February 1st, 2012 at 6:33 pm
I also have used this exercise on many occassions but I include asking another question. I also get them to write down how many people directly or indirectly (sub-contactors etc) rely on their business for their livelihood. The result is usually tens or hundreds of millions of dollars with hundreds of people involved.
The purpose of this whole exercise is to get members to recognise the true size of their business as a Chapter because it’s a business, a big business.
I then ask them to think about a sporting club that would have this level of turnover and staffing, and chances are it a major professional team. Men particularly relate to this sporting analogy.
The next logical question then is are they doing enough to retain their position on the players roster when their contract (membership) comes up for renewal. Are they attending team training (the meetings), positional training (one-on-ones) and personal training (professional development)at a level to retain their position on the team. After all there are probably lots of other players who would love to take their position.
This is a great way to get members to understand both the size of the business they have been given an opportunity to be involved with, and that the meeting isn’t the game.
The meeting is only group training and the game is every other waking moment.
Joshua Root Says:
February 1st, 2012 at 10:36 pm
Our small chapter has recently started implementing suggested practices over the last two years. This generated enthusiasm that doubled our membership and quadrupled our closed business from year to year! These exercises are just suggested, but their effectiveness leaves me wondering why we haven’t done this all along. As last years chapter President and now visitor host, I bring this experience right up front to our visitors/potential members. They’ve been applying on a first visit nearly every time!
Andy Cruz Says:
February 4th, 2012 at 2:25 am
This is a very effective mechanism. At the end of the year I lead my chapter through an exercise where each member stood and stated what their 2012 goal for closed business was. Then we came up with the cumulative total of the room: $2.75 Million. Now we have a new Chapter goal AND each chapter member is now aware and invested in helping other members reach their personal goal.

Great post!
Andy Cruz
(San Diego, CA)
Suddhir Jain Says:
February 29th, 2012 at 1:36 am
Dear Sir,
This was a great discussion. This has really helped me to make my educational slot for this week.
Regards,
Suddhir Jain
BNI-Titan chapter, Bangalore-India
Maria Kompanowski Says:
March 1st, 2012 at 3:43 am
Many Thanks for This tip. I am visiting one of my chapters tomorrow, and was looking for an inspiration as to how I can motivate the team to get more new members, but most of all, to make them to invite visitors.I was thinking of creating a game.Your article is the answer came just at the right moment. Exactly what I needed.
Many Thanks
Sue Henry Says:
March 1st, 2012 at 8:07 am
Excellent article, Sam! I am going to use this with our precores and see if it produces more visitors at the next meeting. Thanks!

8 Responses to “What Is the “Real” Value of Your BNI Chapter”

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