After the end of the meeting, visitors will be assigned to orientation or a separate session in order for the visitor host to answer their questions, if any.
We can always ask the visitors certain questions to get them excited to sign up and join the chapter.
What you see today will improve your business?
A sound business person will constantly seek to grow their business. A visitor will not waste their time waking up early to attend a BNI meeting without any purpose. Business people will look for every opportunity that they have to decide whether it is applicable to their own business, or will there be any opportunity for them to look for different sources of income. If the visitor has the growing mindset, the answer to this question will be affirmative as the meeting agenda is structured, positive and professional.
Which people in the room that you see will add value to you or your business?
The room is full of business people representing different classification and specialization. Imagining a room full of business people that carry themselves well and professionally, it definitely impresses the visitors and it will trigger their interest to join. If the chapter is even larger, it will be much more attractive to the visitors!
Do you see so many referrals are passing in the room?
Highlight the obvious to the visitors! Let him know how many referrals are passed for the week! Remind him again about the Vice President's report to let them have the figure as a convincing evidence. Allow the visitors to know members are being recognised for passing business.
Do you have OR what kind of strategy you have to grow your business?
Most businesses do not have a strategy. Business owners usually rely on the sales team, advertisement, or LUCK. This always happens to small-medium enterprises. Asking this question to the visitors will help them to see how they can grow their business through a word-of-mouth marketing program. This opens up the possibility to them to have another way to market their business. What is your allocated budget per year for marketing?
People often have a budget for their business marketing activity. A good business person will have proper budgeting for their marketing activity. By asking them this question will enable the visitors to make comparison between the membership application fees and their marketing budget for the year. BNI membership application fees will definitely be way much lower than their budgeting. Do you have any system in your business to track referrals?
Business owners usually do not track their source of referrals. It is rare for businesses to track how many referrals they get, who had given the referrals. By joining BNI, the business people may be able to track the numbers of referral they get, and be able to focus on the proper market that will significantly create great results to their revenue.
Do you have a follow up process on the referrals you received?
BNI is for successful businesses to join. Some business owners may tell you that they have too many businesses to handle. Are they having a following up system? Show them the BNI Connect referral tracking system. With the new feature, members are able to track the proper status of the referrals that they have received.
Check out BNI Podcast 701: Referral Tracking on BNI Connect
Do you have any continuous education to upgrade your business?
Many businesses focus on revenue and profit generation but they might have neglected the importance of the personal development and growth of the organization. Even if they have it yearly, the frequency may not be as much as being in BNI. Point out to the visitors about the trainings available for the members, as well as the weekly NEC sessions, and Continuous Education Trainings (CEU)
The above questions are always the useful questions to be asked while having the visitor orientation. These questions do not give any guarantee to have the visitors sign up immediately, but these questions will definitely allow the visitors to spend more time to think about their business, and opens up possibilities for them to have a different option to grow their sources of business referrals. Always share more to the visitors so that they will have a choice to "Changing the Way the World does Business".
JJ Phang is currently the Executive Director of Melaka Region.
JJ Phang formally served as President (02), Network Education Coordinator (01), Mentor Coordinator (01), Membership Committee (02) and Event Coordinator (04) of BNI Smart Biz, Hall of Fame Chapter. JJ Phang was also the Director Consultant of BNI Extreme Chapter, Melaka Region.
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