Inviting Visitors to BNI

    Over the past 6 months our BNI Chapter has grown tremendously, and it has contributed to more referrals and more business for everyone in the room. We want to keep growing, but we want to continue to add quality professionals. Over the next six months we need to focus on bringing in 1 visitor per member, per month. So that in 6 months if we initiate one of those visitors per month, we will have 50 members and 50 visitors passing at least 50 referrals each meeting.

    How do you invite visitors?

    Don't talk too much when inviting a visitor. The more you might talk them out of it. Seeing is believing, get them in, the meeting will sell itself, and if it doesn't they aren't the right fit. Never say the following things until you are asked when you invite someone:

1. 7:00 AM
   
2. Breakfast
   
3. Weekly Meetings
   
4. Networking – usually associated with MLM
   
5. JOIN – you are not getting them to join, you're asking them to attend
   
6. Meeting Agenda – just get them to come, they do not have to understand the structure before hand, they will see it for themselves.
   

What Should You Say?

The recommendation from Jeff Stay, the director for BNI Miami Dade is to say this line, verbatim:

"John (insert the real name of the person you are inviting), I am working with a group of local business people who are looking for a plumber (insert the profession of the person you are inviting) to give their business to. Would you like to come and meet some of my colleagues?"

The Dirt Lawyer, Tim Sander tells people, "How would you like 45 trained sales persons marketing your business for you for free?" Adam Levy says,

"The key thing for me is to carefully select the right people you think would really would benefit and fit in to BNI.  Selection is key.  A visitor to our meeting/ group has got to fit in to our group's personality.  You can't fit a square peg in a round hole.  Once I get someone on my mind, I don't let up.  I make a phone call, invite them to view the website and to an upcoming meeting.  If they do not attend, I call a couple more times until they tell me they are too busy or not interested.  If they don't mention either one of those reasons, I invite again and tell them that they cannot pass up this type of opportunity.  I stay on it. That is my approach."

    The 7am Objection

    For some reason a lot of people are opposed to meeting at 7am. Everyone here knows the benefits, or they just like getting up early. But reiterate it for the potential visitor.

• You beat the morning rush hour
  
• You are out of the meeting and on your way to work by 8:30
  
• You start one day of the week off enthusiastically and with a good breakfast
  

The Attendance Objection

Some people are concerned about attending a meeting each and every week. We do not want to down play attendance; we want to show them that it is important enough to make it part of your routine. If there is a legitimate reason why the person cannot attend, they probably would not be a good fit for the group. For instance, if the person is a single parent and the only person available to take the children to school each morning, this might not be a good fit. But, some people think they are busier than they really are at 7am. Get these people to the meeting, if they don't get why it's important after coming to the meeting, cross them off the list, we don't want them.

The Referral Objection

Another reoccurring object is the fear of not being able to bring in referrals each and every week. Just like attendance, we do not want to down play the importance of bringing referrals, because that is why we are here. You need to tell these people that the referrals will come when you meet with the people in the chapter on the 1 on 1s. They will tell you how to pass them a referral, and it will just come. Also, bringing in a visitor is just as good as a referral, because now that person can become a referral or give a referral, even if they never join.

Visitors are the key for our group's survival and for the growth of our businesses through BNI. Visitors that become members open up over 250 new contacts for reoccurring referrals each week. But, even visitors that do not become members provide us with a one-time shot at referring business to us from their contacts, and they themselves can become someone's best new client. The goal is 50/50/50. We need 50 visitors per month, from 50 members, passing 50 referrals each meeting, and we need it in 6 months. It all starts with visitors.