Inviting Visitors and Following Up with Them

We’re continuing our series of training sessions on BNI Fundamentals. This week, our topic is how to invite visitors and follow up with them.

Referrals are how you give to other chapter members. Bringing visitors is the best way to give to the chapter as a whole. Basically, visitors ARE referrals, only they are referrals to the entire chapter.

Remember when we discussed Tier 1, 2, and 3 referrals?  Remember that referrals happen only once members start to trust you?  Well, it’s Givers Gain time; the best way to demonstrate your trust in your chapter members as a group is to open up your circle of contacts to the chapter by bringing those contacts to the meetings.

Why do we care so much about visitors?  Visitors are often the best referral sources, and may result in multiple referrals among chapter members. Now, isn’t THAT a nice way to help your chapter and your contacts!

What do you gain by inviting visitors to your chapter?  First, other chapter members recognize your trust in them, and begin to return that trust to you by opening up their own contacts to you (Tier 2 referrals).  Second, your circle of acquaintances gains from their new connections to the chapter members, whether they join BNI or not.  As a result of this, you gain a reputation among your circle of contacts as “well-connected,” which is an honorable title in the world of networking.

Here’s a tip to maximize the positive effect of each visitor you bring to the chapter. As soon as you know you have a visitor coming, think of which chapter members you would most like the visitor to meet, based on what you know of the visitor’s individual needs and/or the visitor’s business. Next, introduce each pair of potential match-ups by phone or by email BEFORE THE MEETING and explain why you’re eager for the two of them to meet.  Finally, make sure that you introduce your visitor personally to each of those chapter members at the start of the meeting, and repeat your reasons for introducing them.  What could be more efficient and effective?

So, as a quick overview:

GIVE

• Show your trust in your chapter members by opening up your circle
• Visitors can be a great referral source

GAIN

• Others recognize and return your trust
• Your circle of acquaintances gains from connection to the chapter
• You gain a reputation among acquaintances as “well-connected”

In closing, let me suggest that you know you’re a BNI member if… you receive a traffic citation in the mail, and you call the court to ask if it’s okay to bring a visitor with you.

Todd Smith
Education Coordinator
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