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BNI
TRADITIONS
THINGS EVERY MEMBER SHOULD KNOW
WE KEEP THE CULTURE OF
BNI STRONG BY CONSTANTLY TRAINING AND retraining members
and leaders. In these training sessions, we emphasize
BNI's traditions, bacause traditions help make a company
what it is. Traditions tell us
who are as an organization.
It is also important
for every organization to state its purpose clearly and
succinctly, to communicate to its members and to the
world what the organization is about. Here is BNI's
mission statement :
The
mission of BNI is to help members increase their
business through a structured, positive, and
professional "word-of-mouth" program that enables them
to develop long-term, meaningful relationship with
quality business professionals.
All of BNI's traditions
are tailored to support this mission. They are the
expression and implementation for our basic principles.
I've always believed
that any goal worth pursuing must be achieved through a
principle effort - that an enterprise devoid of moral,
ethical and practical standards is doomed to eventual
failure. I have been proven right over and over again by
the actions and attitudes of BNI members and chapter
leaders. It would be hard to find a more giving, more
helpful, more positive group of people that can be seen
at any gathering of BNI members, whether a weekly
chapter meeting, a Visitors' Day, a Leadership Team
training session, or an International Directors'
Conference.
TESTIMONIALS
Once of our oldest
traditions came from an early change in our Agenda :
testimonials (see chapter 3). Barely two months into
BNI's first year, we decided that if you didn't have any
referrals to pass along at the weekly meeting, you could
give a testimonial instead. You could talk about another
member's business, product, or service, or even about
the individual herself, speaking from the heart and
being very specific. This was positive way giving
support to another member in lieu of an actual referral.
It was quite valuable, not only giving the individual
moral support but bringing other members' attention, and
quite possibly referrals, to the individual's products
or services.
But what if - and this
is a pretty big "if", considering how many options you
have - you arrive at a meeting unprepared to give a
testimonial, and you don't have a referral? Well, over
the years, we've increased your options even more. We've
redefined the Agenda item. We no longer define it as
simply passing referrals, which to some members implies
that not having a referral to pass at a given meeting
equates to failure. We now ask simply that you think of
this Agenda item as your opportunity to make an "I have"
statement.
What's an "I have"
statement? It's a specific, positive statement to or
about a member, your BNI chapter, or BNI as an
organization. It can be "I have a referral for Jane." It
can be "I have a storey to tell you about a great
experience I had doing business with Jack." Or it can be
"I have something to say about what being in this
organization has meant to me" -- such as the camaraderie
of the group, opportunities to develop lifelong
friendships, access to information and ideas.
Making an "I have"
statement helps improve your networking relationships
and strengthens the group. Even if you haven't given or
gotten a lot of business, there's something positive
about this process, especially for visitors who are
considering becoming members.
《GIVERS
GAIN : THE BNI STORY by Dr Ivan R Misner, Ph.D. & Jeff
Morris 》
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