Top 10 things NOT to say
Here are the top 10 things NOT to say during your commercial at your BNI meeting (all of these have been heard at a meeting…yes, they have!). You will nod at some, be outraged at others, and that’s okay.
1. “Sorry I haven’t been here…” – no need to draw attention to your absences. They KNOW you’ve missed a meeting. Commit to yourself to have a sub next time so you never feel you have to say this!
2. Religion and Politics – just say No to proselytizing or recruiting. Both subjects are far too heated for most people, and are best left outside the meeting.
3. “I’m too busy to take any referrals this week”… If you say this at a meeting, trust me, you won’t be busy for long! Consider hiring someone or raising your prices!
4. “Set up a Dance Cards with me because I give the best referrals” This doesn’t help me find a referral for you. It does, however, tell me something about your ego.
5. “Um…well…I don’t know what to say…” We all feel that way sometimes, but it doesn’t do much for you. Prepare 5 commercials in advance and keep them with you so you can always be prepared. People refer people who they have confidence will do a good job. If you need help with your commercial, ask for it! From your Leadership Team, another member, your chapter’s Ambassador or Assistant Director are all available to assist you.
6. “Today I want to skip my commercial and tell you about….my kid’s new cat, our vacation, my walk for charity” Whatever it is, just don’t do it. Again, stay focused on the job at hand. As much as we like you, this is inappropriate.
7. “I think we, as a chapter, need to discuss….” There is NEVER a time in a BNI meeting where you open the floor up for group discussions of anything. Talk to the Membership Committee and they will work it through the process.
8. “I’m New to my profession” – If you feel you must talk about how long you’ve been in the business - use the bigger number. In other words, “My office has been here since 2001” or “I’ve been in the computer business for 20 years”. You don’t build trust and confidence by giving the impression you don’t know your job. You do, or you wouldn’t have started out on your own. You bring some experience to whatever you do.
9. “I have to leave early” – Best case is that you never leave before the meeting ends.
10. “I have nothing to say” – Whether you are unprepared or just can’t think of a commercial today, don’t say it. This comes back to being prepared. Spend 15 minutes this week coming up with several commercials you can use when needed.
Referral Time: This is for REFERRALS and TESTIMONIALS. We all know what a referral is, but Testimonials are a bit tricky. A testimonial is saying something about someone else and what a good job they did for you or your referral. It is NOT “I would like to thank Bob for the biggest referral I’ve ever received” because that is saying how good you are. And DO NOT SAY “I don’t have any referrals this week”. This is your last opportunity to shine in front of your sales force, and pointing out that you have no referrals does not do that. It’s okay that you don’t this week, commit to yourself to have them next week. Say something good about how BNI has helped you and your business, say something nice about what a good job someone did for you or your referral, or give a referral. Those are the only acceptable choices. And while it’s tempting to say something nice about the speaker, it gets old and insincere for everyone to say it.
And that ever pesky Time for Announcements: That time of the meeting is for announcing networking events outside of your meeting (Chambers, Trade Shows, etc.) and for other events of that type. It is also NOT the time to ask anyone to pray for anyone else or to tell something you forgot in your commercial (you had your chance for that). You can mention here that you are looking to hire a new receptionist, or that you have a car for sale.
1. “Sorry I haven’t been here…” – no need to draw attention to your absences. They KNOW you’ve missed a meeting. Commit to yourself to have a sub next time so you never feel you have to say this!
2. Religion and Politics – just say No to proselytizing or recruiting. Both subjects are far too heated for most people, and are best left outside the meeting.
3. “I’m too busy to take any referrals this week”… If you say this at a meeting, trust me, you won’t be busy for long! Consider hiring someone or raising your prices!
4. “Set up a Dance Cards with me because I give the best referrals” This doesn’t help me find a referral for you. It does, however, tell me something about your ego.
5. “Um…well…I don’t know what to say…” We all feel that way sometimes, but it doesn’t do much for you. Prepare 5 commercials in advance and keep them with you so you can always be prepared. People refer people who they have confidence will do a good job. If you need help with your commercial, ask for it! From your Leadership Team, another member, your chapter’s Ambassador or Assistant Director are all available to assist you.
6. “Today I want to skip my commercial and tell you about….my kid’s new cat, our vacation, my walk for charity” Whatever it is, just don’t do it. Again, stay focused on the job at hand. As much as we like you, this is inappropriate.
7. “I think we, as a chapter, need to discuss….” There is NEVER a time in a BNI meeting where you open the floor up for group discussions of anything. Talk to the Membership Committee and they will work it through the process.
8. “I’m New to my profession” – If you feel you must talk about how long you’ve been in the business - use the bigger number. In other words, “My office has been here since 2001” or “I’ve been in the computer business for 20 years”. You don’t build trust and confidence by giving the impression you don’t know your job. You do, or you wouldn’t have started out on your own. You bring some experience to whatever you do.
9. “I have to leave early” – Best case is that you never leave before the meeting ends.
10. “I have nothing to say” – Whether you are unprepared or just can’t think of a commercial today, don’t say it. This comes back to being prepared. Spend 15 minutes this week coming up with several commercials you can use when needed.
Referral Time: This is for REFERRALS and TESTIMONIALS. We all know what a referral is, but Testimonials are a bit tricky. A testimonial is saying something about someone else and what a good job they did for you or your referral. It is NOT “I would like to thank Bob for the biggest referral I’ve ever received” because that is saying how good you are. And DO NOT SAY “I don’t have any referrals this week”. This is your last opportunity to shine in front of your sales force, and pointing out that you have no referrals does not do that. It’s okay that you don’t this week, commit to yourself to have them next week. Say something good about how BNI has helped you and your business, say something nice about what a good job someone did for you or your referral, or give a referral. Those are the only acceptable choices. And while it’s tempting to say something nice about the speaker, it gets old and insincere for everyone to say it.
And that ever pesky Time for Announcements: That time of the meeting is for announcing networking events outside of your meeting (Chambers, Trade Shows, etc.) and for other events of that type. It is also NOT the time to ask anyone to pray for anyone else or to tell something you forgot in your commercial (you had your chance for that). You can mention here that you are looking to hire a new receptionist, or that you have a car for sale.
Labels: Top 10 things NOT to say
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