I’ve been attending networking clubs and networking meetings for the better part of 25 years.
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a Business Networking International event with Chapter Lucky 62 in New York City as a guest. I wanted to give a short talk on networking strategies, but it seems as though the rules of the club forbade it. Respecting that, I attended anyway.
I didn’t really know what to expect since I had never been to a BNI networking meeting before, but I must say, whether they had selected me as a speaker or not, the meeting was exceptional. Very structured, but exceptional. And did I mention structured?
It began with a two-minute educational segment. I expected someone to get up, hem and haw, and give some weak tip. Instead, I listened to an amazing duet that turned their tip into a song!
The singsong tip got the meeting off to an incredible start – both in tempo and in tone. The message was so well constructed and completely customized that I am including it here for your educational pleasure.
Let me tell you something about your personality
You’re the only one with it, so let it shine brightly.
You may not be the only lawyer doctor broker cake decorator accountant in town,
But you’re the only one that’s unique inside and out
So let me tell you how
To stand out from the crowd
You gotta lead with your personality
You gotta lead with your personality
They have got to see individuality
You gotta lead with your personality
You may share a profession with a thousand other folks.
But what sets you apart is you make really lame jokes.
And that’s ok, it just ads to your character, it makes you like-able
People do business with people they like,
Especially if they like title!
So let me tell you how,
To stand out from the crowd
The singer-songwriter, Antony Bitar, is a real estate salesman. If you think his song lyric is great, you should see his YouTube introduction of himself for his real estate business. This guy gets it.
The guitar player accompanying Antony, Adam Lomeo, was actually showcasing his talents to the group. Which, by the way, were flawlessly excellent.
Back to the meeting…After the introduction, a sheet of paper was passed to each attendee that contained everyone’s signature slogan. I was about to be exposed to one of the coolest, one-of-a-kind introduction routines I’ve ever seen. About 80 members are given 30 seconds each to give their introduction, and at the end, the entire group recites their tag line.
As you can imagine, some of them were classic. A woman photographer ended her commercial with “I shoot your family” and the group responded, “so you don’t have to.” And the Xerox salesperson said she had been copying since the 2nd grade when she copied off her buddy’s test paper – the audience howled.
I did get to give a short one-minute talk – my host, Jennifer Gluckow, gave me her commercial spot, but I went over my one minute time limit and got dinged. Timing is everything.
After the 30-second commercials, two people got to give a five-minute talk to give the members and their visitors a more in-depth look at their business and their ideal referral partners.
Before the meeting ended, members had the chance to thank each other for business, or at least the opportunities for business. And there was a lot of it.
Then a black book was passed around the room where members entered the dollar amount of their closed business from BNI referrals. NOTE WELL: They’ve passed more than $4 million this year in referral business. WOW!
This was one of the most serious, yet fun business groups, hell-bent on self-promotion and giving business. And did I mention structured?
Here are 4.5 things you can learn from this meeting:
1. You don’t always have to say your message. Sometimes you can sing it, and it’s much more attractive and effective.
2. Creating group participation for individual commercials is both powerful and memorable. When 80 people say your tag line in unison, it creates a unity of group and memorability of message – especially if it’s funny.
3. Leads and networking groups don’t work unless there are plenty of leads and everyone is willing to give them. This group was just as interested in giving as they were in getting. Huge – especially in NYC.
4. The science of networking is getting more sophisticated. You have to be prepared, be willing to share, and be reputable.
4.5 Your creativity, style, and overall presence create attraction. Master all three elements.
I’ll be back in NYC in a few weeks. The BNI meeting is at the top of my list to attend. I’ll be bringing a few leads.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of 12 bestselling books including The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling. His new book, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, is now available as a book and an online course at www.gitomerVT.com. For public event dates and information about training and seminars visit www.gitomer.com or email Jeffrey personally at salesman@gitomer.com.
