BNI Quiz

Part one

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five BBC Sports personality of the year trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss UK contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of Premiership football winners.

How did you do?


Here's another quiz:

Part two - See how you do on this one:

1. List three teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 

3 Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .

Easier?

Part Three - in respect of BNI

What has BNI achieved for me?

What do I want to achieve in my career/business with BNI?

How am I going to make this happen?

What’s my commitment to my fellow BNI-ers?

What are my BNI goals?

Part One:

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Part Two:

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.” 
~ Charles Schultze (Adapted by me)

Part Three:

If this was an interview for a new post – we’d have to prove we wanted the job …. I’m interviewing shortly for a new post in my day job ….

Why you?  Why should you be accepted into the BNI Foundation Chapter?

What can you bring to the table/team?

What’s your commitment to others?

Write down as an affirmation – My commitment to the BNI Foundation Chapter is:

Training – Why do we bother?

  

Many of you will know that I am what’s known as a Senior Team Leader with my Utility Warehouse Business (www.saveyoumoney.org.uk ) and through my training I have followed a brilliant business mentor called Jim Rohn.  I have often quoted Jim Rohn here at BNI meetings …. One of his favourite quotes (and no doubt he ‘borrowed’ it from elsewhere) is “The more I practice, the luckier I become”.

We have all recently marvelled at the feats of our Olympic athletes, but I wonder how many people were watching the TV or various events and said “He was lucky to win” or “She was lucky to win that event” etc etc etc …..   Most of the athletes attending the Olympic games from all the countries participating will have had to have qualified via a variety of qualifying events etc …..   I am sure none us think that Mo Farah or Jessica Ennis won their gold medals by pure luck …. nor Seb Coe when he won his medals in the 1980s.

For some people training can be an emotive topic and enjoy attending training events, while others probably question why they have to attend and what they’ll actually derive from the training session (be that in their own business or for BNI training). Whatever your thoughts, let’s look at why training might actually be a good or attractive option to consider.

Some key benefits:

-         You will learn how to give and receive quality referrals; how to present your business to others and how to get the best out of your membership,

-         You will meet other members from across the region – some you may know and others you will not have met before or only see occasionally. They CAN be VALUABLE new members of YOUR network,

-         Opportunities for you to GAIN BUSINESS before, during or after the training,

-         You will earn credibility from your colleagues and fellow members in our chapter. They will see you as someone committed to not only the growth of the chapter, the growth of your business but also their business.

-         The above are a few reasons, but I’m sure you can all think of a few more.

If you ever needed surgery, how would you feel about being operated on by an untrained surgeon? …. Or what if you were in court accused of a crime you did not commit, would you prefer to be defended by a trained lawyer or someone who only thinks they know the law?

But that’s different I hear you say – “Of course we’d want a trained professional in situations like these” ….. So my question to you right now is “If my BNI chapter is indeed the economic group I depend on to refer me and grow my business, would I want them all to be trained on how to do it better … or not”?

We know from statistics that if no-one in the chapter attends training then a chapter will pass 0.6 referrals per week per member.  If 40% of the chapter attends training then it rises to 1.1 referrals per week per member…… while if 90% of the chapter attend regular training and are well-trained then the figure rockets to 1.8 referrals per member per week …. Three times the amount of referrals than a chapter where only 40% attend training.  So armed with that data – is it worthwhile attending training?

Remember – BNI is not an add-on to your day to day work … it’s a central ingredient. If you want to gain more business, get more from our BNI membership and win more opportunities for yourself and fellow members, then we should all attend more training. It makes complete sense for us all to fine-tune our skills and become better equipped to help each other.

In conclusion – I suggest that training is like everything else in life; what you get out of it is in proportion to the time, energy and enthusiasm that you put into it. I have been to many training sessions in my life – some great, some not so great …. but always with an open mind to learn something new…..

Some people may say I have been lucky in business …. However, to build on the opening comments ….. I’d like to think it’s this:-

“The harder I work, the more training I attend, the more I practice ….. the luckier I become”!

Delivered 5 September 2012