The Power of Testimonials

by Carrie Langston-Dorhout

"People do not buy goods and services.  They buy relations, stories and magic." -Seth Godin 

What is a testimonial? One online consulting company tells us that testimonials are written or recorded statements that support your credibility and level of expertise. They also strengthen your reputation by expressing the trust that other people have in you and your business offerings.

Google defines a testimonial as "a formal statement testifying to someone's character and qualifications."

I like both of these definitions and find them to echo some core fundamentals of BNI and why BNI works for thousands of business owners across the globe. Let me explain. BNI is built on the principle of the VCP Process: Visibility, Credibility and Profitability.  We talk about these a lot with our new members in the Member Success Program.  Building our credibility with our members is key to our success in BNI.

As we look at the definitions of a testimonial above, we can see how positive and encouraging statements about our fellow members can rapidly and dramatically increase our level of credibility.  Credibility also requires trust. When we give or hear testimonials, it is one of the quickest ways to earn the trust of our members. This is one of the reason why BNI is the most powerful networking organization in the world.  BNI members have the opportunity every single week to give testimonials, expediting the speed of trust, creating favorable conditions for profitability.  

Ahh, Profitability, the ultimate goal of networking, right? It can start with something as simple, yet powerful, as a testimonial. When was the last time you gave a testimonial for one of your chapter members? Are you creating opportunities for your members to be able to give testimonials about you? Give it a try at your next chapter meeting! 

(Acknowledgments; CompuKol.com, Google, for definition of a testimonial.)

Planning Your One to One

By Brandon Souba

A while back on a BNI Heartland Podcast I talked about the importance of planning and preparing for your One to Ones. (Listen to it here.) Since then, I have had a few people follow up and ask for the template I use for my One to Ones. For a long time, my answer was simply “I don’t have one,” because I feel it is unique to each person and situation. Your first One to One with a fellow member should be much different than your fourth or fifth. So while this isn't a specific template, I thought it would be helpful to lay out what goes through my brain when I am writing out my agenda for a One to One.

BNI U.S. National Conference 2019 Recap

During the first week of April, your BNI Heartland Director Team travelled to Dallas, TX for the BNI U.S. National Conference. We joined in with nearly 600 Directors from across the country to live out our core value of Lifelong Learning. 

The week was packed with educational presentations from some of the best BNI leaders and speakers from across the country. In addition to our founder Dr. Ivan Misner’s presentation “Who’s In Your Room,”based on his latest book, two additional keynote speakers, Mike Rayburn and Rick Sapio were featured. We'd like to reflect and recap a few of the things we learned from them and the entire event in this blog.

PATIENCE AND RELATIONSHIPS

By Nellie Nutting

I used to think I was a patient person.  Then I had my second child!  Put two siblings in a small space, like a car, and lock them in for a LONG car drive and soon the bickering begins! Our family has spent many hours in the car as we have extended family that we enjoy visiting that live in other states.  We would occupy the time with “books on tape” (recordings on cassettes, then CDs later on) or games of “I Spy” or “20 Questions.” Eventually these activities would no longer be enough for the kids, and the touch or the smell or the look of the other would cause World War 3 to break out in the back seat!  These were the times I wished I was the driver, but normally the car discipline was mine to handle.  The angry mama bear was sometimes sighted as my temperature would raise in proportion to my voice!  Patience, they say, is a virtue, but definitely one you should never ask for.  If you do, you are sure to be given lots of practice.