It's Just Lunch

Actually, no it's not. If you're in a chapter that distributes 'lunch bunch' assignments, don't ever miss out on meeting other chapter members one-on-one. If you belong to a chapter that thinks it's unnecessary to have such a thing, too bad for you.

This is one of the most important activities to accomplish within your chapter each and every month. What do we always say? It's all about Know, Like, and Trust. What better way to quickly get to know, like, and trust someone than to spend at least an hour of one-on-one time with them?

It's very difficult to know everything there is to know about another person's business when you only hear a 30-second commercial weekly and maybe when that person is the featured speaker a couple of times throughout the year.

If you're the Social chairperson for your chapter, don't ever neglect getting this out at the beginning of each new month. Also implore your chapter members to not only meet with their assigned partner, but choose someone else in the group you'd like to know better. Or even seek out members from other chapters to meet. What a concept! You might generate a cross chapter referral or be better able to refer business back to someone in your own chapter.

The more chances you give yourself to interact with others the more successful you will be as a networker. So why limit yourself? Also, don't make your lunch bunch forms too complicated. It really just boils down to having two columns with member names listed across from each other. Keep rotating one column until everyone in both columns meets one another, then re-shuffle the list.

One last piece of advice. The next time you meet with your lunch partner for the month, I challenge each of you to come up with at least one referral for each other over the course of your meeting. Think about it, how many more referrals could your chapter generate if this happened at every lunch bunch meeting throughout the year. A 16 person chapter would generate 192 additional referrals. That's more than half of what some chapters accomplished in 2007.

Introduction to Another AmSpirit Business Connections Member

Hello Everyone:

I'd like to introduce all of you to Joshua Wagner, a new member of the TGIF chapter. Joshua is a motivational speaker and life coach. His recent posting on his blog is very relevant to what we experience in our AmSpirit Business Connections chapters. He writes about how small deviations in direction can lead to being way off the mark in the end.

Think about your experience in your chapters. How often have you witnessed chapters that begin deviating from the proven formula and end up losing members or falling into mediocrity?

Read Josh's blog here to be entertained and reminded of why it's important to 'stay on course'.

Putting Others First

The next time you attend a networking event, be deliberate in your efforts to help others. Seek out new people to chat with, ask questions about their business, and ask how you can help them as far as getting business leads or making introductions.

Too often I run into people at events that are so driven to talk about themselves and care nothing about listening to anyone else. These people fail at connecting with anyone because they're perceived as selfish.

Do you know the best part about helping someone else find leads or making introductions? They'll usually feel inclined to return the favor!

Keep An Open Mind For Other Potential Members

Everyone wants more business and more clients to work with, right? At least most of us fall into that category. That's why almost everyone joined AmSpirit Business Connections in the first place.

The wonderful thing about AmSpirit Business Connections is that when we are members of our respective chapters, we are not competing with others in our business categories: only one member in a distinct business category in each chapter.

However, there are times when this should not be taken so literally. If we let our chapters become so territorial that we reject potential new members because of a perceived conflict, we're hurting everyone in the chapter.

Let me explain this further. I'm not saying it's good to have two realtors, two mortgage lenders, etc. What I am saying is that it's entirely possible to split some categories and respect the other person's niche. Even though you may be able to handle commercial and residential home sales, you will find that by focusing on the one area you will benefit more in the long run. If you do residential, let a commercial realtor join. That commercial realtor may be your best referral source, and vice versa.

I've also heard members say, "Well, let them into the group, but I won't refer anything to him. I can handle both commercial and residential." That's fine. But think of the other members in your chapter who could benefit from knowing, liking, and trusting the new member. Every time you add one more person to your chapter's network, it opens the potential for referrals to all the other business categories in the chapter.

So the next time you reject a potential new member because you see a conflict, think objectively about it. Is letting this person join really affecting your bottom line negatively? I've seen groups with 3 insurance agents and 3 attorneys before. They all respected each others' core businesses and even though they overlapped, they only spoke of their core focus areas.

The more you hold onto everything in your category, the more your business loses opportunity for growth and expanding your sphere of business contacts.

Committing To Each Other

Since we are so close to beginning the new year, what better time is there to re-commit to all of your fellow chapter members? Re-commit to:

• Attending your meetings regularly
• Giving referrals to each other
• Attending outside networking events so that you may better refer to others

In my own chapter, I've borrowed some of the ideas from others (thanks to Dean Curry) and created two documents that I will actively use this year. One is for new member applicants. At the third meeting that a guest attends, they will be asked to complete a short questionnaire and address questions. Basically, what can you bring to the table as a new member and how can we support you in your business? Here is a copy of the document.


We also want existing members to renew their commitment to the success of the chapter in 2008. A similar commitment letter will be in place for all existing members. Here is a copy of the letter:

If everyone invests in each other in 2008, we can make it the best year ever for giving referrals, building our own businesses, and helping others succeed. If anyone would like a copy of either document to use in their own chapters, please contact me and I'll be glad to send to you via email.

Happy Holidays!

Just One Thought...

To be the most successful person you can possibly be, you only need to remind yourself of one single solitary thought when you meet with another person. That thought is actually a question you must ask yourself and it is this:

"How can I help this person and bring value to them?" That's it. Nothing else.

As an AmSpirit Business Connections member, that thought could lead to:

• Inviting them to visit your chapter thereby helping that person build their network and potential business referrals.
• Finding out if the person you're meeting with has a need for a product or service offered by one of your chapter members.
  

The quality of your business relationships will exponentially grow when you are perceived as a resource by others as opposed to 'that sales person' working for ABC Company.

It's not that difficult to give referrals, get referrals, and build your chapter membership if every person in the chapter adopted this same mindset.

If you train yourself to always ask that simple question when meeting others, you'll be 'paying forward' just like the legendary Ohio State football Coach Woodie Hayes often was quoted as saying.

What Makes a Great AmSpirit Business Connections Chapter?

With so many chapters in AmSpirit Business Connections, and the fact that each chapter has rosters large, small, and in between it can sometimes be difficult to exactly determine why some chapters flourish and others tread water.

I'd like to spark some healthy debate on this forum. This is your chance to 'tell it like it is', but be professional. I'm not going to post comments if I deem them to be inappropriate. As an Area Director, I am helping 8 chapters throughout the year as a mentor and 'coach' of sorts. I see common traits in chapters that succeed and those that do not. However, it is so much more powerful for individual members to see those traits.

I'd love to hear the perspectives of as many members as possible. The leadership of AmSpirit Business Connections meets regularly to discuss ways to improve the organization. I'd rather hear from the members what works for them and what they'd like to see improved upon. I'm afraid we rely too much on our own personal assumptions without hard evidence to back it up.

If you take a few moments to read any of my prior 'posts' to this blog, you'll read my thoughts on what it takes to be a productive member as well as a productive chapter. I look forward to reading what everyone has to say! If you'd like to leave a comment, just click on the 'comments' link next to my name at the bottom of this 'post'.

One last thought...Go Bucks! Beat Michigan!!