Here is a thought about guests and visitors coming to your BNI chapter.

First let me start with definitions. A Guest is someone who is ineligible to submit an application for BNI membership or their line of work (example: a Firefighter, Police Officer or Town Official) doesn’t make sense to be represented in a BNI Chapter. A Visitor is someone who is eligible to submit an application for membership to a BNI Chapter. This means their business category is eligible, whether or not the prospective member is eligible must be determined by the Membership Committee. Even if that category is represented in the chapter that person would still count as a BNI visitor.

What do you do??? Plain and simple, don’t worry about it and invite people! 

When visitors or guests do appear, remember it’s them who do business with us, not us who does business with them. They buy from us, we don’t buy from them.

The average visitor/guest spends $1,400 with the members of the BNI chapter they visit. If they are a visitor, they should be encouraged to submit a BNI application for membership and if they don’t we—as a collective group—should find a person like them in the same category to submit an application. One of the perks of being a member of a BNI Chapter is that we (you and I) get to do business with the best of the best.

Here’s a perfect example that actually happened when a flooring and a social media person visited our BNI chapter. When I stood and asked how many of us (members of the Achievers Network) would do business with or had referrals for them, almost every hand went up. So I said “right there is why you business owners should submit an application for membership in our BNI chapter.” Of course before we actually do business with them, they should submit an application for membership. If they are approved and become a BNI member, then we do business and pass great referrals to them!

Jack Klemeyer is a member of Achievers Network in Brownsburg, a part of the BNI Central-Indiana Regional Team and a Certified John Maxwell Coach, Speaker and Trainer helping business owners and leaders who are so busy helping others they don’t always take the time to work on their business. Jack always appreciates referrals!

This Walker This Way Video will discuss the BNI Visitor experience!