Like it or not, we get busy during the week and forget to think about others. Yet, the easiest way to stay top of mind with another person is to DO something to help that person.
ACTION, more than anything, gets noticed, and consistent action gets pondered and rewarded.
Some of the things we can do for others include:
- Make an introduction (a referral is nice, too, but that takes selling as well as thinking)
- Offer them some free consulting
- Sample their service and then write a review or testimonial
- Forward one of their social posts to your own social audience
- Ask if there’s anything you can do for them
- Ask what they’d like
One way to ensure consistent action is to systematize it. Of course, that’s the principle at work in BNI, which is systematized network marketing. But we can also implement individual methods. For example:
- Create a calendar of goodwill: if there are 30 people on your goodwill list, put each person’s name on one day of the calendar month and, on that day, think about what each person might need, and do something about it.
- Fill a fish bowl: If that’s too much of a commitment, maybe put every business card into a hat, and draw once/week. Giving requires thinking about others, and it makes others think about us.
The core principles of BNI amount to “givers gain” but principles without action are like a description of an omelet. It’s nice, mouthwatering, very persuasive, but you’ll starve to death staring at it. Not having a plan of action is the same as not having a commitment to action. So what plan have we each chosen?
Originally published at BNI 45 NYC.
