My testimonial to the BNI Farnborough Jets Business 2 Business Power Team – our referral partners!!
A power team is a group of professionals in BNI who work in non-competing, related fields and have developed relationships so they can refer customers and associates to each other.
Ideal referral partners are broken up into two groups: Contact Spheres and Power Teams.
The difference between the two is minor, yet impactful. Your Contact Sphere is all the possible professions you can team up with (who else delivers services Business to Business that we haven’t yet got in our Power Team), while your Power Team is the group that you have actually teamed up with (which can still grow by inviting other professions needed).
An easy way to increase our number of referrals is to create relationships with people who, based on their professions, are most likely to pass quality referrals to each other. Our incentive to inviting visitors should have this in the back of our mind. Who else can we help and pass referrals to? Who would you like to see in the room? Who would you like a referral to?
If a clear passion for helping each other and positive creative energies is extracted from the Business 2 Business Power Team, it leaves us with professional individuals with a wealth of knowledge in their field and a great understanding of what running a business means. The encouragement and support from each member allows for those members less experienced to be mentored and for those more senior members to kindly share their journeys with us. The newer businesses and younger members also bring a wonderful fresh energy in to the group and in turn share new ways of us all looking at business. It is a wonderful mixture of ages all wanting to help each other.
The monthly business to Business Power Team meetings we have allow us to get to know each other even more and to date have been driven well with an agenda and purpose. Of course we have the odd deviation from agenda as something said triggers a connection or thought process to help each other, but we are happy when pulled back to the focus as we all respect and trust each other and know the reason for meeting up so frequently as a team is so we can help each other more. These meetings are a perfect way to learn more from each other, even share concerns we have or obstacles we are facing but a brilliant way of educating each other and focussing on how we can help each other.
Sometimes we just have open discussions about situations we are facing as individuals and most of us give our input, sometimes different but we all help to assist with a conclusion for the member, so they have gained more knowledge / awareness and then feel better equipped to manage a business situation.
Being a member of a Power Team is not about the return you can get but about the support we can give. Givers Gain is a theory I had always worked to before becoming a member at BNI nearly 11 years ago but I failed to do the Gain part. So joining BNI meant I was able to build up relations and continue to do so with local business owners or managers, use some of their services where needed and build up trust with them. I was then able to refer them because I had measured their professional integrity and also through 1-2-1’s and testimonials these relationships built as did the referrals and Money I was able to pass. In return I also received referrals and have been able to thank members for the money.
What is a Power Team anyway. I have always focussed it on being a group of business professionals who have the same target audience.i have always thought well, what is needed for company’s to run their businesses? Within any BNI chapter, you will have members who can float across numerous power teams. I for when could sit comfortably in property where I advise on legal obligations for construction, design and management and project manage health and safety in this area but my chosen main Power Team is business 2 Business because I mainly work with business owners.
In Power teams, there should be members who run complementary businesses, so that when each of the Power Team members are talking with friends, family or clients they have an opportunity to naturally introduce the member they feel would be great for their clients.
As a health and safety specialist, I carry out workplace audits and workplace Inspections. This allows for me to identify different areas of improvement needed for compliance or highlight areas of improvements needed for housekeeping and safe systems of work.
I an still learning after all of these years but I try to find ways of incorporating other Power Team members services in to my inspection and audit report.
I an conscious that some are easier than others but my focus over the next 12 month plan is to have more 1-2-1’s and identify how I can do this for all or assist them with the best route possible.
Sometimes other Power Team members do not fit in easily with my health and safety service to clients but because of the relationships I build with my clients, I sometimes just ask outright how they manage certain situations and then explain that a contact who has recently been recommended to delivers xy and z service, specialising in their type of business (if this is true) and would they like me to forward their details on or do an email introduction so they can let them know more.
Just forming a Power Team will not build up referrals for you. Like with any other relationship, you need to build up trust, learn the wants and needs of the other members of the team, and establish best ways to help everyone in the group meet their business goals then book in 1-2-1’s to develop things further.
From here the referrals naturally happen and visibility and credibility bring you profitability.
These are my secrets but I am willing for you to use and share them. I am here to help you.
Debbie Field
Managing Director of Field Training Services