5 Best Practices for Inviting Visitors to Your BNI Chapter Meeting

One of the key components of the BNI networking platform is its weekly Chapter meetings, where Members and visitors come together to network and build relationships. As a BNI Member, inviting visitors to your Chapter meeting can lead to many valuable benefits, including increased exposure for your business and enhanced networking and referral opportunities. In this blog post, we’ll discuss 5 best practices for inviting visitors to your BNI Chapter meeting.

Tip #1: Know Your Visitor’s Business

One of the most important things you can do when inviting a visitor to your BNI Chapter meeting is to learn about their business beforehand. By doing so, you can tailor your invitation to their specific needs and interests. For example, if your visitor is a real estate agent, you might highlight the success stories of other real estate agents in your Chapter. Conversely, if your visitor is a financial planner, you might focus on the financial success stories of the Members in your Chapter. By understanding your visitors’ business, you can make a compelling case for why they should attend your Chapter meeting.

Tip #2:  Don’t Forget to Follow Up

After inviting a visitor to your BNI Chapter meeting, it’s important to follow up with them. This can be as simple as sending a reminder email the day before the meeting. Following up shows your visitor that you are interested in their attendance and value their time. Additionally, it can help ensure that they show up to the meeting.

Tip #3: Be Consistent with Invitations

Consistency is key when it comes to inviting visitors to your BNI Chapter meeting. If you only invite visitors sporadically, you’re unlikely to see any real results. Instead, make a concerted effort to invite visitors on a regular basis. Set a goal for yourself to invite at least one new visitor to each meeting. By being consistent with your invitations, you’ll increase the likelihood of attracting new Members to your Chapter.

Tip #4: Offer Value to Your Visitors

When inviting visitors to your BNI Chapter meeting, it’s important to highlight the value that they’ll receive by attending. Be sure to explain how BNI can help their business grow through word-of-mouth referrals and highlight how BNI has made a significant impact on you and your fellow Members’ businesses.

Tip #5: Be Helpful, Not Pushy

Finally, it’s important to avoid being too pushy when inviting visitors to your meeting. While it’s important to be enthusiastic about the benefits of BNI, you don’t want to come across as aggressive or desperate. Instead, focus on building a relationship with your visitor and demonstrating how BNI can help them achieve their goals. By being authentic and respectful, you’ll increase the likelihood of your visitor joining your Chapter.

Inviting visitors to your Chapter meeting can be a great way to grow your business and build relationships.  Consider some of these helpful inviting tips from Dr. Ivan Misner in his blog post “If You’re Not Inviting, You’re Missing Out.” By knowing your visitor’s business, following up consistently, offering value, and being authentic, you’ll increase the likelihood of attracting new Members to your Chapter. So, get out there and start inviting visitors today!