The Skill of Giving a Good Introduction

Their once was a business person named Fred/Needed referrals and said:/ It’s do or die,/ So I’ll join BNI/And get my business out of the red!

Our speakers, Linda and Shawn McCarthy, of BNI (Business Network International) showed us at VCPWN the importance of clever 30-60 second commercials like the above one in order to make a lasting impression of who they are and what their business is. Linda and Shawn own the BNI Franchises in Ventura County, Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley with a total of 37 chapters in the regions. BNI founder, Ivan Misner, chose Linda and Shawn in 2007 for the BNI Founders Circle, which is considered the top 10% of BNI directors worldwide.

Linda said that professional organizations, such as VCPWN and the Chamber of Commerce, give you the opportunity to introduce yourself. She asked, “Why is it important to have that skill? In order to be prepared, you need to have something that makes you stand out in a crowd of 50 or 150 people.” She mentions that, “When you do things outside the box, it’s even more fun! Even if they don’t remember what you do, they’ll remember you!”

According to Shawn, there are things you should not do to draw too much attention to yourself. He says, “Don’t say, ‘Sorry I’m late’, ‘I’m not prepared today,’ or,’I’m nervous.’”

At some events, you will have a “Hot Sheet,” Linda says. “That includes people who have made reservations for the event in advance..” By being on the “Hot Sheet,” you can refer people to the number you are that has all of your contact information. Also, she mentioned, tell people who your target market is.

Both Linda and Shawn say that using a song or a rapping is good, because it is memorable. Also, according to them, using sports or a movie/television theme are also good. Since people are always impressed with numbers, using statistics can make a memorable commercial.

Remember also that having a tag line(BNI—The cure for the common cold call), is important in order to spark interest in people to want to find out more about you. Also, according to Shawn, remember to have memorable 30 second introductions, so that “When you go anywhere to network, you can say something profound!”

By Carol Leish