Let's go back in time for a moment. For the past year, I have been (on) the Membership Committee. But, our VP was next to worthless, so guess who had to pick up the slack? Yep, that would be yours truely. I was glad to do it. As I've stated before, I do try to do all that I can to prove to the other members that I am not just a hotshot kid and I am responsible, yadda yadda yadda. Well, now we've got a new board. Our Secretary/Treasure is one of these tough New York types. I'm pretty much used to that. I have New Yorker in my blood. I can be a loud bitch if need be! :-) Anyway, she and I will work well together when we aren't butting heads.
And then there is our new President. Well, she's a sweet person and I know she means well. I just think she's waaaaay too boring and introverted and not excitng, inspiring or motivating. I hope I'm wrong and just being overly dramatic. Oh well. Having said all of that, I'm giving us about a month to start running like a well oiled machine.
Ok, onto the meeting. We had our managing director speak yesterday. And it was less of a speech and more of an audience participation group project that I really enjoyed. The jist was we were read a story about a couple getting married and their business and we had to come up with as many referrals that we could give from the list. My group went way above and beyond and got creative. Of course they needed a realtor, mortgage person, insurance person, contractor, bookkeeper, etc. But, we decided they needed a wedding planner, divorce attorney, janitorial staff, rental agency for handicapped ramps because the bride's mother (we/I decided) was in a wheelchair and wouldn't make it up the steps to the banquet hall. That part was enjoyable.
I just got off our monthly President's conference call. "But you're VP!", you may say. Yes, you're right. Apparently, I'm VP and get to be the bad guy with attendance issues, PLUS, I am the President's very own personal assistant. Amazing, huh?
I'm going to say this here and now, and I'm sure I'm going to reiterate this again in the future. I love BNI. I love my BNI group as a whole and 99% of the members in it. Yes, we have problems and drama and helmets (another story for another post in a little bit) and personality conflicts and cliquiness (sort of), but when all is said and I really enjoy the meetings and more importantly, I really respect and trust the vast majority of the members in the group. I have nothing but complimentary things to say for the most part, but when someone or something really gets my goat, I bitch and moan. And I have this blog. Really, I'm hoping that other members in other groups stumble upon it and eventually submit their own stories. I kind of look at the group as a family of sorts. Yes, we love our families and that goes without question. HOWEVER, each of our family members say or do or have habits that aggrivate, annoy, frusterate or otherwise bother us. And that's really how my chapter is.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Welcome to the first post of someone on the inside of the world's largest networking organization!
Welcome to my blog everyone! Before we get going, I just thought I'd give you some of the basics. I'm a professional twenty something in the great state of sunny California who loves her sales job. I can sell ice to Eskimos, a comb to Mr. Clean, and a razer to a Rabbi. In the very very beginning of my career, my very first boss told me that I should try to join a BNI group and that people get a ton of business from there. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, so I Googled it. www.bni.com
I still wasn't really sure, so I emailed one of the directors for more information. It turned out that there was a welcome breakfast within days of my email. So, I went. I met a lot of people that day and decided to join. It was at this breakfast that I learned what BNI was all about. It's a wonderful networking organization designed to get a group of professionals in a room for the sole purpose of passing referrals to each other, esentially expanding everyone's sales teams. The thing I really liked is that there is only one person per profession in each group. No competition.
So, I signed up. A new group was forming and it was at lunch and not at 7am (I am sooo not a morning person!), so I gravitated over there. Finally, a couple of weeks passed and we had our first quasi-meeting. I began to question what my role would be in the group. I was clearly the youngest member and I was very concerned about not being taken seriously. But, weeks turned into months and finally we were an official chapter. I was getting referrals and closing deals and all was well.
And then I decided to sign up for committees. I was on our membership committee for a year or so. I was forced to learn the ropes of not only my role, but also that of the Vice President. And making a very long story short, here we are. Now, I am the VP.
The reason for this blog? Well, first of all, I can't remember a thing, so I try to document my life so one day I can go back and remember how I ended up whereever I end up. But, more importantly, I'm hoping that you find this blog interesting, entertaining and informative. I'll try to make it fun which shouldn't be hard considering the cast of characters I deal with officially on a weekly basis, but ends up being more like a daily occurrance.
Hopefully this post was not too dry. I'll try to moisten it up for the future. :-)
I still wasn't really sure, so I emailed one of the directors for more information. It turned out that there was a welcome breakfast within days of my email. So, I went. I met a lot of people that day and decided to join. It was at this breakfast that I learned what BNI was all about. It's a wonderful networking organization designed to get a group of professionals in a room for the sole purpose of passing referrals to each other, esentially expanding everyone's sales teams. The thing I really liked is that there is only one person per profession in each group. No competition.
So, I signed up. A new group was forming and it was at lunch and not at 7am (I am sooo not a morning person!), so I gravitated over there. Finally, a couple of weeks passed and we had our first quasi-meeting. I began to question what my role would be in the group. I was clearly the youngest member and I was very concerned about not being taken seriously. But, weeks turned into months and finally we were an official chapter. I was getting referrals and closing deals and all was well.
And then I decided to sign up for committees. I was on our membership committee for a year or so. I was forced to learn the ropes of not only my role, but also that of the Vice President. And making a very long story short, here we are. Now, I am the VP.
The reason for this blog? Well, first of all, I can't remember a thing, so I try to document my life so one day I can go back and remember how I ended up whereever I end up. But, more importantly, I'm hoping that you find this blog interesting, entertaining and informative. I'll try to make it fun which shouldn't be hard considering the cast of characters I deal with officially on a weekly basis, but ends up being more like a daily occurrance.
Hopefully this post was not too dry. I'll try to moisten it up for the future. :-)
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