NOTE: Today’s article very much supports things we train BNI members. If you’re not a BNI member, you can still use the concepts. Just think about people in your network who you are in a referral relationship with and apply this with them.

Most business owners can talk about their business all day long. We get passionate. We get animated. We go into full “pitch mode” without even realising it. And that’s great when you’re networking socially or promoting your services in the marketplace.

But in BNI, a weekly presentation is not a pitch. It’s not a commercial about your business. It’s not “Here’s what I do and why I’m fabulous.”

A BNI weekly presentation is something entirely different.

It’s your weekly opportunity to teach your chapter how to find you referrals.

That subtle difference is where the magic happens.

When members shift from “selling to the room” to educating their referral team, everything changes. Suddenly, people know what to listen for, who to introduce you to, and how to talk about you with confidence. That... is what BNI is all about.

The PBCs of It All

At BNI, we use a simple little framework to help members identify the kinds of things people say in the real world that signal a referral opportunity.

I’ve given it my own little spin, of course.

Here’s how it works:

Planning

Someone is planning something that relates to your services.

Buying a house, renovating, starting a business, hiring staff, organising an event... planning language is a goldmine for referrals.

Bragging

People often inform others about what’s going on in their lives... milestones, wins, achievements, changes.

“I just hired a new staff member,” “We’re expanding interstate,” “I hit my savings goal..." all of these can indicate a need for expertise.

Complaining

The richest soil of all.

When people complain, they are literally handing you a referral opportunity on a silver platter.

“My website is so slow,” “My landlord is impossible.” “My books are a mess,” “Our sales team isn’t performing.”

Complaints often equal pain... and pain needs a solution.

Once you start listening through the PBCs filter, you’ll suddenly hear referral opportunities everywhere.

And Then I Took It Up a Notch... with Chatty!

You know I couldn’t resist getting a little clever with this.

Lately I’ve been using Chatty to create custom P... B... C... lists for members based on their specialty. It’s brilliant. Chatty generates a list of things people might say that indicate they need that member’s services.

Then... because innovation is fun... I even trained Chatty to create the responses we can use when we hear those statements. The kind of responses that gently open the door to a referral without being pushy or salesy.

I’ve been testing this with members and it works beautifully. Clear, simple, practical, and confidence-boosting. A great first draft!

Your Turn!

If you’d like me to share a customised PBC list and response set for your profession, comment "Yes please" below. That’s it. Just “Yes please” in the comments and I’ll get Chatty working on one for you. I'll slide it into your DMs.