Too busy for DBN – Why?
If you are too busy for DBN there will be a reason, maybe you are simply too busy, in which case it may be time to move on and give the opportunity of membership to someone else. Sitting on a seat just to stop someone else getting a chance goes against everything we stand for and it will reflect badly on you personally. You need to commit the time for the meeting and the 121 and the time to find referrals. It is not just about one hour on a Wednesday morning.
Or maybe you feel you have an issue with DBN, perhaps a fellow member or some aspect of the way it is being run as a group. In that case let the group know or talk to the Director or the Membership committee. What is wrong that makes you feel this way? Do not hide behind your annoyance, try to improve things by opening up about the issue at a ‘closed’ meeting. You could improve things for everyone in the Network.
If you are very busy at work, you also have the option of growing the business to handle the extra work – maybe you should be hiring staff. How can we help you? Many businesses grow as a result of their membership at DBN and then feel they are too busy to really be involved. This is fine, it is good news, something to celebrate. If you have what you need, then the membership was a good decision.
You could use your membership to help with your growth pains and strains if you like. Maybe you can offload some of the work to a trusted fellow member or a past visitor, to ensure all your customers are looked after. Perhaps we know someone you can trust to take the excess work off your hands temporarily, someone who wil not try to take your clients, but be happy to take the temporary overflow.
If it is a case that you are not getting any referrals, look at how you can improve that situation.
Are you doing good 121s?
Do you prepare your 60 Seconds well enough?
Do you actually ask for business at all ? How easy do you make it for people to understand what it is you want and who you want to to be referred to?
How good is your 10 minute presentatoion?
How good is the quality of the referrals you give to others? Do you actually give referrals.
Are there any members to whom you do not ever refer? Why? Can you get to know them better and to understand their business, through 121s. Challenge yourself to find referrals for these fellow members.
The breakfast is not that good anymore, since we went digital, so it is time to decide, do you want to be an active member, for your own benefit, the benefit of other members and the Network itself.
2021 is going to be a very diferent business landscape and we all need to adapt how we run our business. Maybe DBN is not going to be a part of your Marketing strategy going forward. If you choose to include DBN it is important that you do so 100%. If it is a distraction or a frustration, an annoyance, a perceived waste of your time, be grateful for what it has delivered in the past and move on to dedicate the free time to your business.
If you choose to stick with DBN in 2021, then commit to making it better for you and your fellow members. How do you plan to do that? Bringing more visitors? Giving more referrals? Doing 121s………..