When we look at the overall levels of member engagement in terms of attendance, one to ones, referrals, and visitors, generally, the weakest area is inviting visitors. 

The irony of this is that we were all visitors to a BNI meeting at some point. So, we know that inviting visitors works.

We also know that a regular stream of visitors is necessary; why?

• To keep the chapter growing (or at least going). 
• To keep the chapter from getting stale. 
• To provide extra business opportunities even if the visitor doesn’t join (there are plenty of stories about referrals from visitors turning to gold).

Consider this: Chapters have natural attrition due to several reasons, including:

• 70% of members leave just because of life changes.
• Around 30% of members leave after a year. 

Based on those percentages, how many new members will our chapter need to stay the same size per year?

• Chapter Size 15-20 will need five new members per year.
• Chapter Size 21-25 will need 6-7 new members per year.
• Chapter Size 26-30 will need 8-9 new members per year.
• Chapter Size 31-35 will need 9-10 new members per year.
• Chapter Size 36-40 will need 11-12 new members per year.
• Chapter Size 41-45 will need 13-14 new members per year.
• Chapter Size 46-50 will need 14-15 new members per year.

Not all visitors can or will join. In BNI, the average conversion rate is 1 in 7 but can be as low as 1 in 14! Working on 1 in 7, how many visitors a year does a chapter need to stay the same size? Remember, these are unique first-time visitors, not the same visitors returning week after week. 

• Chapter Size 15-20 will require 35 unique first-time visitors per year.
• Chapter Size 21-25 will require 42 unique first-time visitors per year.
• Chapter Size 26-30 will require 49 unique first-time visitors per year.
• Chapter Size 31-35 will require 56 unique first-time visitors per year.
• Chapter Size 36-40 will require 84 unique first-time visitors per year.
• Chapter Size 41-45 will require 98 unique first-time visitors per year.
• Chapter Size 46-50 will require 105 unique first-time visitors per year. 

As you can see, chapters of any size need at least one first-time visitor per week, along with returning visitors. In other words, every week we should have at least two visitors in the room. 

Don’t know who to invite? Think about Inviting F.R.O.G.S

F = Friends: Who can you invite among your friends who might be looking to grow their business through referrals?

R = Relatives: Who can you invite among your family who might be looking to grow their business through referrals?

O = Organizations: Who do you know in an organization or association that you belong to, who might be looking to grow?

G = Geographical – Who do you know who works near to where the chapter meets who might be looking to grow their business through referrals?

S = Social Media – What about your connections on Facebook, Twitter and, LinkedIn who might be looking to grow their business through referrals?

Inviting is easier than you think: Just ask them to join you for a fun meeting with your local business network. Don’t promise immediate referrals as an inducement. BNI meetings aren’t “spray and pray” your business card around events. It requires trust to be built up by following the program to build referral partnerships, and the first step is to visit to see if it might be something that could work for their business.

Invite OR Register?

The easiest way to send an invitation to your prospective visitor is to use the BNI Connect App. This sets in motion the visitor host process.

In the app, click the “Visitors” icon at the bottom of the home screen. Then choose one of the three options – EMail, SMS, or Share – to send an invitation. However, this step requires your visitor to RSVP and register themselves, which they rarely do.

Instead, click “Visitor” under the Register a Visitor section (on the bottom of this screen). This will register your visitor and send them a confirmation with meeting details.

It’s surprising how many visitors are needed to keep the group at the same level. Inviting visitors is easy if you practice doing it.

Remember you were invited o a BNI meeting once, so pay it forward!

This Podcast references: Episode 613, The Value of Visitors