Sell BNI or sell the meeting ?
As a first option you should go for selling the meting and its simple tangible benefits and let the meeting sell BNI. This is the most basic formula that works.

• Chance for visitors to introduce themselves and their business to other business owners from different trades – exposure
• Chance to learn about effective networking

• Opportunity to receive referral on the spot

• Opportunity to make business partners and business friends
  

What works when attempting to attract visitors for BNI meeting?

• Talk about professions/trades that are in our chapter and how they can contribute to their business (think in terms of power teams they can create with our members)

• Talk about successful referrals that you got from your members and how it helped you to grow your business (just share your experience, give testimonials - use stories)

• Ask if they would like to be introduced to other business owners from different industries that you closely work with that might need the services / products they offer? Think about them benefiting, not about you getting better KPI for bringing a visitor for the meeting

• Approach every person individually as they are all unique – do not use the same approach on all, it won't work

• Make it a game – make inviting visitors fun and simple exercise that you will enjoy doing and the results would come, do not force it
  

WHAT NOT TO DO: What turns potential visitors off ?..If you

• tell them too much

• tell them about 7:30am and breakfast

• talk about joining and membership and weekly meetings

• talk about the meeting as a networking event

• do not start talking too soon about coming for BNI meeting and joining the chapter when you find out that the person is from the trade we need, be first interested in the person and his business – show interest, get closer to the person so he would trust your choice for him, understand his needs and then paint a picture for him

• do not get offended if the person has already heard about BNI and it was not positive, just prove him wrong :o)
  

How do you justify the 7:30am?

• Do business while other business owners sleep

• Pre selection - you only meet people that do care about making their business work by showing the commitment
  

CORNERSTONES:

1. believe in product that you are selling (BNI)
2. believe in yourself, sell yourself
3. think how you are going to give visitors something of value if you invite them for the meeting
   

"It's not what you say but what's on your mind when you say it." Dasha Confucius :o)