A Case Study of What NOT to do OR the BNI Invite that Couldn't

[David Sandusky]

So Dr. Misner did respond very well and I am sure took action. My guess is that he is far removed and may not know himself if the action from the top made a change or not.

Any update? I think this could be a fascinating tale on leadership.

Leadership lesson is right. Alecia Huck provided an update in this thread that was during course of communication with Dr. Misner. I think it was that point a deliberate action could have been taken at the local level because of found knowledge.

I think this would prove a great time for the leader and visionary to communicate across the network and remind all of the core values and brand experience to be carried out. Not call anyone out, just communicate. That, coupled with hiring the right people is the best way any leader (from afar) can make a difference within an organization.

What do you think?

[BizNet]

hiring the right people is the best way any leader (from afar) can make a difference within an organization.

What do you think?

From afar and up close, but I know what you mean. All CEOs experience difficulty truly being in touch with what is happening in the business. Hiring people who work with pride has to be any leaders best asset.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for sharing this story. I can't believe the person would not even respond to your helpful critique??? You are likely to spread a different message if the person accepted the pointers and checked off as a lesson.

We all make mistakes. I am glad you called them out on this so we can all think about what our actions do to harm or help our efforts.

[Alecia Huck MAVERICK & CO]

The latest on the little Invite that Couldn't...

It's been a few months since I received the original bad little invite as well as the direct, timely, intelligent response from Dr. Misner. Part of his promise was that one of his area directors would see to the issue and contact me to follow-up.

As is so often and so unfortunately the case, his efforts have been tarnished by the fact that no update was ever received and no contact AT ALL has been received from his local manager.

So even though the head of this GLOBAL organization has the systems in place to learn about my little post, even though the head of this GLOBAL organization took time from what must be a packed schedule to respond personally, even though the head of this GLOBAL organization forwarded the issue personally to one of his local managers...THEY apparently did not have time to address it.

I am still a HUGE FAN of BNI. They do extraordinary work, have been and will probably continue to be the single largest driving force behind professional networking organizations. There is so much they do right. http://www.bni.com/

As is often and unfortunately the case however, the passion and dedication of the guy at the top is tough to duplicate consistently down the lines. My little invite that couldn't is a relatively small issue...but so many important ones are. What was missed was not just the chance to apologize for the error.

More than that, the opportunity for the ORGANIZATION to WOW me with good follow-up is lost.

Lost as well is the chance for me to tell the story of that invitation and then the brilliant changes that were made...PROOF that the organization cares deeply about every member's experience (I am not suggesting they don't care deeply, but the chance to PROVE here has been lost.)

Lost is the chance for that solution story to be told over and over on this site (currently up to 1 million hits a month) and all the other places and all the other platforms I speak from.

It's a pretty big LOST.

Mistakes can be the best opportunity you have to earn the love, loyalty and respect of your customers. Don't miss that chance and make sure your people know how important it is as well. I know we ALL, myself included, miss those chances. And BNI should not be vilified for missing theirs. Like most of us, they good, even great work most of the time. But just like the rest of us, it would be worth them considering what opportunities they're missing.

[good1]

Thank you! A lesson for all business types. Tech geeks reputation does not generally equal great service and effective networking tactics. We all take pride in our work, don't we??? Would'nt that pride start with how you introduce people to your products and services???
__________________
www.GOOD1.com

[David Sandusky]

Good one, Good1. I appreciate where you put customer service into the conversation. At the beginning. Common mistakes are thinking customer service is a department you call when thing go bad. Customer service expectation is low if we have a bad service experience during the non-confrontational and fun part - introducing the opportunity!

[stevedudendude]

For me it is hard to get excited about blanket invitations from any networking group like BNI or online like LinkedIn.

Have you been invited to join that BlueChip executive network that claims quality because of personal invitations from members? I have been invited three times by people I don't know and guess what, I am not an executive! LOL

[Cedric99]

You know, my insurance agent moved on recently. I learned as I received a letter in the mail from my newly appointed agent. The letter was mass production, fine. But the signature was digital. He did not even take the time to sign the letters. I am shopping. Simple as that.

Hi,,, we need to know that an agent is an invaluable resource when one is looking for insurance as they have acquired a bad name for being untrustworthy and reckless however there are a few good agents left in the market..

[Maurice66]

Thanks for sharing...a case study post and disucssion thread on effective networking has given me a lot to think about. I believe I am like most people in that we don't pay attention to invitation effectiveness and customer service follow up. We are lazy and hope for the best. How many people actually measure effectiveness in invitations sent like companies measure marketing ROI???

[Lelah]

Dr. Ivan Misner understands as a franchised organization the importance that the owner of each franchise is his direct concern.