The Fundamentals
The fundamentals (Print pdf)
When I was in college I was part of a fraternity. It was one of the best learning experiences for me. My freshman year the fraternity fell apart and went from 90 members down to 40. A few of the upperclassman stayed and focused on helping build it back the right way. Our consultant told us we needed to start doing things the right way versus our way. We listened. It worked.
By my senior year we had built back up to 90+ and had a great organization. We won an award for best chapter on campus and we were all extremely proud of the foundation we’d helped built. We all individually gained from it. One of my big take-a-ways was we had this saying to remind us of where we were. We’d say “No one wants to be part of a crappy organization!” I’m often reminded of that saying when I see groups not achieve all they want to achieve as a group because you control your success.
The fundamentals in groups are often really simple in our The Referrals Group chapters. 5 key fundamental things drive referrals, which is why most are attracted to it in the first place. Those fundamentals that drive referrals are:
- Face-to-Face meetings
–nothing drives referrals like spending time focusing on how to help each other.
–I’ve always thought it this way: Face-to-Face meetings= more referrals
–How to make them productive: https://thereferralsgroup.com/making-face-face-meetings-productive
- Attendance
– 85% or better is a good benchmark.
-My observation over the last 19+ years of doing this is that individuals/groups that make less than 70% usually end diluting the value of their own membership. You’ll hear them say things like “I’m just not getting anything or It just isn’t working for me”. The solution is often to be there and come with the right mindset.
- Mindset
-The veteran member focuses on helping others knowing that it will come back to them. Take that approach to every meeting. Come in focusing on making each meeting a success and good use of time and it will become that way
- Run Good Meetings
-Embrace your structure and learn to do each segment well. When you embrace the “why” behind the activities you do you will create value in each section of the meeting.
-As an individual do some 3-4 minutes of prep before the meeting
Here some tips on how to prep:
*Log referrals, update recruitment, read education piece, & come with 1-2 questions for the speaker
- Grow Membership
-Add good professionals who fit and can add value to group increase referral volume
-You run better meetings when you have guests
When individuals and group do the fundamentals well referrals happen at a higher level.