How Many MOM's Should Our Chapter Be Doing?

Our monthly production reports illustrate two things: 1) many chapters dramatically under report the number of MOM's their members actually do; and 2) many members don't make enough time for MOM's.

Both of which contribute to the myth that you can be successful in BNI without actually building depth to your relationships.

There is a word for people who are looking for the shortcut to building relationships...I call them "ex-BNI members", and if they are not, they will be. The shortcut doesn't exist. MOM's are the absolute minimum essential cost of doing business via relationships.

In terms of chapter production, nothing drives the mechanism for achieving results better than getting your members invested in each other's lives. The simple truth is...

1) If you want to generate more referrals for your members, do more MOM's.
2) If you want to get more referrals, do more MOM's.
3) If you want to get a faster return on your BNI investment, do more MOM's.
4) If you want to build trust with your members, do more MOM's.
5) If you want your networking activity to become more efficient, do more MOM's.

There is just no getting around it.

As leadership teams begin the process of setting goals for the 2007-2008 year, it would be wise to consider the chapter's past performance in terms of the number of MOM's reported each month. Use the "green activity sheet" for recording purposes, and encourage people to participate in the reporting process.

Based on our reports, chapters whose MOM's for the month approach or exceed four times the number of members are bound to be among the most productive. It makes sense, because it means that members are taking the time to learn more about how to help each other. They are taking a proactive approach to finding referrals instead of waiting for referrals to happen...which of course, rarely happens.

How many MOM's should your chapter try to do each month? It depends on what level of performance you are trying to achieve. Do you want your chapter to be average, below average, or a top performer? Use this form to plan your chapter MOM production, and watch all the other performance indicators improve as well. Challenge members to improve this one part of their BNI game plan, and everything else takes care of itself.

Many chapters are setting Show Me the Money Goals for the year...I've heard some as high as $8 million. To the extent that those chapters recognize that MOM's are the gateway to better and more profitable relationships, I have no doubt they can reach those goals.