A One-to-One With Every State
The basic framework of a successful BNI career begins and ends with the one-to-one meeting. It is where your fellow members get the chance to know, like and trust you more. And with a desire to rebound from a rough 2025, I’ve made it one of my “25 Before 50” items to do a one-to-one with someone in every state before the end of first quarter 2026.
What is a One-to-One?
A one-to-one is exactly what it sounds like, a chance for people to connect and learn more about each other. The goal is to create a powerful connection that assists in developing the know, like, and trust that is essential for building a network referral base in 2025. One-to-one are vital for your success in business and becoming a trusted member of your BNI chapter.
How Do You Conduct a One-to-One?
The basic idea of a one-to-one is pretty easy. It is an opportunity for two – or more – people to get together and build a connection. That connection is ideally going to be something that extends beyond that meeting and generates very strong referrals that lead more business bieng passed amongst each other.
- Set the Appointment. What time and where will you be meeting make it a great start. I usually set a reminder email for myself and the other participant for the meeting.
- Prepare your worksheets. This one is interesting. I’ve done hundreds of one-to-ones and I’ll be honest have not done the sheets for many of them. They help when you are meeting someone the first time or if you are looking for a specific strategic partner. If interested in the sheets, here is a sample from an Atlanta BNI chapter.
- Exhange the Sheets. This seems like a no brainer, but well you never know. Also bring physical copies of the sheets to you while meeting for reference. I personally prefer paper sheets over digital ones for the simple fact that once you look at your phone it can become a rabbit hole.
- Meeting With Your Partner. The magic happens. You get to know each other. Early one-to-ones are more feeling each other out and getting an idea of who each othyer is. It is usually the second or third one when the magic starts to really happen as you begin making plans for how you’re going to work together.
- After the Meeting. This is arguably the most important part. During the meeting you’ll likely establish goals and come up with a few ideas to improve your relationship. Completing those and following up on the tasks is what takes your committment to the next level.
I believe that the one-to-one meetings are the most important piece of your membership. It is what takes you from the commercial to the dining room table.
Toby’s Efforts in BNI
Toby has been called Mr. BNI by several of his Central Ohio peers for his committment to building strong networks utilizing the BNI networking model. He has been a member of the DelCo Profit Builders chapter since 2014 and has served as President, Vice President, Tresasurer/Secretary, Vistior Coodinator, Growth Coordinator and numerous other positions. He is the only Central Ohio resident to achieve a perfect 100 points on the Power of One report.
To schedule a one-to-one or learn more about becoming a member of BNI reach out to Toby at 419-618-8629 (phone or text) or by email.