Chapter Mentoring

Handbook

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of BNI would be in violation of the Non-Disclosure, Non-Solicitation and Non-Compete Agreement and
is prohibited. You are responsible for returning this document in BNI immediately upon completion of
your service on the Support Leadership Team. Not returning this document at the end of your service
would be in Violation of the Non-Disclosure, Non-Solicitation and Non-Compete Agreement

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Table of Contents

Philosophy and Mission Statement ......................................................................................3

BNI Core Values ..................................................................................................................3
Networking Code of Ethics..................................................................................................3
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................4
Outline..................................................................................................................................5
Mentoring Coordinator Responsibilities ..............................................................................7
Mentor Guidelines ...............................................................................................................8
90-Day Review Form .........................................................................................................10
Month Questionnaire (for Mentee to complete) ................................................................12
Chapter Mentoring Log......................................................................................................14
Monthly Regional Mentoring Log .....................................................................................15

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 Philosophy and Mission Statement
BNI’s Philosophy

Success in BNI means you need to be a positive and supportive member of an organization based
upon mutual support. This requires commitment to your fellow members as well as to the
philosophy of “Givers Gain®”: by giving business to others, you will get business in return.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to help members increase their business through a structured, positive, and
professional “Word-of-Mouth” program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful
relationships with quality business professionals.

BNI Core Values

1. Philosophy of Givers Gain®

2. Building Business through Meaningful Relationships
3. Training & Education
4. Traditions + Innovation = Success (T+I = S)
5. Positive Attitude

Networking Code of Ethics

When evaluating members, please apply the following Code of Ethics to the various situations.
This is not meant to be a list of specifics, but can be applied in principle to almost any conflict or
complaint.

Upon acceptance to BNI, I agree to abide by the following Code of Ethics during the service of
my participation in the organization:

1. I will provide the quality of services at the price I have quoted.

2. I will be truthful with the members and their referrals.
3. I will build goodwill and trust among members and their referrals.
4. I will take responsibility for following up on the referrals I receive.
5. I will display a positive and supportive attitude.
6. I will live up to the ethical standards of my profession.

(Professional standards outlined in a formal code of conduct for any profession supersede
the above standards.)

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 Introduction

For a number of years now, mentoring programs at the chapter level have been experimented
with by countries and regions around the world. The mentoring program at the chapter level, for
members, helps to strengthen Word-of-Mouth skills for networking.

Passionate networkers make new contacts all the time. Master networkers, with help from the
Member Success Program, turn network contacts into business assets. Now, with the
introduction of mentoring at the chapter level, setting goals and monitoring the progress of those
goals and monitoring the results sets you apart from the competition. All behavior is goal
driven; it’s a natural human trait. The chapter mentoring program ensures that every BNI
member has more opportunity of being a successful networker by contributing to their fellow
members and to themselves. GIVERS GAIN®.

So far, based on information and statistics from the results of chapter mentoring, the outcomes of
countries and regions utilizing this program have been nothing short of remarkable. Without
exception, members have gained more referrals, more confidence, more contacts, etc. In
addition, the chapter becomes more aware of how it came about, thus reinforcing the “added
value” of BNI.

With the Chapter Mentoring Program, come new positions in BNI, those being “Mentor
Coordinator,” “Mentor” and “Mentee.” The Mentoring Coordinator is selected by the chapter
President. (Note: The chapter President needs to review the Mentoring Coordinator position
description, on page 7, for specifics.) The role of the Mentor Coordinator is to assist current
members of the chapter who may be in need of additional coaching and to enable new members
to benefit from their membership as quickly as possible. The Mentor Coordinator will match up
the Mentors with their Mentees. The Mentor Coordinator is a voluntary position that is vital to
the success of the members. Such volunteer service should be recognized by the chapter.

The role of the mentor is mentee driven. Should the mentee decide that he/she is not in need of a
mentor, such wishes must be respected. Generally, however, current members who are not
receiving their “fair share” of referrals, current members who seem unable to close on an
appropriate amount of referrals or seem unable to abide by the Code of Ethics or the meeting
etiquette guidelines, or new members, all should be seen as appropriate candidates for the
Chapter Mentoring Program.

Generally speaking, the mentor/mentee relationship will take place during the initial months of
one’s membership. The Mentor Coordinator should find mentors who are well established in the
chapter and who practice the value of “Givers Gain®.” The mentor is most likely to be from the
mentee’s contact sphere and the relationship should be of potential benefit to both mentor and
mentee.

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 Outline

The Chapter Mentoring Program was developed to assist individual members in further
improving their Word-of-Mouth marketing results. When a new member joins a chapter and is
accepted, the member will need to attend Member Success Program within the first 60 days of
membership. Within these 60 days, the chapter’s Mentor Coordinator will match him/her up with
a mentor. The mentor and mentee will then have One-to-One meeting either in-person or by
phone, where they will go over certain topics that are crucial to being a Master Networker.
These meetings are set-up by the mentor and mentee on their own time. It is not critical to BNI
when or where they meet, just as long as they have at least a few meetings per month. In these
meetings, they can cover any topic, including topics such as:

* How to Generate a Referral

* 60-Second Presentations
* 10-Minute Presentations
* Inside/Outside Referrals
* Importance of One-to-One Planner or One-to-Ones
* How to Contact their Director and Regional Office
* How to Find Information on Websites
* Explain Leadership Roles (President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer
Visitor Host, Membership Committee, etc.)
* Importance of Replenishing Chapter Business Card File
* Using the Business Card Holder
* Library Material (if chapter has reference/library table)
* Visitor Letters (to build Contact Sphere)
* Importance of Attending Activities Outside of Chapter
* Chapter Policies (Weather Days, Chapter Fees, Attendance, Substitution
Policy, Member Success Program, etc.)
* Other topics as they come up

Mentors and mentees cannot be shy with each other. Usually, the mentor will have to put the
first foot forward and place a call or schedule a One-to-One, because the mentee may hesitate to
make the first move. Mentors should make an effort to be their Mentee’s buddy on meeting
mornings. Mentors and mentees may feel like they are “bugging” each other, but checking in is
a two-way street, so if they don’t connect weekly, they shouldn’t hesitate to contact each other.
It is also suggested that mentors and mentees check in from time to time with their chapter’s
Mentor Coordinator with updates, suggestions, or even questions for the program.

There are review periods where the Mentor Coordinator or Director will sit down with the
mentor and mentee. Generally, there is a 90-Day review and a 5-month review. In these
reviews, the mentor and mentee, they can discuss each area to see what works and doesn’t work
between them. They can discuss strengths yet to emerge, strengths that really show, go over any
other topics they feel they need more discussion.

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There are also review forms that will go to the Regional Office and stay on file. Once the
mentee feels comfortable with the program, they may sign on as a mentor. The more experience
the mentors have, the better.

Review Periods will be One-to-One meetings with the mentor, the mentee, and either the Mentor
Coordinator or the Director. In these meetings, all parties will have a “Review Period” form to
fill out and filed at the Regional Office. The form will consist of questions to monitor the
progress of the mentoring system. All parties will also have to sign the forms at the end of the
One-to-One meetings. Questions include:

* Chapter Name
* Date Joined
* Date of Review
* Names of Mentor/Mentee Mentor Coordinator or Director
* Member Success Program Verification Form
* Attendance/Substitutes
* Number of Referrals Received
* Number of Referrals Given
* Number of One-to-Ones
* Number of Visitors Brought to Chapter Meetings
* If Presentation Skills have improved or if they could be strengthened
* If Mentee is satisfied with his/her Membership
* If Mentee feels ready to handle role as Mentor or serve on Leadership
Team
* Strengths
* Strengths Yet to Emerge
* Any other topics that come up
* Dated and Signed by all Parties

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 Mentor Coordinator Responsibilities

1. Must have completed the mentoring at the chapter level program as a mentee.

2. Should have been in the chapter for at least one year.

3. Should have good presentation skills.

4. Should not be currently serving on the Leadership Team.

5. Will be responsible for assigning mentees and for the selection of chapter mentors (who
have been in the chapter a minimum of six months and have completed the Mentoring
Program as a mentee.)

6. Should maintain a mentee completion file and report status of mentee completion to
chapter President.

7. Should remain in position throughout the Leadership Team term.

8. Is to be selected by the chapter President.

9. Understand that the position, while voluntary, must be taken seriously.

Steps for assigning Mentee to Mentor

1. Mentor Coordinator will pick new member (mentee) that would like to be part of the
program. The mentor to be selected must be a member who has previously completed
the mentoring program as a mentee. The experimental phase of course will not offer
mentors that have completed this process, but during experimentation, the mentor will
need to be a “seasoned member.”

2. We recommend the mentor must be a member of BNI of at least six months or longer.

3. Mentors should have one to two mentees at a time, maximum. We do not recommend
mentors having more than two mentees per program term, because it takes away much
valuable One-to-One time with each mentee.

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 Mentor Guidelines
Thank you for agreeing to be a mentor for our newest member, ___________________.
The purpose of the BNI mentoring program is to provide new members with “coaching” which
results in success in our chapter. We want to provide each new member with support and
information that might otherwise take months to acquire. By volunteering as a mentor you have
made an important commitment to the new member and the chapter as a whole.

The mentor/mentee relationship initially lasts five months, unless circumstances dictate
otherwise. During the first three months, you and your mentee continue to work together to help
each other be more successful. The last two months allow the mentee to further hone the skills
learned from the mentor.

What follows is a best-practices “course curriculum” to provide an outline of the

information you should be discussing with your mentee over the course of your relationship. At
the outset, you should schedule three meetings with your mentee, approximately once every two
weeks. At each of the meetings, you should cover the following important issues:

Session I: The Basics - First meeting

(Within one week of induction if possible, within two weeks at most.)

1. Make sure your mentee knows that he/she can come to you with questions or concerns
whenever needed that you are there to help him/her succeed.

2. Go over the dates of Member Success Program, and pick out a time for the new member
to attend. Attendance is mandatory; the member’s first 10-Minute Presentation will not
be scheduled until after they have attended Member Success Program.

3. Explain the Leadership Team positions and who is on them. Encourage them to be
part of the Leadership Team in the future.

4. Tell the new member who the BNI Directors are and how to contact them.

5. Review the new member packet and the brochure in it.

6. Make sure that their card portfolio is filled with all members’ cards and they know how
to use it.

7. Set a date for them to listen to the BNI Orientation CD by Dr. Ivan Misner.

8. Talk about the importance of wearing your BNI name badge at every meeting and
also at non-BNI functions.

9. Make sure that the chapter business card box has plenty of the new members cards,
and discuss how important it is to keep filled

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 10. Explain the importance of the substitute policy and how to find a substitute (e.g. co–
workers, customers/clients, etc.) Make sure they have one lined up.

11. Review attendance policy and meeting “etiquette.” Discuss the importance of being on
time to the meetings, of using the open networking time, and of staying for the entire
meeting.

12. Review the circumstances that may occur in a meeting being cancelled.

13. Talk about how to get referrals for members and the importance of quality referrals. Go
over the referral sheets and explain the thermometer. Set a goal of one referral per week.
(It might take a couple of months to be able to achieve this goal.)

14. During the referral portion of the meeting, remind them to keep it positive. Talk about
always starting with “I have” referrals, testimonials, or something positive, not “I don’t
have any referrals, but…”

15. Schedule second meeting.

Session II: (Member Success Program)

Member Success Program Orientation, contacted by a BNI Director, is required within 60

days of membership in accordance with General Policy #17.

Session III: Reviewing and Fine-Tuning

Mentor works with mentee on key areas selected by mentee during his/her fourth and fifth
months of membership. Also, mentor and mentee discuss and fill out the 90-Day Review
form and then forward to the Regional Office.

Suggested topics to review:

* Anatomy of a 60-Second Presentation
* Member Biography
* One-to-Ones
* Your Orientation to BNI (CD)
* Member Policies
* Online Member Information
* Contribution: Referrals, Visitors, Testimonials
* Power Teams
* Chapter 10 Most Wanted List
* Invitation Letters/Post Cards
* Invitation List
* Visitors’ Day Confirmations

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 90-Day Review Form
Chapter Name: ___________________ Date Inducted or Renewal Date: __________________

Mentee: __________________________ Mentor: _____________________________________

Occupation: _______________________ Mentee’s Phone: ______________________________

Referrals given to date: ______________Referrals received to date: _______________________

Percentage of referrals that have become sales: _______________________________________

Number of members who have referred me: __________________________________________

Number of members with whom I have scheduled at least one “One-to-One”: _______________

Number of visitors that have become members: ______________________________________

My presentation skills have improved: YES SOMEWHAT NO

I am more comfortable speaking in front of groups: YES SOMEWHAT NO

I am beginning to establish strong referral relationships: YES SOMEWHAT NO

I am satisfied with my BNI membership: YES SOMEWHAT NO

I would like to consider a role on the Leadership Team: YES SOMEWHAT NO

By month four and five of my membership, I want to improve on: (2 or 3 things)

1.____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

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 STRENGTHS STRENGTHS YET TO EMERGE

__________________________________ _________________________________

__________________________________ _________________________________

__________________________________ _________________________________

Date for 5 Month Questionnaire/Follow-Up Meeting: __________________________________

Today’s Date: __________________________________________________________________

Mentee Signature: ______________________________________________________________

Mentor Signature: ______________________________________________________________

Comments: ____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Month Questionnaire (for Mentee to complete)
(Send to Regional Office after mentee has completed.)

Date: ____________________________ Chapter Name: _________________________

Mentee Name: ____________________ Mentor Name: __________________________

Please rank on a scale of 1 to 5 (One being “Needs Improvement” and Five being “Excellent”)
the following:

1.) Explanation by mentor of Leadership Team role. Usage of New Member Packet, BNI
substitute and attendance policies, and importance of giving and receiving referrals.

Needs Improvement Excellent

1 2 3 4 5

Comments: ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2.) Attended Member Success Program presentation by a Director. Review/Explanation of

booklet covering your chapter, You, the Word-of-Mouth professional and Your Success
was:

Needs Improvement Excellent

1 2 3 4 5

Comments_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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 3.) Completed Session III concerning review and fine tuning. The areas I focused on the
last 60 days were: (Place an “X” by the top 5 areas that you focused on.)

_____ Topic: Anatomy of a 60-Second Presentation

_____ Topic: Member Biography
_____ Topic: One-to-Ones
_____ Topic: Your Orientation to BNI (CD)
_____ Topic: Member Policies
_____ Topic: Online Member Information
_____ Topic: Contribution: Referrals, Visitors, and Testimonials
_____ Topic: Power Teams
_____ Topic: BNI Chapter Power Teams-Power of 40
_____ Topic: Chapter 10 Most Wanted List
_____ Topic: Invitation Letters/Post Cards
_____ Topic: Invitation List
_____ Topic: Visitor Day Confirmations

Comments: ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

4.) Your overall ranking of the Mentoring Program for Members:

Needs Improvement Excellent

1 2 3 4 5

Comments: ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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 Chapter Mentoring Log

Mentoring Coordinator: _____________________________

Mentor Mentee Date Date Date Date

Assigned Mentee of 90-Day 5-Month
Completed Review Questionnaire
Member Completed Received by
Success Regional
Program Office

*Mentoring Coordinator needs to notify the Regional Office of Mentor/Mentee

Assignment.*

Chapter Name: __________________________________________________

Mentoring Coordinator: ___________________________________________

Mentor: ________________________________________

Mentee: ________________________________________

Date: ________________________ Email

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 Monthly Regional Mentoring Log
Date: ___________________________

Director’s Name: ____________________________________________

Region Name: _____________________________________________

Chapter Name: ____________________________________________

Mentoring Coordinator’s Name: _______________________________________

Number of Mentees Assigned during Month: _____________________

Number of Mentees That Have Completed the Program: ___________________

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Date: ___________________________

Director’s Name: ____________________________________________

Region Name: _____________________________________________

Chapter Name: ____________________________________________

Mentoring Coordinator’s Name: _______________________________________

Number of Mentees Assigned during Month: _____________________

Number of Mentees That Have Completed the Program: ___________________

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Date: ___________________________

Director’s Name: ____________________________________________

Region Name: _____________________________________________

Chapter Name: ____________________________________________

Mentoring Coordinator’s Name: _______________________________________

Number of Mentees Assigned during Month: _____________________

Number of Mentees That Have Completed the Program: ___________________

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