Acres of Diamonds is a true story of an Indian farmer who sold his farm to seek his fortune as a diamond miner. The farmer had heard many stories of people who struck it rich finding diamonds throughout the Middle East and Europe. So, after selling his farm for a modest sum, he set out in search of his fortune.
The farmer spent the rest of his life wandering in search of diamonds. After decades with no success, penniless and completely demoralised, he threw himself in a river one day and drowned.
BACK ON THE FARM..
Meanwhile, the farmer who purchased his farm had found what he believed to be a large crystal in a stream on the property. He cleaned it up and displayed it on his mantelpiece, but really didn’t think too much of it.
A visitor one day recognised it as a diamond and told the farmer that he, in fact, had in his possession one of the largest diamonds ever found. This news came as a complete surprise to the new farm owner, as he knew that there were many more of these “crystals” in the stream just waiting to be collected.
This farm became the mines of Golconda, at the time the most productive diamond mine on the planet. The farmer who originally owned it had given it up for next to nothing as he had no idea what he already had in his own back yard.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY.
The moral is clear. If the first farmer had just taken the time to educate himself on what diamonds looked like in their rough state, he would have recognised that the ability to have everything he had ever wanted was already sitting there, waiting to be realised.
It’s pretty easy to see how this relates to BNI. It’s somewhat of a warning to us all not to ignore the fruitful network we might have just because the fruits aren’t staring us smack in the face.
WHAT DO YOUR ACRES OF DIAMONDS LOOK LIKE?
The farm is our Chapter. The diamonds are the introductions our fellow Chapter members can make for us. The education is the 1-2-1s we have with our fellow Chapter members, and that really is the key here.
ANOTHER TRUE STORY…
I remember a seasoned member who made the mistake of saying to a newer member, something along the lines of “Our professions are way too different. There’s no value in us having a 1-2-1”.
The next week, the seasoned member asked for a specific introduction to someone. This person they wanted to meet was the best friend of the newer member’s husband.
But after being snubbed so poorly, can you imagine how the newer member felt about facilitating that introduction? Not keen at all, and fair enough. So, the seasoned member missed out on that introduction, potentially costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In the last 12 months, three BNI Chapters in Adelaide have successfully completed the Diamond Growth Program which is a structured 8 week education program designed to help their members uncover the diamonds within.
I’m pleased to report that the results have been phenomenal, with a significant lift in membership numbers and chapter health (as evidenced by the Chapter Traffic Lights report mentioned in last week’s blog). The first chapter to graduate from the program just under a year ago is currently in the number one position in the Traffic Lights after being ranked last prior to entering the program. Their Thank You For Closed Business has also seen an increase of over $540,000 compared with the same period last year.
Furthermore, in recent weeks your BNI Director led an activity during the feature presentation to help you uncover the massive potential within your own chapter by asking each member to write down the name and industry / profession of their best client and circulate these names around the room. This gave every member an opportunity to record any of these who would also be an ideal client for them.
THE FINAL CHAPTER.
We’re fortunate enough to have this excellent formula for referral-marketing given to us as part of our membership. It’s a formula that has evolved over more than thirty years, with the guidance of the world’s leading networking professionals. All we need to do is adopt and enact the proven principles and enjoy the rewards.