The Butterfly Effect: In Action

 I am pleased to be able to re-print the following article testifying to the benefits of building relationships to help grow your business. LuAnn is a collegue of mine in BNI, the world’s largest networking organization. I hope you enjoy reading her story and it inspires you to extend your hand and welcome new business relationships.

The Butterfly Effect As Reflected in My BNI Story

By LuAnn Buechler

Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect, and how one thing leads to another in the world of referrals? Well here is my BNI Story, a perfect example of the Butterfly Effect in action.

I was invited to BNI by a young man that grew up in my neighborhood and played with my little brother. His name is Craig Oslund. Craig and I got reacquainted at a Chamber After Hours event where I was promoting my new business in 2005. He invited me to visit his BNI meeting. I jumped at the chance to network with another group of professionals. I joined immediately and became the education coordinator the second week of my membership. After all teaching others is a great way to learn the organization for yourself; and it worked.

I fell in love with the organization and its philosophy of Givers Gain. The more I learned, the more I knew I was in it for the long term. So, I set my sights on becoming a BNI Director. A mere inquiry made to Sue Henry, Area Director, in Southern Minnesota about just what it would take to get there put me on the fast track to become a BNI Director within a year of joining.

This of course, allowed me the opportunity to meet Nancy Giacomuzzi, Executive Director of BNI Minnesota, among many other amazing people. Beth Anderson, who you may have read about in another story we wrote regarding visibility, credibility, and profitability was just one of those people. As I gained visibility in the organization and worked with other directors in the region we gained credibility with one another, only to realize after four years that we had complimentary skills and similar goals. Beth and I are now partners in creating networking events.

It was Nancy G. however, who made the most significant impact on my butterfly spreading its wings. In recognition of a job well done, I was given the honor of picking up Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder and Chairman of the Board for BNI, at the airport on a visit to Minnesota. I was to get him checked in at the hotel and bring him over to the party at Nancy’s house promptly at 6pm. This gave us over an hour of free time to get to know each other before the party. Being the man that he is, he asked me all about my business and what a good referral is for me. Nearly a year later, I received a referral from him to the Transformational Leadership Council; the most amazing organization of transformational leaders and fascinating people, for whom I have the privilege of working with on their annual events.

Strengthening the relationship and gaining credibility with Dr. Misner through these events, coupled with the strong relationship he already had with Beth Anderson, allowed us to ask him to participate in and support our International Networking Conference. PMC Events, Get Connected Conferences are now a strategic partner of BNI, which has created the mutually beneficial relationship Ivan speaks of as profitability.

Dr. Misner since then has introduced several TLC Members to BNI as keynote speakers for our director conferences. From this we struck up a strategic partnership with Lisa Nichols, the bestselling author of “No Matter What”. Having built credibility through both the organizations and these relationships, we were able to create a Get Connected Conference in Minneapolis that featured three TLC members along with Lisa Nichols. It was an extraordinary day of education and inspiration.

At our first annual International Networking Conference: Get Connected 2009, I was able to spend time with another BNI Director and author of “Remember the Ice and other Paradigm Shifts”; Bob Nicoll, with whom, I am now co-authoring a book on customer service using empowering word choice. He and six other speakers from that Get Connected Conference approached me at the 2009 International BNI Conference, with a proposal to help manage seminars for them all over the country to help increase their exposure. Yet, another mutually beneficial relationship that grew out of networking and supporting one another.

The butterfly effect from building these relationships through networking exposure continues to amaze me. The process has moved my career along exponentially, expanding my reach beyond my wildest dreams. Yet, the simplest of connections that I make every day, from which who knows what maybe the long lasting implications for others, continue to drive me and excite me. It even gives me goose bumps when I know that the people I have connected are destined to do great things together.

And it’s all because Craig Oslund invited me to a BNI Meeting in September of 2005. Today, Craig is a BNI Ambassador on my team here in Southern Minnesota supporting the overall growth of BNI in everything he does every day; truly living the Givers Gain philosophy as Dr. Misner, our leader does.

What is your butterfly effect? What allowed you to get where you are right now, today? Think about it.

If you wish to expand your network and exponentially grow your business relationships, check out http://www.GetConnected2010.com. Get Connected to the Butterfly Effect that will fulfill your destiny……

Get Connected 2010, International Networking Conference is presented by PMC Events.

LuAnn Buechler is an Assistant Director for Southern Minnesota BNI and operates her own business as a Professional Meeting Consultant providing business education, consulting and meeting planning services. LuAnn has a 25 year history in the Hospitality Industry working for companies such as Hyatt Hotels, Marriott and the Mayo Clinic. LuAnn, is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Wisconsin Stout. LuAnn got her business started by joining BNI and knew immediately that word-of-mouth marketing was the way to grow her business. Other than a website, it is the only way she chooses to market her business and her key to success is…Relationships, Relationships, Relationships!

LuAnn presents on her personal experiences, and training through BNI that has helped her to become a successful entrepreneur in her own right.

If you enjoyed LuAnn’s success story, follow the link below and leave her a comment on her Ezine Articles page.

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