Many times in BNI, we are guilty of going through the whole week without thinking of our network and then coming into a BNI meeting without any referrals. This can lead to "on the spot" referrals which are not very strong and sometimes lack follow-through because we have not done the groundwork beforehand. So how do we prepare during the week for referrals? Here are some tips.

Refer while closing business. When you're finalizing a sale or finishing a project for one of your clients, it's a great time to inquire about other services your client may need. Questions like "are your accounting needs being met?", "who takes care of your web site?",  or "your employees are hard workers... do you ever gift them gift cards for a massage to help them relax?" are all great lead-in questions that can open up opportunities for referrals.

Invite your clients and your BNI referral partners to the same workshop. If you provide workshops or other events, invite a mixture of current clients and BNI members to the event or workshop. This allows you to make in-person introductions and facilitate a conversation between parties.

Utilize Google Alerts. Google Alerts allow you to set up certain keywords, such as company names of your clients, and then receive email alerts whenever those keywords are mentioned in news stories and blog posts. When you receive a news story about your client, you can use the information to follow up with potential referrals. For example, if your Google Alert sends you a note telling you that one of your clients has posted a new job opening, you can use that opportunity to do an email introduction between your client and the recruiter in your chapter.

Give gifts to your clients in the form of products and services from members of your chapter. Many of us gift thank you gifts for new clients that have signed on with us or existing clients that are providing us with significant business. A great way to say thank you to these clients would be to send a gift basket from your Mary Kay consultant. A massage gift card is also a great gift. You could also offer to cater lunch for their staff compliments of the caterer in your chapter. This not only is a nice gesture, but also gets that BNI member's name and brand in front of your client and opens the door for more business. You can also ask how they enjoyed your gift later and take advantage of the additional opportunity to talk up the BNI member.

Use your own work to cross-promote your BNI network. For example, if you are a design agency and you've designed brochures for the massage therapist in your chapter, use those brochures as examples of your work when meeting with prospective clients. Then, give the brochure to the prospect and say something like "by the way, you should give Cheryl a call... she is an outstanding massage therapist." As another example, if you sell promotional products, you should use branded examples from work you have done for your BNI members, which gives you a chance to talk up those members while showing off your own work.

By doing some thoughtful planning throughout the week, you will be better prepared to give strong referrals during your BNI meetings.