visitors in bni connect - meetupfiles.meetup.com/19045101/5. the visitor process in bni... · 2016....

Visitors in BNIConnect

Copyright © 2014 BNI, All Rights Reserved

Table of ContentsThe Visitor Process In BNI Connect ................................................... 3

Overview of the Visitor Process ............................................................................... 4

Inviting Visitors ................................................................................... 7Chapter Operations - Email a Visitor Invitation ........................................................ 8

Before The Meeting.......................................................................... 14Registering a Prospective Visitor for an Upcoming Meeting.................................. 15

Visitor Self Registration via Website ...................................................................... 21

Chapter Reports - Visitor Registration Report ....................................................... 29

After The Meeting............................................................................. 32Managing Prospective Visitors and Marking Attendance ...................................... 33

Chapter Operations - Adding a Visitor (Not Pre-Registered) ................................. 37

Following Up With Visitors................................................................ 42Chapter Reports - Visitor Not Attended Report...................................................... 43

Chapter Reports - Chapter Visitor Report.............................................................. 46

Chapter Operations - Email Chapter Visitors......................................................... 50

Visitors in BNI Connect

The Visitor Process In BNIConnect



Overview of the Visitor ProcessBNI Connect has the ability to work with visitors from invitation, through registeringvisitors to a meeting, marking attendance and giving credit in the PALMS report, andfinally, following up with visitors. Each step of the process includes interaction andcommunication between the chapter members, leadership teams and the chapterDirector Consultant.

The Flow of Visitors



Communication and Timing

Initial Contact

• Visitor is sent an invitation email to visit a chapter meeting through BNI Connect via Operations> Chapter > Create Email > Email Visitor Invitation

• Email is sent immediately upon submission by the member

Registering a Potential Visitor

• Visitor self registers on the regional or chapter web page• Or, visitor is registered by a member through the BNI Connect function• Operations > Chapter > Manage Visitors > Register a Potential Visitor• When the visitor registers, the visitor receives a confirmation email with chapter meeting details• Additionally, the chapter President, Vice President, Secretary Treasurer, all Visitor Hosts and the

Chapter Director Consultant are notified of the prospective visitor registration

Before the Meeting

• The prospective visitor is reminded of the meeting 2 business days before the scheduledmeeting

After the Meeting

• If the visitor pre-registered, the visitor is marked as attended via Operations > Chapter >Manage Visitors > Manage Registered Visitors

• If the visitor did not pre-register, the visitor is added via Operations > Chapter > Manage Visitors> Add a Visitor

• The person chosen in the Invited By Field is given a "V" credit in the PALMS report (pendingleadership approval)

• The visitor is immediately sent a "Thank You For Visiting" email through BNI Connect• Visitors that pre-registered but did not attend can be found in the report Reports > Chapter >

Visitor Not Attended Report

Following Up

• Visitors contact information (email and physical address) can be obtained through Reports >Chapter > Chapter Visitor Report

• Visitors may be emailed directly by members through Operations > Chapter > Create Email >Email Chapter Visitors



• Visitors may be emailed directly by the region through Operations > Region > Create Email >Email Chapter Visitors



Inviting Visitors



Chapter Operations - Email a Visitor InvitationBNI Connect makes it easy to invite visitors to your chapter. With a few simple clicks youcan send a customized and BNI branded email invitation to invite a personal contact tovisit your chapter!

Navigate to the Chapter Operations Menu



Verify Your Chapter Selection and Choose Your Operation

1. Verify your Country, Region and Chapter selection2. Click on Create Email3. Click on Email Visitor Invitation



Input Invitation Details

1. Choose a salutation Title from the drop down list2. Input the First, Last and Company name of the visitor you wish to invite3. Enter the email address of the invitee.4. Enter a short personal message.



Send Your Invitation!



Sample Message

1. All replies will be sent directly to your email address2. Subject line of the email3. BNI branded graphical invitation4. Salutation taken from the first name provided5. Your personal message6. Your chapter name, meeting location, day and time is automatically inserted7. Brief description about BNI8. Signed by you



Happy Connecting!

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Before The Meeting



Registering a Prospective Visitor for anUpcoming Meeting.Members may register a prospective visitor for an upcoming chapter meeting. This cangreatly increase visitor attendance and assist with preparation for the meeting. Once avisitors registered, they will be entered into the prospective visitors database and thechapter leadership is notified that there has been a new visitor registration. The visitorwill also be reminded 2 business days before the meeting to attend.




Note: When using the chapter shortcut menu, the next step is bypassed.



Register a Prospective Visitor



Fill Out the Visitor Details



After Registering, the Prospective Visitor Will Receive aConfirmation Email



The Chapter Leadership Team, Visitor Hosts And DirectorConsultant Will Also Receive a Notification

Happy Connecting!

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Visitor Self Registration via WebsiteVisitors may register themselves to visit a chapter through the BNI Connect websites.Links are available on the Chapter website as well as the chapter details pages of the

regional and country websites. Once a visitor registers, they will be entered into theprospective visitors database and the chapter leadership is notified that there has been anew visitor registration. The visitor will also be reminded 2 business days before themeeting to attend.

Registration is Available via the Chapter Website



Registration is Available via the Chapter Details Page

Note: The button is also available for visiting core groups if shown on the regional website.



Clicking on the Visit Button or Link Will Open the RegistrationPage



After Registering, the Prospective Visitor Will Receive aConfirmation Email



The Chapter Leadership Team, Visitor Hosts And DirectorConsultant Will Also Receive a Notification



A Reminder Will be Sent Two Business Days Before the ChapterMeeting



Happy Connecting!

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Chapter Reports - Visitor Registration ReportYou can quickly check the visitors that have registered for an upcoming meeting by usingthe Visitor Registration Report in BNI Connect.

Navigate to the Chapter Reports



Choose Your Report Parameters



Review the Report Details

The visitor details will be listed on the report. For additional details, such as the mailing address, pleaseexport this report.

* This report is also available to directors and regional admins as a regional level report.

Happy Connecting!

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After The Meeting



Managing Prospective Visitors and MarkingAttendanceAfter a prospective visitor has registered, you may need to change some of the details onthe record. In addition, you can also mark when a visitor has successfully attended whichwill convert them into an attended visitor and apply the credit for visiting in the PALMSreport.




Note: When using the chapter shortcut menu, the next step is bypassed.



Enter Search Critera and Click GO

Prospective Visitor Results



Edit The Prospective Visitor to Mark Attendance

Note: Once the visitor has been marked as having attended, they will be moved from the ProspectiveVisitors and into the Visitors function. Please go to Operations>Chapter>Manage Visitors>ManageVisitor to further edit the visitor record. Credit will also be given in the PALMS report for the currentweek when the data entry takes place - the day the check mark was entered.

Happy Connecting!

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Chapter Operations - Adding a Visitor (Not Pre-Registered)Entering visitor information for your chapter is a very important function. It allows you toutilize BNI Connect to track and report on your visitors, follow up and communicate withyour visitors, and finally to convert visitors into a new member for your chapter.This article explains how to enter the details of a person that has visited your chapter butdid NOT pre-register to attend the meeting.


Note: When using the shortcut menu link, the next step is bypassed.




1. Click on Manage Visitor2. Click on Add a Visitor



Add a Visitor - Detail Entry Screen 1

1. Choose whether this visitor is to be credited in the PALMS report. Some reasons to deselectthis box would be for a second visit, a member from another chapter, or other guests where youwish to still record the visitor details but not affect the statistics for the chapter. Note: The VicePresident will review each entry before it is submitted to the PALMS report and mayaccept or reject the credit at their discretion.

2. Verify that the correct chapter is listed.3. Choose an Industry and Classification. These fields are mandatory. If you are uncertain, you

may choose "Other". This can be changed at a later time if necessary.4. Select the chapter member that invited this person from the dropdown list <or> if your region

allows this option, choose the Search Cross Chapter button to select a member from anotherchapter in the region (see additional steps below). The dropdown list will contain all activechapter members, regional team members (Directors, Admins and Ambassadors) and an optionto select "BNI" or "Visitor". In chapter persons will be given credit in the PALMS report.

5. The default language of your region is automatically listed.



6. Select the date the visitor attended the chapter meeting. Only valid chapter dates will beavailable for selection. If PALMS credit is selected, it will be inserted into that week's meetingfor review.

7. Enter the Name of the visitor.8. Use the vertical scroll bar for additional entry details.

Searching Cross Chapter

1. Clicking on the Search Cross Chapter button will allow you to search for another member in yourregion.

2. Enter at least the first two characters of the First Name.3. <And\Or> Enter at least the first two characters of the the Last Name.4. <And\Or> Enter at least the first two characters of the Company Name.5. Click Search to find the member.6. Click Reset to clear your search and begin a new search.7. Click Back to cancel the search and return to the Visitor Entry screen.



Add a Visitor - Detail Entry Screen 2

1. Enter the visitor's company name, address and contact details.2. Enter an email address for the visitor and choose whether or not to send the automated Visitor

Follow Up email. If deselected, the email address will become non-mandatory.3. Enter any notes about this visitor.4. Use the Save and New button to save this visitor and immediately start a new visitor entry.

Press the Submit button to save your visitor information and return to the previous menu. Pressthe close button to discard this information and return to the previous menu.

Happy Connecting!

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Copyright © 2014 BNI, All Rights Reserved



Following Up With Visitors



Chapter Reports - Visitor Not Attended ReportYou can quickly check the visitors that have not attended a meeting (no show) by usingthe Visitor Not Attended Report in BNI Connect.




Choose Your Report Parameters



Review the Report Details

The visitor details will be listed on the report. For additional details, such as the mailing address, pleaseexport this report.

Note: Visitors that have been marked as having attended will be in the active visitor lists andreports.

* This report is also available to directors and regional admins as a regional level report.

Happy Connecting!

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Chapter Reports - Chapter Visitor ReportThe Chapter Visitor report will allow you to search your chapter's visitor database inorder to contact and follow up with chapter visitors.




Verify Your Chapter Selection and Choose Your Report

1. Verify your Country, Region and Chapter selection2. Click on the Chapter Visitor Report3. Choose a date range. The date searched will be the date the visitor attended the meeting (as

opposed to the entry date).4. Optional: Enter a First and\or Last Name to search.5. Optional: Choose a Profession (Secondary Category) from the drop down list.6. Press the Go button to perform your search and display the report.

Power Tip: For maximum results, input only a date range.



Chapter Visitor Report - Header Details

1. Report name and parameters summary2. Use the Export button to open this report in a spreadsheet format on your local computer, such

as Microsoft Excel or Numbers.3. Use the Print button to print a copy of this report on your local printer.4. This column lists the Visitor Name. This column is sortable by clicking on the underlined "Sort

First" or "Sort Last"5. This column lists the Company name. This list is sortable by clicking on the underlined

"Company".6. This column lists the Profession (Secondary Category). This list is sortable by clicking on the

underlined "Profession".7. This column lists the visitor's Email address.. This list is sortable by clicking on the underlined

"Email".8. This column lists the Visit Date. This list is sortable by clicking on the underlined "Visit Date".9. Use the vertical scroll bar to see additional report details.

10. When you are finished viewing the report, press the Close button to exit.

*Note: The exported report contains additional information including the Phone Number, Address, City,State, Postal Code and Country.



Sample Exported Visitor Report

Happy Connecting!



Chapter Operations - Email Chapter VisitorsFollowing up with chapter visitors is an essential part of maintaining communication withpotential referral sources and future members of your chapter. BNI Connect makes iteasy to retrieve the email addresses of your chapter's visitors to stay in touch with them.





1. Verify your Country, Region and Chapter selection2. Click on Create Email3. Click on Email Chapter Visitors



Choose Your Visitor Selection Criteria

1. Click the Back button to return to the previous screen.2. Choose a date range for finding chapter visitors.3. You may choose All, One, or Multiple visitor categories. To select multiple categories, hold down

the CTRL button on your keyboard while selecting with your mouse.4. Press the Reset button to clear the search criteria and start over.5. Press next to generate the email list based on your search criteria.

Chapter Visitor Email List

1. Use your mouse to highlight the email addresses and copy them to the clipboard. You can useCTRL+C (Command + C on a Mac) or right click and choose copy.



Paste the Addresses Into a New Email

Happy Connecting!



visitors in bni connect - meetupfiles.meetup.com/19045101/5. the visitor process in bni... · 2016....

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