Episode 974: Don’t Google, Greggle

Synopsis When he became a BNI Executive Director, Greg Davies-Polaine made it his job to be the go-to person for chapters in his region. Every time he visited a chapter, he gave them this weekly presentation: Hi, my name is Greg Davies-Polaine. I’m your Executive Director. My whole job is ensuring that you get the most value from your BNI membership as you possibly would like to receive. If you’re looking to place a product or service this week that isn’t represented in this room, don’t jump onto an online directory. Don’t jump onto an online purchasing platform. Reach out to me first. If I can place that order with another BNI member that you just haven’t met yet, that revenue will stay local. It will stay in a local community and go around five to seven times before it inevitably disappears off into a national chain. And everyone it touches, it will have a positive influence on, and a rising tide really does lift all boats. So remember, Don’t Google, Greggle. Even if you’re not an Executive Director, you can become the go-to person for your chapter and your clients, the person they go to before they Google. The podcasts listed below help show you how. Links • Listen to Episode 135: “The Card File Thingy” (https://www.bnipodcast.com/2009/12/16...) . • Listen to Episode 633: I’ve Invited Everyone I Know (https://www.bnipodcast.com/2019/11/06...) . • Listen to Episode 697: The Connector Effect (https://www.bnipodcast.com/2021/03/10...) . • Listen to Episode 897: What Makes a Perfect Member? (Part 1) (https://www.bnipodcast.com/2025/02/12...) . • Listen to Episode 898: What Makes a Perfect Member? (Part 2) (https://www.bnipodcast.com/2025/02/19...) . (https://www.misneraudioprograms.com) The Official BNI Podcast is sponsored by Misner Audio Programs. Complete Transcript of Episode 974 Priscilla: Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Official BNI Podcast. I’m Priscilla Rice, and I’m coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California, and I’m joined on the phone today by the Founder and the Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello Ivan, how are you and where are you? Ivan:   I am still in the sweltering heat of Austin, Texas. I need to learn to leave Austin in August. I don’t know why I haven’t figured that out yet. Priscilla: Okay. And who do you have as a guest today? Ivan:   I have a good friend of mine who’s been to my home, Greg Davies-Polaine. Greg’s done a couple of podcasts with me as Greg Davies, and since gotten married and has hyphenated his name, which we had a long conversation about before we actually got on the podcast, which I think is interesting. Greg is known as the Storyfella. He uses his passion for telling stories to help communities and individuals thrive. He says working hard is sometimes unavoidable and necessary. I agree with that. But if we understand why we’re doing it and surround ourselves with people who inspire us to be better, it’s worth the effort. I agree with that as well. He’s a best-selling author. He’s done two books with me, Infinite Giving and Infinite Legacy. Both were best-selling books. He’s a multi-award-winning Director of BNI and an international inspirational speaker. He still finds time to drum with the mighty Goat Patrol, I have no idea what that is. Off air, we should talk about that, Greg. And he is a not-so-secret Disney fan, and I got to tell you, I love Disney’s customer service theories a lot. So, Greg, this is your fourth visit to BNI podcast. The last two were on membership, and I think let me look here at episode 897 (https://www.bnipodcast.com/2025/02/12...) and 898 (https://www.bnipodcast.com/2025/02/19...) . It was so much great content we had to break it into two. Greg: Yeah, it was an absolute privilege, and thank you for having me on. Good evening, Lady Priscilla. I believe we need to say, Lady Priscilla, now you are an absolute BNI institution, and Dr. Misner, thank you so much for having me on. Ivan: (chuckling) Lady Priscilla. I like that. I’m sure Priscilla loves that too. That’s really nice. Priscilla: (chuckling) Ivan:   Nobody’s ever called me Sir Ivan, but that’s fine. I can live with that. Lady Priscilla. Yeah, thank you. So, Greg, our topic today is an interesting title: Don’t Google, instead, Greggle. So, I think that’s about really becoming the go-to person for your network. So, talk about becoming the go-to person for your network. Greg: Yeah, absolutely. It’s all about positioning. I’ve been in BNI 20 plus years now, and like a lot of people, when I joined, I joined close to where I live, close to where I grew...