BNI - Business Networking International
BNI is a referral based networking group for professionals, plain and simple. Most people have heard of it and some have considered joining. I weighed the option for a year before taking the plunge and wanted to share my experience. Some background…
BNI allows one and only one person per professional group into a chapter at once. SO, there can be only one real estate agent, one web designer, one marketing exec, etc. This allows you to lock out the competition and have sole access to your fellow members (or sales staff if you want to look at it that way) and their network of contacts.
Why it worked for me…
The positive aspects of the group are many. The thing that BNI has helped me and my company does is shape, mold, and hone our image. You have a wide variety of members with diverse background and experience. It is necessary to be able to effectively communicate your business ideas and goals to them and to communicate what make a great referral for you. In my line of work, I tend to speak in straight up DORK. Now, I have brought it down to a slight dweeb accent.
You learn how to forge effective partnerships with others, learning how to listen as well as speak (as previously mentioned). The motto is givers gain, and it is not just a sappy one liner. The more you work to develop the personal and professional relationships within the group, the more you get from the group and the experience as a whole. Each person not only can impart wisdom from years of experience, but your clients and other non-BNI associates will benefit from your acquisition of knowledge as well as your ability to refer experience professional from a diverse array of professions and backgrounds.
Nothing like telling a client, “I got someone for that…”
You will most likely find your “other” in the group. It is that one profession that you just have to have (mortgage broker and real estate agent, web design and computer fixer guy, etc) – they just fit together. This is the low hanging fruit and this keeps the pocketbook happy while you spend the time and effort to train the rest of your BNI associates as your own sales staff.
BNI is a commitment. This isn’t an optional thing, and you can show up late. It is a weekly appointment, just like any other meeting. Some find it hard to make an hour a week commitment to the program. Others find it hard to make the commitment of the 1000 plus dollars it will cost over the course of the year for dues and meeting fees. And to you, you may be right, BNI may not be for you, but it was, and still is for me.
This isn’t a cure all, and should only be used as a small part of your overall business plan, I have seen some sink all their eggs into the BNI basket and wonder why they don’t do the business they want. I have more than paid for my dues and fees a half a dozen time over, and I am still the new guy. I can’t wait to see what happens as I grow and help build the group.
If you are in the DC area and want to stop by a chapter to see if BNI is right for you or you just want to knwo a bit more about BNI, take a look at our website at http://www.bni-gaithersburg.com
Business | Comments (0)