BNI – a newbie’s experience
I’ve written about BNI, I’ve read about BNI but, until this morning, I had never experienced the phenomenon that is a BNI meeting.
Along with the rest of the Suncoast Internet team, I had been invited to the BNI Team Winning Edge (Kawana Chapter) Big Breakfast meeting at the Maroochy Surf Club. The aim of this one off event was to sign up more members to Team Winning Edge and make it the biggest BNI group in the world. On the day there was an impressive turnout of more than 130 local business leaders.
After ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ at the fabulous ocean view from the surf club’s panoramic windows, it was great to be able to mill about with a coffee and put faces to names of some of the business people that my colleagues have been dealing with over the last few months. Then it was down to what BNI is all about – business.
First up, after some introductions from the president and other committee members, individuals around the room had the opportunity to stand up and give their 60 second infomercial; the chance to describe their business and sell their services. If they were anything less than confident about public speaking, these members could have been forgiven for quaking in their shoes at this point. However, they knew they were among friends and seemed to have finely tuned their public speaking skills through being at BNI.
Then came the chance to pass on referrals; the core of BNI activity. Members passed on referral slips to other members containing the details of potential clients that would be interested in their business services. It was also the opportunity to give thanks for closing business on referrals and to give testimonials on services provided by BNI members. Think about it – where else would you get the opportunity of having somebody say really great things about your business in front of so many people?
By the end of the session, around $16000 worth of business had been passed between members. All that and a yummy hot breakfast too! It was all pretty awe inspiring stuff but what was clear was that in being a BNI member, you certainly get out of it what you put into it. You can’t stand on the sidelines watching and expect to reap the benefits of having lots of referrals; you have to do your bit and act as business marketer on behalf of your BNI colleagues otherwise your credibility as a business networker will be compromised. As our CEO Andrew Plimmer – president of Team Winning Edge – likes to explain, BNI is a system and, if you follow the system, it works really well.
Well this particular blogger has been so impressed and well fed this morning that I’m off to spread the BNI word… and I’m not even a BNI member!
Rebecca
Tags: BNI
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My experience with BNI was similar at the start, and I did join. But, I found it really difficult to refer people each week. Being a designer and working from home limits the people I see each week, even though I do hang out at the local cafe. I did get some referrals from the members of the group, but that’s about as far as it went. Anyway, with 130 members, you’d probably get lots of work.
The success of a BNI group certainly does depend on the individual team members and their ability to network on behalf of their BNI colleagues when they are out in the real world. They certainly need to be on the lookout for potential clients for their colleagues at all times. And as Andrew, our CEO, likes to say, “Givers gain”!
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