Does anyone belong to BNI?

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hangupsinc

Grumbler
Joined
Mar 11, 2005
Posts
16
Loc
Midland, Michigan
Do any of you belong to or have belonged to your local chapter of BNI? (Business Network International) I have a customer that keeps inviting me. I have researched it on the net and in theory it seems good, but I get a little bit of a pyramid scheme feel when looking at their website. Maybe I'm just overly cautious.
 
I joined up with BNI last year, and it's been pretty good for me. The people in the group have brought work to me, and referred other people to me as well. So far the ROI is 5:1.

The good thing about BNI, vs. some other networking groups, is exclusivity. You will be the only framer. And you won't find yourself swarmed with wave after wave of insurance agents and mortgage brokers. In our group, we have a massage therapist, a dentist, a chiropracter, a contractor, an accountant, a lawyer, a hypnotherapist, a guy who buys and sells cars for people, a photographer, a dog walker, and various others.

That being said, not every BNI chapter is the same. I suggest that you go to the meetings of several BNI chapters in your area, if possible, and meet as many of the people as possible. The right mix of people can make or break a group for you.
 
I was invited and attended 2 breakfast meetings. I haven't gone back, because, frankly, I've been too busy! I did pick up a few framing jobs as the result of being at those two meetings, and I don't think it would hurt to just go and see how you feel about it in person. I kinda felt like I was at a Rotary Club meeting.....they fined each other if they didn't wear their name badges, didn't have a written referral from another member for that week, etc. Individual chapters might behave differently, so I'd at least go check it out.
 
Val, individual chapters have their own way of doing things. Some are more regimented than others. We don't all wear nametags, but it's a good thing when there are visitors who don't know everyone. And while referrals are the preference, we want to at least see that members are making an effort to meet with other members, so that we can better understand our respective businesses and needs. Which reminds me, I'm wayyyyy behind on that...
 
hangups... your perception is valid. The directors get paid proportionally to the number of members in their respective districts (they own the franchise in their area), so there is some motive to generate numbers and not all directors care much more than that.

I still get much spam generated from email harvesters using the BNI website, even though I've asked to be removed.... 4 years ago.

There are several grumblers who have had good experiences and like many networking groups... you get out what you put in.

Our local group had a few who passed referrals to each other on a weekly basis and others.... like picture framers..... were there when they needed & expected a discount. 99% of the referrals we received were "self-referral" from within the group.

It is to the directors advantage to have several groups within a geographic area, they get the membership money. For the members, the referrals get diluted due to the overlapping groups. Exclusivity can go down the drain when one company has a category locked up in every group and another category is held by different companies for each group. The example being the same title company in each group and a different picture framer in each group. One picture framer gets all the referrals and the other gets none.
 
Thanks for your insights. The meeting is not for another couple of weeks. Maybe I will go and see what the overall feeling is that I get from this group.

Rick, thanks for your information. I was wondering about overlapping groups. A website that I went to said that if you wanted to join a group and there was already someone from your profession in it, they would let you start a new group. That made me kind of leary.

Cari
 
did it for @ 1.5 yrs---really didnt get much back from it(& the response about getting back what you put into it really isn't applicable in my case-did MANY extra things in/for the group, including holding offices)......& i really got fedup with all those little rules/regs---dont misinterpret my meaning--those are, indeed, needed but they, as a grouping, really tend to take it past moderation. our group had almost 50 when I dropped out and it just wasnt working for almost everyone....maybe the area, maybe the people mix---dont know! only ones making anything on the deal were the directors.
recently joined different group--similar to purpose (but not structure)... MUCH more dynamic, MUCH less demanding, and is begining to return results.
might work for YOU, might not---try it! Framers really need office bldg owners, developers, designers and in bni "there can be only one"---so that really really limits the possibilities from the git-go. good idea---not sure how 'practical' it is in the reality
 
You have a good point, Bill, but each person represents a world of contacts, too. So in my group, we have a residential real estate agent, as well as a commercial real estate agent. Each of their customers is a potential referral, and in the case of the commercial agent, he also has a building management line of business. And of course, they have colleagues, too -- other agents in their office, as well as agents they encounter in the course of their work.

I think an important part of making any referral group a success is identifying what a good lead is for your business. Bill just demonstrated that -- good leads for him, and for us, are building owners, developers, and designers. When you know what your good leads are, you can do a better job of letting others know, too. So my group doesn't have a decorator or designer in it, but on several occasions I've let the people in my group know that I'm interested in that kind of referral. And I hope it pays off sooner rather than later, but I'm trying!
 
We just joined about a month ago. Nothing yet, but we'll see how it goes. It seems like a good idea. The rules are a little strict but hopefully it will pay off. Wish I would have seen this thread a month ago, I might have asked more questions.
 
Like I said, BNI has been pretty good for me. If any of you would like to speak with me about it, feel free to give me a call. My website is on my profile, and you can get my store's phone number from the website.
 
I had a really good experience with BNI. I helped start a group and attended for 3 years. In the first year, I did get back some great referrals. However, as the dynamics of the group began to change, the referrals became weak. I still stay in touch with some of the original members (group started about 7 years ago). We are currently trying to get some of those original members together for a dinner or something on our own. I made some good friends and business associates that I would never have met.
 
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