Guest Post: Is BNI right for you?

Business Networking International is what it says: an international organization of business networking groups with chapters literally all over the world: 5150 chapters in 39 countries.

It's a very structured environment that requires commitment from its members, centered around a weekly early morning meeting.

I am often asked by clients whether BNI is the right group to join. Of course the answer is always, "It depends."

After the jump are the pros (and a couple cons) from Patrice Robertie of Acorn Advertising in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Two major “pluses”

1. All of a sudden, I know a group of great local resource people - a helpful computer tech guy, a terrific plumber, a health insurance expert who gave me one piece of advice that saved me $300 a month on my health insurance - that’s $3600 a year … that alone will pay my BNI dues for 9 years! And because I am a BNI member, I can call any member anywhere, mention the connection and they will be willing to take a few minutes to help a fellow BNI-er.
2. I think I do better with networking with people I know at least a little rather than with complete strangers. Practicing at BNI meetings and having that connection has made networking easier for me, and made me much more likely to do it and enjoy doing it. And by 8:30AM every Tuesday, I leave the meetings pleased that the day is just getting started and I’ve already done some serious networking. BNI is great for somewhat shy people. Many Chapters don’t currently have the creative professions (copywriter, designer, web designer & etc.) represented … and BNI members (and their contacts) definitely have a need for creative services.

More pluses:

• Since it takes more of a commitment of time and interest, the people who join BNI tend to be more serious about growing their businesses than, say, the average member of the average chamber of commerce.
• Thanks to the structured agenda of the meetings, they are out by 8:30AM on the dot. (That’s a point of pride at BNI.) It’s a beautifully efficient use of time.
• Everyone gets a chance to talk about their business weekly, so members get lots of practice getting comfortable quickly and concisely explaining what they do and who they help … in a low-pressure, friendly environment.
• As opposed to one-off networking events, you get to know the people in your BNI chapter and they get to know you over time. It fits right in with what Ilise has been writing about lately - the benefit of face-to-face networking, where you get a better feeling for what other folks do, and which ones might be a good fit for a business relationship.
• As opposed to groups like Rotary or Lions, there are no luncheons to attend or outside community volunteer work. And since BNI only allows one person in each category per Chapter, you don’t have to compete against other people who do exactly what you do in your Chapter meetings. (I hold the Advertising/Marketing chair in my Chapter.)
• There are BNI Chapters world-wide, including hundreds in the US and 98 in my tiny state of Massachusetts, so chances are there are Chapters near you. Every meeting runs in basically the same way, but there are subtle differences, so it would be wise to visit a few Chapters to see if you like the people in the group and the meeting time/place. (I had planned to visit 5 Chapters, and was so impressed with the third one that I joined them. Happily, it was also the one closest to my house, though I would have been willing to drive up to 30 minutes for a good fit.)
• BNI also has tons of resources for learning how to become a successful networker - classes, books, newsletters, e-letters. A lot of it is free or available at a very minimal price. Definitely quite a lot of distilled networking knowledge available through the BNI web site (www.bni.com).

On the minus side:

• The vast majority of BNI meetings take place on weekday mornings at 7AM.
• The very organized schedule of a BNI meeting will probably not appeal to people who have a strong primary need to rebel against set schedules/meeting agendas.

If you have any questions about BNI or the BNI experience, post them here and I will be happy to answer them myself or get an authoritative answer for you from either my Chapter folks or BNI Massachusetts.

Comments

[Stephanie Todd]

I tried it. It's not for me. I just can't get comfortable in those type of referral groups. I have a guilt complex. lol So I feel like I have to have massive amounts of referrals each week in order to feel like I'm contributing to the group. And, it's just not a comfortable setting for me to build relationships. I don't like the idea of meeting up to trade referrals, when I really have no clue about any of the other group members quality of service. Just can't get with it.

[Kelly Rozadowski]

I've been involved with Leadshare and BNI groups for about 3 years. I definitely benefited from the practice of a delivering a 60 second blurb on a regular basis and a 10 minute presentation on occasion, but the cons outweighed the pros in the end. While you it's true that you can develop relationships within this kind of group, those relationships can be as much a liability as an asset. Members of a referral group are linked by association, and if you give someone a referral and they bungle it, it reflects poorly on them but also on you. Most groups will say they carefully screen potential members, but the fact is that few applications are turned down and a group is only as good as its members.

I've experienced a better ROI by seeking referrals from my happy customers and by getting more involved in committees through my chamber of commerce.

If you're just starting out, BNI can be a great way to learn how to network and to meet a bunch of people quickly, but in time, you may realize that you're always meeting the same kinds of people and they may or may not be beneficial to your business.

[Ginger Donnan]

I went to two BNI chapter meetings and ended up starting to form another (due to location and my market, not because the other chapters weren't doing great things). Personally, I'm tired of networking receptions where people are in it for the drinks, rather than doing business. I like the concept of give first and you naturally get. If anyone is interested in learning more about our new Hudson County chapter, contact me!

[Paula Skaper]

BNI is a great place to find business if you are a solopreneur or your best clients are solopreneurs or small office / home office businesses. I've tried a couple of BNI chapters, and while the people are lovely and the benefits of practising my elevator pitch in front of an audience every week has some value, I haven't found the group to be a strong potential source of the kind of business that's my agency's bread and butter. My networking time each week is limited, so I put my time and effort into being places I know my clients are likely to be.

[AP]

I've been thinking about this topic more and more lately since the idea of joining a BNI has been presented to me on more than one occassion.

I am not a BNI supporter, nor have I ever been affiliated with the group. Yet, I have close contacts that are current members and they've given me some insight I'd like to share here.

First, I think that referrals are just a portion of one's business as in an exact percntage depending on your business model.
You cannot expect the BNI group to generate all of your business leads.

Based on previous comments, sometimes SEO, PPC or asking for referrals from happy customers might have lead to more immediate business/results. Therefore, the examples above suggest that there are more effective marketing techniques out there that might be less expensive and less time consuming.

Then again, there are some intangible benefits as what was stated in terms of speaking regularly and maybe even having access to their free, educational materials.

What I have heard from current members is that their system is selfselecting. In other words, they expect people to quit. In fact, one member told me that as part of there "homework," in addition to meeting once a week as a group, the members are expected/required to meet one on one with other members in their group so that they can get to know each other's business more intimately. At these one on one, they essentially learn whether or not they would refer that individual business. When the relatiosnhip is not solid, they generally not refer each other. When one person is not receiving referrals, they are likely to quit. In which case, the group looks to replace that person/profession, and the cycle begins again.

I've often heard the current memebers that I know of that BNI works as long as the group keeps growing, which is amazing to me since they only allow only one member from each profession.

My contact said soemthing like "I would never refer the handyman in my group becuase I've hired him and it was a disaster."

Point Blank: Your reputation is your word. When you recommend someone, the assumption is that you already qualified the individual you are referring.

Forced referrals just sounds unnatural to me. The other thing that happens in some cases is that members refer people not motivated to uy just to refer as to not look like they are not committed. . .

Just lots of things to consider when you think about whether or not BNI is right for you.