So What is this BNI?

BNI, Business Networking International, is a worldwide organization dedicated to building business through referrals. You join a chapter (for a rather substantial fee), and in return you receive training — and are able to attend meetings. The process works best when you diligently attend the weekly meetings. The meetings are highly structured.

• They start with officers’ reports – how much business has been generated so far this year, number of referrals, new member applications and so on.
• Then there is an educational segment, usually something learned from a business related book, or from BNI corporate.
• Going around the room, everyone has a minute to talk about their business and to ask for referrals.
• Next two members give more in-depth eight minute talks about their businesses. This is where you learn about other businesses in more depth, and get to know other members better so you’re more comfortable referring business to them.

Schuyler Hatt, president, closing the meeting of the Crossroad Connections in Delmar, NY.

• Finally we go around the room another time, and referrals are announced, on one on one meetings and  money earned through referrals from BNI members are reported.

I had heard about BNI for years and was pretty skeptical. I was afraid that people would be too pushy, that I would have trouble delivering leads and would be shamed, or it would be a bunch of dull people who just talked over coffee and didn’t get much business done. I had also heard from people I trust that it had not worked well for them.

So I had ignored BNI for years.

Then I met the president of the Pittsfield, MA BNI at another networking event. She is a graphic designer, a business closely related to our web development and marketing business. She said BNI had been great for her, and she would like to partner with us on projects, and perhaps form a “power team”. She was nice, professional, and not pushy at all.  I went to their visitor’s day, and was very impressed. I liked them talking a lot about “Givers Gain” rather than everyone focusing on how you have to help them. Nice spin.

It turned out that there was another member who felt our businesses over lapped, so I reached out to local BNI managers to see if there was another chapter nearby that did not have a web developer.

At the end of the meeting, names are drawn from the referral slips, and each eight minute speaker gives a present. Here Erik Lehtinen is posing with his new mirror from Patrick Honda, P&C Promotional Printing.

I went to a meeting of the Crossroads Connection in Delmar, NY and was again impressed by the amount of business being passed around. They were having a cocktail party mixer with another chapter later that week and they invited me so I could get a broader sense of what goes on at BNI. This was terrific because I was able to talk to people in the other chapter about how their web development member has done. I was told he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in referrals. Well, that did it.

Not only were people nice, professional and low key, they were learning from each other and making money. How very nice.

So, I joined the Delmar chapter two months ago. I’ve given referrals and people have taken excellent care of my clients and friends. When you see each other every week, there is strong incentive to treat referrals well.

So far I have received two referrals, one for writing and one for a new web site — both for other members. I’m told that it takes time to get referrals. People have to get to know you and trust you.

Our chapter has a powerful group centered around real estate: a lawyer, a realtor, a loan broker, a contractor, a home inspector, a specialty cleaner (“moldman”) and a roofer — all are able to give each other a substantial number of referrals. We are working on bringing in more members who’s businesses sell to other businesses (B2B).

If you would like to try out a meeting, please come to the Normanside Country Club at the end of Salisbury Road in Delmar, NY any Wednesday morning at 7:30 am. Please feel free to ask questions here or shoot me an email. To learn more, go to the Northeast NY BNI web site, or look at our chapter’s list of members and professions.