BNI -- Business Network International

[Likestomow]

Recently I joined a networking group called BNI. There are about 30+ professionals that meet for the sole purpose of exchanging leads. We meet at a restaurant at 7a on Wednesdays for about 1.5 hours. So far I've received about 5-6 leads. Anyone else in a BNI group?

[Nathan]

Sounds like basically the same thing as most cities chamber of commerce.

[Ssouth]

they have a group in my area just like that. They only allow one representative from each field.( Insurance, realty, banking etc..)There is not currently anyone in the Green industry in this group. I have though about joining. The only thing is that most of these people are in more mainstream types of business and all wear suits. I'm not intimidated by them, I just don't know if I have anything to offer in return. Now that my season is letting up I may try to look into this. Seems like it would be a great way to get my name out to some people who are established in my town.

[Nathan]

Ssouth, that is exactly the type of people who use our services. They also might be working for companies who need maint. services for their business complexes.

[Likestomow]

The whole point of meeting is to bring and share leads. I try to find leads for all the others, but it's not easy for me. The rest of the people are in the business main stream all day long, so they have more contact with the public.

The people are suits, but they are lots of fun to be with. They make me feel very comfortable and at ease. Everyone gets one minute to make a presentation at every meeting, so everyone gets to know what you do, and what a good lead for you is.

I've been there for about a month now, and even though it's winter, I figure the others will need some time to get to know me before they really get comfortable enough to pass on names of their friends.

[ParksLandscaping]

I joined BNI back in October. It looks like some positives things are going to come out of this experience. If you have a BNI group in your area, I would recommend it to anyone, large or small.

David Parks

Parks Landscaping

[Skookum]

Join the Elks, Moose Lodge, Shriners, American Legion, Athletic Club, etc... all these type places you make contacts minus the suits.

[Vandora Lawn & Landscape]

Don't forget churches.

[Greenkeepers]

Lodges, churches, athletic, all of them get your name out there and is the best possible advertising. Once you get a member of a lodge or something they all talk and like to use the same people.

How did you find out about this BNI thing??

[Likestomow]

To find a local contact for BNI, go to http://www.bni.com

Their slogan is:

"A professional business referral organization,
where personal referrals are the best way to get
and keep business."

[jaclawn]

What is the cost to join?

[Strongmd]

I was a member of BNI in my town for over a year. It's got it's goods and bads. It costs a few hundred a year. If you've got employees and you don't have your act together real well, it can be tough going at 7a.m. If you join, you'll probably find yourself one of the only contractors there. Lots of professionals, always a real estate broker, mortgage lender, etc. etc. If you're not a good networker, you can learn a lot from it. You have to stand up and speak in front of everyone every week, and once every couple of months you have to do a 10 minute presentation on your company and what sort of referral you're looking for. If you give a lot of referrals to the others in the group, you're more likely to get referrals. Depending on how you work the system, you could score some amazing business. However, it does get old after a while. I definitely made my money back, but started to get sick of it.
Matt Strong
Forever Green

[brentsawyer]

Went to first meeting yesterday and enjoyed it thouroughly so I wanted to bring this back up. Yes, most are in suits. However, this beats meeting with other contractors, why, no competition. The group I was with did however have a builder, that could turn into something, however I have strict policies about payment. If you are a member or have been, I'm interested in your stories and experiences in gaining BUSINESS.

[Chuck Sinclair]

It's not worth the money, i joined last year it was a complete waste of money.