What is BNI?
From the moment we started attending networking events around Liverpool. We began hearing about a networking group called BNI which stands for Business Networking International.
As you are most likely aware as a business owner – the reviews/feedback you hear about BNI can be confusing. From the reviews/feedback we received a handful of businesses said it was not for their business but on the other hand, the same amount of businesses said 30% – 40% of their turnover is from BNI.
Those who believe in the BNI concept then go on to bring other quality businesses into the group that are looking to increase their turnover.
Helping each-other, being part of a close network and having somewhere to belong is ultimately why the BNI project initially began and continues to grow at a rapid pace in today’s marketing industry.
Why & How it works?
Jean Paul Getty (15th Dec 1892 – 6th June 1976) became the richest man alive during the course of his lifetime. He had a saying: I’d rather have 1% of the effort of 100 men than 100% of my own effort!
That’s why the BNI experience works for those business owners who embrace it and see it’s true potential.
Imagine having 10, 20 or even 40 quality respected businesses with many contacts each all on the lookout for customers that require your service. No matter what industry your in or service you provide – this type of newly found power, knowledge and far greater reach than working alone will increase the turnover of your business. Guaranteed and proven.
The groups known as chapters meet every week on a designated day during the mornings. How-ever – some groups are now creating afternoon and evening meetings to accommodate for all business requirements.
Each group is limited to only one single provider only for each solution/service. i.e. One Web Design company only, One IT Support company, One Graphic Design company and so forth. This guarantees the members that all requirements for their service/solution is given to them alone, which is how you return any investment made to be part of BNI and profit.
To start the meeting each individual member of the group has 60 seconds to explain what they provide and who they are trying to meet or get on board as a customer.
Knowing this – the whole group has the opportunity to search their contacts back at their office or keep a eye open for those that may know who your looking, for to see if they can make that connection happen.
The next part of the meeting is all about passing referrals to members of the group that you have came across during your working week. A referral can be anything from an expression of interest and they either require a follow-up call or their calling you. To a guaranteed customer that needs your service, trusts the referring party and wants to start on their project straight away.
Following this part of the meeting – is were you get the opportunity to thank others for the referrals that actually used your service. Thank you for the business.. An end to a job well done.
In our chapter – the morning completes with a well deserved full English breakfast and the ability to speak freely with the members of the group and the new visitors who attend the chapter on a regular basis to find out more about BNI.
With the above explained – you can clearly see that the power of numbers and being able to tap into members resources is a powerful business tool to possess.
The additional benefit is attending regular meetings that keep you dedicated and focused on your own business goals/targets is an extra bonus.
What it means to us and how it helps?
DigitalConfig are members of the St George BNI Liverpool chapter that meet every Tuesday morning in the Liner hotel on Lord Nelson Street Liverpool next to Lime Street Station.
Even though we provide Remote IT Support, Web Development & Graphic Design in Liverpool, we hold the position/seat to provide Website Design & Development only within the group. We are the only members who provide all web technology to all referrals the group send our way.
BNI also helps us stay focused on our business goals and objectives as we consistently attend the weekly meetings and push ourselves to actively seek potential customers and/or referrals.
Finally – it broadens our business contacts and extends our offline marketing reach. Before joining BNI our business had all the right tools, but needed that extra push on customers to bring the business to it’s full potential. Since joining – we have achieved just that.
Conclusion
After attending BNI ourselves personally – we can clearly see why many people see the benefits and possibly some don’t. This simply boils down to whether your business is ready for that step up.
If all your services are in place. Your dedicated, all is going well for your existing customers and you want to grow the business – then this type of networking is perfect for you.
Those that are not in that position will still benefit from BNI, but they won’t enjoy the experience because they are far too busy building the business in the start-up stages making BNI become an extra chore to take care of, thus creating a negative feeling about being part of it.
What many businesses don’t know is that they can actually attend a BNI chapter as a visitor to see if it’s right for them before making any commitment. If it is – they join, if it isn’t their time just yet – then they attend for the day and make new contacts.
We have personally seen visitors who attend a few chapters to test things out make money before they even join up – so it’s worth coming along for these reasons alone.
If you would like to attend a BNI group – then contact us and or visit our St George BNI page.
We look forward to hearing from you and are more than happy to welcome you to our group as a visitor so you can find out more for yourself.
DIGITAL CONFIG team.