Anyone heard of BNI?
Discussion
Networking group, with a pretty high cost attached. In Ireland its €600/year + €130 first year + vat on both. Then €10/week to cover the meeting room and breakfast.
Pretty strict rules, miss two meeting in a 6 month period and you are out.
Its a mix of people like in any walk of life. Some live and breath it and will never leave, others join and leave very quickly, for lots of reasons.
Some sectors seem to better than others. The IT guy always gets work, as does the printer.
It's worth going along to as a visitor, you can visit twice, you might pick up some work from it. You don't have to join.
Just watch out for the MLM people it seems to attract...... The next one of.them to tell me I can be making money while I am sleeping is getting a slap.
Pretty strict rules, miss two meeting in a 6 month period and you are out.
Its a mix of people like in any walk of life. Some live and breath it and will never leave, others join and leave very quickly, for lots of reasons.
Some sectors seem to better than others. The IT guy always gets work, as does the printer.
It's worth going along to as a visitor, you can visit twice, you might pick up some work from it. You don't have to join.
Just watch out for the MLM people it seems to attract...... The next one of.them to tell me I can be making money while I am sleeping is getting a slap.
Networking group, with a pretty high cost attached. In Ireland its €600/year + €130 first year + vat on both. Then €10/week to cover the meeting room and breakfast.
Pretty strict rules, miss two meeting in a 6 month period and you are out.
Its a mix of people like in any walk of life. Some live and breath it and will never leave, others join and leave very quickly, for lots of reasons.
Some sectors seem to better than others. The IT guy always gets work, as does the printer.
It's worth going along to as a visitor, you can visit twice, you might pick up some work from it. You don't have to join.
Just watch out for the MLM people it seems to attract...... The next one of.them to tell me I can be making money while I am sleeping is getting a slap.
Pretty strict rules, miss two meeting in a 6 month period and you are out.
Its a mix of people like in any walk of life. Some live and breath it and will never leave, others join and leave very quickly, for lots of reasons.
Some sectors seem to better than others. The IT guy always gets work, as does the printer.
It's worth going along to as a visitor, you can visit twice, you might pick up some work from it. You don't have to join.
Just watch out for the MLM people it seems to attract...... The next one of.them to tell me I can be making money while I am sleeping is getting a slap.
I joined and left pretty fast. Wasn't into the whole 'pledge your soul' routine on joining and couldn't get on with strictness/chapter based setup. I kept thinking 'cult' and it just wasn't for me.
That said, my business was hi-tech B2B services so not really useful for me. I reckon if you were a landscape Gardner, trainer, freelance something or other you could get a lot of work from it...
That said, my business was hi-tech B2B services so not really useful for me. I reckon if you were a landscape Gardner, trainer, freelance something or other you could get a lot of work from it...
I joined it but it was a nightmare. They are very strict. Out the door if you miss two meetings. You won't geet a sniff of any work for a while until they trust you. You have to bring in work for everyone else as well each week. You need at least one job for another member or they make you feel like a leper. Where I am they are dying a death. Also you really need there to be at least 25 in the chapter for it to work. Insurance guys, printers, trades all do not bad but if you are in a less know market you might get nothing. Up at 6am for the 6.45 start on cold Thursday mornings every week can be tiring. Go for the two visits and don't get talked into it with the sales pish.
Some "chapters" are less strict about missing meetings, if the group is small, say 20 or less, they don't want to throw people out. The is a cut off point in terms of member numbers where it no longer functions.
You could offer to sub for members. Members can send someone in their place if they can't attend. You have to do their pitch but also get an opportunity to pitch your own business.
You could offer to sub for members. Members can send someone in their place if they can't attend. You have to do their pitch but also get an opportunity to pitch your own business.
It works really well for me - BUT it does depend on the 'feel' of the individual chapter. Although they all run to a standard format, some seems to have the life & soul sucked out of them by anal Chapter/Area/Asst Directors and others have a more relaxed feel.
I was put off it by a bad experience many years ago (circled by sharks in suits as soon as I entered) but went along to this one as a guest of someone I respect. The (then) Chapter Director was also a friend so that helped.
It's got a good, relaxed feel but a lot of business gets done too. Yes, it suits some more than others (trades do well as they form little co-operative cliques) but in ours, there's not too much pressure to bring referrals as it's understood to be easier for some than others. Thwere are other ways of contributing of course. Bringing visitors, giving testimonials etc.
I've found it very worthwhile in my line (SEO, Social Media & PPC) but I also know that if I'd visited some other groups, I wouldn't have even joined. Luck of the draw so don't be afraid to visit several & see how they each interpret the 'standard agenda' differently.
We must be doing something right, in the top 50 Chapters in the Country.
HTH, any specific questions (or if anyone's on Merseyside & would like to come along as a guest - no charge, no obligation) then feel free to ask on here or via PM.
Cheers.
I was put off it by a bad experience many years ago (circled by sharks in suits as soon as I entered) but went along to this one as a guest of someone I respect. The (then) Chapter Director was also a friend so that helped.
It's got a good, relaxed feel but a lot of business gets done too. Yes, it suits some more than others (trades do well as they form little co-operative cliques) but in ours, there's not too much pressure to bring referrals as it's understood to be easier for some than others. Thwere are other ways of contributing of course. Bringing visitors, giving testimonials etc.
I've found it very worthwhile in my line (SEO, Social Media & PPC) but I also know that if I'd visited some other groups, I wouldn't have even joined. Luck of the draw so don't be afraid to visit several & see how they each interpret the 'standard agenda' differently.
We must be doing something right, in the top 50 Chapters in the Country.
HTH, any specific questions (or if anyone's on Merseyside & would like to come along as a guest - no charge, no obligation) then feel free to ask on here or via PM.
Cheers.
...oh & while I think on.
Don't worry too much about missing meetings. Really, you don't want to as your chair there has cost you good money so you want to get your money's worth! But you'll soon find a couple of tame substitutes that are happy to stand in for you when needed. (Even if you're a one man band, it's done wonders for expanding my circle of contacts).
Don't worry too much about bringing referrals - EVERYONE worries about that when they start but it actually seems to happen quite naturally after a while even if you've a fairly limited client base - part of it is just keeping an ear open.
It takes awhile for people to get to know you so do hold extra one-to-one meetings as much as you can so people get to know you & your biz. I reckon it took 3 months just to educate people wehat the hell it was that I did - but now I've never been busier.
Don't worry too much about missing meetings. Really, you don't want to as your chair there has cost you good money so you want to get your money's worth! But you'll soon find a couple of tame substitutes that are happy to stand in for you when needed. (Even if you're a one man band, it's done wonders for expanding my circle of contacts).
Don't worry too much about bringing referrals - EVERYONE worries about that when they start but it actually seems to happen quite naturally after a while even if you've a fairly limited client base - part of it is just keeping an ear open.
It takes awhile for people to get to know you so do hold extra one-to-one meetings as much as you can so people get to know you & your biz. I reckon it took 3 months just to educate people wehat the hell it was that I did - but now I've never been busier.
evo4a said:
I stood up, week in week out for a 2 years explaining that I produced handmade kitchens starting from £30,000.
When a long term member gave me a referral to "repair a deck chair" I decided to call it a day.
When a long term member gave me a referral to "repair a deck chair" I decided to call it a day.
Oh bloody hell mate - I feel for you there, but can't stop laughing too (sorry). I was a member for a few years, everything has been covered really for me it depends on the line of work you're in... Printers, painters and decorators, jewellers, financial advisers always did well where I was, I didn't make that much money from it and as the years went on it was less and less so jacked it in.
I think you really have to think is this for you and the gains/time spent may not add up
I think you really have to think is this for you and the gains/time spent may not add up
anonymous said:
[redacted]
You make some very good points. Most of which I agree with 100%, especially the point about the area directors.I will say though that every "chapter" is different. A lot of it depends on the "top table" and who is running the show. When I first joined the top table was a collection of BNI members that had been in the group for 5+ years and were well and truly versed in BNI speak.
A lot of it is very mechanised and American in its approach, that part does not sit well with me. An example of this is when someone finishes their 60 second pitch they trot out a catch phrase and the room repeats it back like a bunch of brain washed morons. Thankfully this did not happen in the chapter I was in.
We had a visitors evening once, we as a group managed to get 30+ visitors to come along. It was a recruitment drive, plain and simple. The group needs new fresh members to come in or it will not work. We had an area director come down (he wanted £200 for the wisdom he was going to give us, he didn't get it).
You could see people roll their eyes and pull faces when he started saying things like and I quote "if you dont join tonight, do not come crying to me on monday morning when your category has been taken by someone else who was brave enough to make the decision tonight".
I made it quite clear that if he ever showed his face at an visitor evening again I would be leaving, as did others. He turned what was a friendly, open, professional meeting of business people into a hard sell pyramid scheme sounding event.
Another thing about the area directors that really gets me going is, who the hell are you to tell me how I should be running my business and getting referrals for the group. All the ones I have come across have not been successful in their own line of business, if they were surely they would be running said business and not telling me how to run mine.
Which leads me on to my last point, you mention that some of the group seemed to be doing quite well for themselves. My experience is members are only there until they get busy enough to not need to come looking for business. It is a big time commitment and I cant see how someone who is flat out making money could afford the time to turn up every week.
The worst part for me was that I felt some of the members were just s
te, and peddling snake oil, and as such, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone for fear of tarnishing my own professional reputation. So if I'm not bringing them work, they sure as hell won't be bringing it to me...
Agree with your assessment, sadly. I guess it just doesn't work for everyone and is very group dependent.
te, and peddling snake oil, and as such, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone for fear of tarnishing my own professional reputation. So if I'm not bringing them work, they sure as hell won't be bringing it to me...Agree with your assessment, sadly. I guess it just doesn't work for everyone and is very group dependent.
Disastrous said:
The worst part for me was that I felt some of the members were just ste, and peddling snake oil, and as such, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone for fear of tarnishing my own professional reputation.
And nor should you. Trust & reputation are important. Shame that you've got some snake oil guys, in my experience they usually inhabit the cheaper forms of networking but they do get everywhere!te, and peddling snake oil, and as such, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone for fear of tarnishing my own professional reputation. Gassing Station | Business | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff