Does anyone have experience with BNI (Business Networking International)?

Thank you so much Sarah. great insights. That is my experience as well when dealing with firms of all sizes....referrals are absolutely key. Even when I had to make financially significant vendor selection decisions in my previous roles, having a vendor who comes recommended by another colleague I trust, made all the difference.

I'm curious, have you joined BNI? It was suggested to me that I join as well, so I'm checking them out. Do you think they'll provide you with the types of referrals that you are looking for?

BNI is a very effective networking group. As a five year member, a founding member and the group's first president, I can tell you that BNI works. You key to success is to understand that the more quality referrals you give, the more you will receive. Attend as many meetings as you can. Always send a substitute. Visit as man chapters as you can, Be sure to have a one on one with each member of your chapter at least once every six months. These meetings help you to get to know each other. This is also a chance to understand how best to generate referrals for each other. Join a good BNI Chapter. You will be glad you did. I moved to a different country. However, a visit my chapter is a highlight of return visits

I was a member of BNI for 2+ years. I think in terms of the cost and business referrals, I broke even. However, due to the size of my group, which was under 20, we constantly had group turnover, lack of enthusiasm, lack of leadership, so the amount of time I spent at BNI meetings and functions was not worth my time.

That said, having visited other chapters in other parts of the State (New Hampshire, by the way), when the group had 25+ members, it was almost electric and the amount of business that was discussed was exciting.

Diane - to answer your question, no I have not joined but will be considering it. A friend of a friend is very active in it and got a lot of value, which is what prompted me to want to investigate further. I like the concept enough to want to know more.

Hi,
I have belonged to BNI for the past 3 years. I decided to do it to get an education in improving my business networking and marketing skills. I thought of it to some degree as a class I was taking in business skills. The results were interesting and varied.

I am a graphic designer and a copywriter, and the first chapter I belonged to I was web and print designer. I got one very big project out of it and several smaller ones. In the chapter I was just in, I got a lot of smaller, "pocket money" contracts from BNI members and their referrals.

The problem with BNI regarding my rpofession is that the average member, a real estate agent, for instance, or an insurance salesperson, has no idea how my business works. Their cost expectations were unreasonabe—they literally had no clue what graphic designers charge. So, for instance, when I charged the mortgage broker $300 for a beautiful 1-page brochure—which is so cheap, it's almost unfair to my designer peers—she thought I was overcharging her. She called me over and over late at night to make small corrections. She had me re-write the copy a million times. And she just didn't get that my price did not include printing charges.

The other problem with BNI was that it's a corporation, so they can throw you out for no reason whatsoever. If you piss off the President because you charged her for 4 hours of work but she's annoyed because it did not result in a newsletter because her computers were so lame they failed to produce what they should have produced had she maintained them—and she's friends with the mortgage broker who thinks you ripped her off (but really she ripped YOU off), then you're screwed.

Anyway, I am currently bitter about being a graphic designer in BNI and have noticed this position turns over all the time, because people don't "get" what we do. And all the nasty group psychology that happens in high school happens in BNI—but you're all grown up. So I am feeling quite irritated with this company. For after all, BNI is not a non-profit, it's a company, and the bottom line is, if people are willing to do the extra work to run it, the bigwigs don't give a whit about how crazy their decisions are.

It's very interesting to see the huge disparity in opinions around BNI! Thank you all for sharing. I did make the decision to join and have been a member for over a month now. So far the experience has been very positive. The team is around 27 members and growing and there's a lot of good energy and decent number of referrals going around. As far as the financial investment is concerned, all it takes for me to recover that is one small referral so it won't be an issue. The investment in time is the more relevant factor, and it will take a few months to see if it pays off. So far the signs are positive from my perspective. As it was said before, the experience you'll have is truly a function of the team you happen to join. It can vary dramatically.

Hey Nick,

I would just like to confirm some of the comments made here. BNI is a success if the members of each chapter make it a success. Statistics I have seen that referrals and closed business (money) goes up near exponentially with more members per chapter.

Where your time is concerned, I would suggest you treat your BNI meeting and members as an integral part of your business, instead of "something I do on the side. Or something I am poking a stick at."

I would also suggest you give it the full year before you check your results, not just a couple of months. People do not know you and thus will reserve their "good or great" referrals until they know you and the quality of your work. Hence why you may get a bunch of personal referrals up front.

Lastly, most chapters around the country offer great, low cost training on how to properly network. This can apply to not only BNI but with chambers of commerce, rotarys etc.

BNI has been a great investment in my business and when you look at the cost versus other forms of advertising, it is hands down far more valuable per dollar spent.

Good Luck

Josh

Interesting to see these comments. I'm a bni member, and I agree with the web designer, that these small businesspeople don't "get" web design and copywriting. I'm a copywriter/editor, and I've had a dismal experience with my bni chapter. I've been a member for a year and gotten not one cent of business from my chapter. People pass me referrals, but the business never pans out. The members or the referrals they give me balk at my very reasonable prices, or they simply don't call me back. However, I've given over $15,000 of my business to bni members in the last year. Not all of that has worked out well, either. I had a roofer who told me he was going to fix my roof and then never came back, a mortgage broker who said he'd call back with a quote on a refinance but never called back, an air conditioning repairman who did a "tuneup" of my system and then had to come back 2 months later when the compressor blew out, and an insurance broker who sold me property insurance and then came back later and asked for a bigger premium because he said my house was under-assessed and needed more insurance. These are all members of my chapter. I am getting ready to quit the chapter because of all the problems, and the lack of business I'm getting out of it. Maybe BNI works for some people, but not for me.

I joined BNI several months ago and have found it helpful in several ways.

1) I receive referrals that I wouldn't otherwise and this has led to work that has paid off my membership dues.

2) I see very talented businesspeople in action and have an opportunity to learn from them.

3) It gets me out of my home office and interacting with people on a regular basis.

I am a copywriter and I think the key to getting work is educating other members about what you do and how you can help them. You can do that during your weekly infomercial and again when you the meeting speaker -- which I will be for the first time this week. (wish me luck).

So in closing I'd say BNI is worth considering, especially if you have a large and active group.

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