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Bni Purpose And Overview

BNI India is proud to announce that we have helped members generate over 30,516 crores of business in 2021-2022. A number of key initiatives over the last 12 months have helped produce these phenomenal results.

What is the 80 20 rule BNI?
The Pareto Principle says that 20% of the people yield 80% of the results.
A BNI membership gives you access to mentors, networking experts, and a host of professional development resources through the BNI Business Builder platform, to enhance your skills and give you an edge over your competition.A BNI membership is referral networking that works! Our core value of Givers Gain® brings members together to support each other’s business growth through providing qualified referrals and opportunities.

A BNI Membership provides the right environment, training, and support to build trusted relationships that help grow business. Weekly local chapter meetings follow a structured agenda that is proven to maximize referrals.
Visiting a chapter meeting is the best way to experience firsthand, the power of a trusted business network and learn how BNI could transform the future of your business by meeting quality business professionals in your local area.

82% of Business Owners say that most of their business comes from referrals. However, most don’t have a reliable way of getting referrals consistently.
I was a 3 year old entrepreneur when I joined BNI. I had an advertising background having worked with large MNCs before becoming a numerologist coach. My biggest challenge was the inability to ‘understand how business is done. To me, BNI is a business school for small business owners. BNI is a business school where I am enrolled forever.Formed in January 1985, BNI is the largest and most successful business networking organisation in the world, helping SME businesses from 77 countries across more than 10,946 chapters scale their business over the last 38 years. BNI India offers a proven system of referral marketing that helps you grow your local business, through a trusted network of like-minded people that come together to help each other grow. We build trusted relationships. Your BNI Membership helps develop long-lasting business relationships built on a solid foundation of our time-tested core values.

Going online with BNI, has opened the many possibilities of a digital world. We’ve had many 1-2-1’s on educating people on how to reach their customers through digital storytelling, which led to our own DIY blog series. One of our biggest successes, came from the recently concluded One Degree Convention organized by BNI Ahmedabad. We are about to launch a retail brand in South India after a cross-region BNI member found our website on this platform, had a 1-2-1 with us and chose us to do the work! #BNINowMoreThanEver Thanks for going digital and the growing digital.In this situation when we are not able to meet our fellow members BNI has given us the foundation and the vision for BNI Online ™️ Shubendu Paul from BNI Ranchi – and the first BNI member from that region – talks about what made him decide to extend his membership.This value may at first seem counterintuitive but as the Apple example proves, it is the secret to success for contemporary businesses. Our traditions lay the foundation to who we are by showing where we came from. However, we must always be leading with innovation to stay current.Education and training is critical and if you are immersed and engaged in a culture of learning, you are going to be really, really successful as a business person. We believe that continuing education is critical to our members, our businesses, and our culture.

Recognition is something that we really believe in at BNI. We want to recognise people who’ve done a good job and celebrate their achievements. If you see something that deserves recognition, let others know so that they can help spread the word.The principle core value of BNI is the philosophy of givers gain. It is the idea that if I am here to help you, you will help me. We will all do better as a result. It is something that you have to apply to yourself in the way you deal with other people.

Nothing brings down the excitement, or atmosphere quicker than people who have a bad attitude. So if you want to create a great culture, keep people’s attitudes in check. A positive and supportive attitude helps foster stronger relationships and a strong culture.The best way to find out about applying to a BNI Chapter is to visit a chapter and you can find a list of our BNI Chapters here. When you visit a local chapter you will be able to experience the culture and structure of a BNI meeting and get to meet the business people involved in the chapter. If the group would be a good fit for your business and your profession is not already represented in the chapter, you may apply for the position at the end of the meeting.

BNI without rules would be a coffee club. You have to have rules. Accountability is critical to the success of the members in BNI. Knowing that your fellow members will be there to help you grow your business as you are for them.
Every member of BNI West Texas acts as a part of the marketing team for the other members of their chapter, with the aim of securing qualified business referrals for each other.The second core value is building meaningful relationships. BNI and networking is all about relationships so as you do whatever you do, ask yourself “Is this helping to build a healthy relationship?” What I am about to do, what I am about to say.The best way to find out about applying for membership to a BNI Chapter is to visit a chapter. To see a list of our BNI Chapters click here. When you visit a local chapter, you will be able to experience the culture and structure of a BNI meeting as well, you’ll meet the business people involved in the chapter. If the group is a good fit for you and your business classification is not already represented in the chapter, you may apply for the position at the end of the meeting.BNI was founded in the United States in 1985, and as of 2019, it is an international network of business professionals with approximately 8,900 chapters operating in 70 countries. Today, BNI has more than 250,000 members across the globe.

BNI meetings are usually weekly and follow a strict schedule that includes elevator pitches, member presentations and networking. BNI connect opportunities occur during members’ brief pitches and the open networking period, when members can follow up with each other after hearing the services they offer and the services they need.Whether you are starting your first company or you are a dedicated entrepreneur diving into a new venture, Bizfluent is here to equip you with the tactics, tools and information to establish and run your ventures. Because BNI chapters are individually operated, some chapters are more strict about enforcing BNI’s official rules than others. Each chapter has some freedom to interpret the BNI rules as it sees fit but must generally comply with BNI’s official guidelines. Lindsay Kramer has been a full-time writer since 2014. In that time, she’s experienced the ups, downs and crazy twists life tends to take when you’re launching, building and leading a small business. As a small business owner, her favorite aspect about writing in this field is helping other small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs become more fluent in the terminology and concepts they face in this role. Previously, she’s written on entrepreneurship for 99designs and covered business law topics for law firms.

Although many BNI members are small business owners, membership is not strictly limited to entrepreneurs. Many BNI groups include professionals who work in private practices like lawyers, accountants, real estate agents and insurance agents.

BNI operates on the principle of “what goes around, comes around.” Using this framework to understand BNI’s purpose, a member can expect to gain as much value from her membership as she puts into it. By participating in BNI meetings and referring her contacts to other members, she can grow her own business through the referrals she receives. However, it is important for any entrepreneur who is considering joining BNI to remember that every chapter is unique, and some chapters have a stronger presence, a greater commitment to business growth or simply a better fit for her business referral needs than others.
BNI is open to entrepreneurs and business leaders from all industries. In most BNI groups, members are limited according to their industries and specializations. This means that within one BNI chapter, a plumber who applies may be denied membership if there is already a plumber in the group because having two plumbers in the group can make it difficult for both of them to receive referrals and pursue leads. However, if there is already a personal injury lawyer in a BNI chapter, a real estate lawyer may be permitted to join because they would not be competing for referrals.

Becoming part of an international network of business professionals like BNI can be expensive and time consuming for an entrepreneur. In the United States, BNI membership costs $500 per year. In some chapters, the membership fee is higher in order to cover room rental costs and food expenses. Additionally, BNI officially prohibits members from being absent more than three times within a three-month period.
The primary BNI purpose is to connect entrepreneurs and other professionals with each other in a structured, development-focused setting. Members of BNI connect easily in this proactive environment that promotes verbalizing members’ business-related needs and actively pursuing leads.

Business Network International, commonly known as BNI, is a private organization developed to create meaningful relationships between business owners to drive up business. In short, BNI was created to drive word of mouth referrals by giving members the opportunity to share leads with each other and refer each other to clients in need of specific services.Joining BNI gives an entrepreneur access to an international network of business professionals. Although BNI is comprised of individual city-specific and region-specific chapters, many groups regularly host and attend mixers that give their members the opportunity to connect with members of other BNI chapters.

What is the benefit of 121 in BNI?
The 1-2-1 process allows members to deepen mutual knowledge and develop better relationships with each other. It is building this personal connection that helps to expedite the referral process. What’s key in conducting an effective 1-2-1 is that it be structured and social.
If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site, please enter your email address in the box below and click “Send”. You will then receive an email that helps you regain access.Wow, this info really blows the top off the 80/20 rule. 3-4 referrals per member per week? After 60 seconds not asking for a referral, training your marketing force to listen… Wow thank you. I have needed something exactly like this to help me persuade the chapters of the value of the fast track system. I have been promoting it for months but getting nowhere. It really needed a sound testimonial from an experienced “retired” President. I spoke to a number of BNI Directors at the recent International Conference. Without exception, every single person’s feedback was overwhelmingly positive. This is something that clearly works to help BNI Members Make More Money in less time.

These podcasts are golden. Every chance I get to listen to past recordings, it has had phenominal results in professional relationships. I also give credit to Dr. Misner throughout my upcoming books for his contributions to servant leadership.
The Pareto Principle says that 20% of the people yield 80% of the results. Chapters that find themselves in this position are usually operating at the Visibility level of the VCP process. Once you get to Credibility, you can get 80% of the members bringing results.

Jim Butcher from Capital Trust Realty, “retired” president of the East Texas and Houston East region of BNI, joins Dr. Misner to talk about how his chapter used Fast Track to ensure that every single member brings 3-4 referral every week. That’s more than 300 referrals per month, up from 100-150 before the program.

What is the core value of BNI?
The principle core value of BNI is the philosophy of givers gain. It is the idea that if I am here to help you, you will help me. We will all do better as a result. It is something that you have to apply to yourself in the way you deal with other people.
What a great reminder of how important it is for ALL members of a BNI chapter to understand the fundamentals of being part of a referral team. Great job Jim! Thank you Dr. Misner for giving us the tools to learn how to be better networkers.

We are a chapter at a point where we need to use this information to turn around. we have 20% of members doing all the running and now 80/20 rule will be given to them so we all start participating. thanks a lot SIR for this timely podcast. from BNI Prosperity Pune Maharashtra India
1 SUGGESTED PURPOSE and OVERVIEW STATEMENTS (choose one each week)1. We allow only one member from each profession into the chapter. Some enterprising companies are actually having one of their employees placed into every chapter that is opened. In our area, only one person from your business category will be able to join a chapter this year. As we grow, you will see some visitors who wish they could be members, but whose category is already BNI is a business and professional networking organization that allows one representative from each profession to join. The sole PURPOSE of the group is to give its members more business. A concise statement of the project purpose, objectives and goals. … Provide a high level overview of the project approach, including: • Whether to build or buy 2 Draft Regulation: 5/13/14 (10) The term “intermediary” shall mean an individual, corporation, partnership, political committee, employee organization or other entity which bundles, causes to be deliveredFY2016 SINGLE AUDIT OVERVIEW Purpose . The following overview is intended to provide the GOAC with a general understanding of the different auditor’s reports, management letters, financial statements and other information included in the

Purpose & Overview “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown
Assumption Management Page 1 ASSUMPTION MANAGEMENT Purpose To provide a procedure and associated guidelines to facilitate the management of project-relatedBuilding with Purpose A Quantitative Overview and Analysis of New U.S. Academic Library Construction, 2000–2014. An ACRL Occasional Report Christopher Stewart, Ed.DThe purpose of a lesson plan: To pinpoint what information and skills the student needs to learn and how to get her to learn it. Tutoring is an organized exercise in trial and error. There are no sure-fire methods of su

FY2016 SINGLE AUDIT OVERVIEW Purpose, Overview, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Purpose Overview, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Purpose, Project management, Purpose, Building with Purpose, American Library Association, ASSUMPTION MANAGEMENT Purpose Overview, ASSUMPTION MANAGEMENT Purpose, Project, Project purpose, Purpose & Overview Core Seminars, Purpose & Overview, Purpose/Overview, Defense Logistics Agency, The purpose of a lesson plan, Purpose and Overview
SUGGESTED PURPOSE and OVERVIEW STATEMENTS (choose one each week)1. We allow only one member from each profession into the chapter. Some enterprising companies are actually having one of their employees placed into every chapter that is opened. In our area, only one person from your business category will be able to join a chapter this year. As we grow, you will see some visitors who wish they could be members, but whose category is already BNI is a business and professional networking organization that allows one representative from each profession to join. The sole PURPOSE of the group is to give its members more business.

4 Our success as a chapter is tied in with your success in As business professionals, we all need an edge over our competition. How many people are doing what you do in this area? Well, in BNI you have an edge over your competitors because none of them can join this chapter-we allow only one person per Referrals are an important part of our business. People either get most of their business or their best business through referrals. That’s what BNI is all BUSINESS to its BNI is a coalition of businesses with one person from each profession represented. Through this mutual support system, members help each other do more business by giving each other referrals.
2 It’s based on the concept that what goes around comes around. If you give business to me, I’ll give business to Being a member of BNI is like having _____ salespeople working for you. Members carry a card file with everyone’s business cards in it. When they speak to a client, associate, or friend who mentions a need represented by the group, members can provide a referral to fill that “Word of mouth” is the most cost-effective form of advertising possible. BNI provides a structured environment for the development and exchange of quality business referrals for both men and women. If referrals are an important part of your business, then BNI is the organization for There is a network beyond members of each chapter.

3 Each member knows dozens of people who in turn know dozens of other people. Through this “extended network” come most of the business referrals that are given each week. The average chapter of BNI (that is at least three months old) gives over 60 referrals per month to its members!6. BNI teaches business people that networking is more about farming than it is about hunting. It is about developing relationships that result in referrals for each Increasing and maintaining your word of mouth-based business depends on the BNI process of members educating each other about what they do and what kinds of referrals they want.
Keren’s update: We are highlighting our “Action Plan” free offer – for BNI and ex BNI members. Mention this article to take part! More tips on the TLD Instagram feed. You can also go for our “One amazing piece of content” offer with the same terms.

Thank you for the wonderful blog post. This was an excellent summation of many of the benefits of a BNI membership. I have been in BNI for eight years now and it has been excellent for my career. I am going to present your post for our education moment this week and my Bni group. Thank you!
I have been a member of BNI since the summer of 2002. During that time I have learned many skills, and I think it would be useful for anyone running their own business. BNI doesn’t suit every one, as there are several rules to follow, it’s a big commitment, and the meetings occur very early in the morning. But a recent thread on Twitter inspired me to write this post.Mmmm, cookies! We use cookies for a number of reasons, such as keeping our site reliable and secure, providing a great browsing experience for you and to help us analyse how our site is used. Take a look at our cookie policy to find out more and to see how you can manage cookies.

Thanks for the inspirational blog. I will definitely be sharing your 11 additional benefits of BNI with my chapter in Dubai! If you have a clever memory hook for a psychotherapist I would love to hear it. All the best. Anna
For those who don’t know, BNI is a professional networking organisations where members meet weekly for breakfast and help each other by finding new business for each other and making referrals. These are tracked and statistics are carefully kept for attendance, participation and the amount of business passed.– In 2009, BNI members worldwide passed over 6.2 million referrals in over 55-100 chapters with over 118-1000 members in 43 countries resulting in more than $2.6 billion in business!

 Give invitation to lock out competition: “The Membership Committee has asked me to ask you to submit your application and lock out your competition; the Membership Committee wants you to be
The purpose of networking is not to sell something. It is to build relationships. We shouldn’t confuse direct sales with the time and effort it takes to educate referral partners.Then comes C, for credibility. Credibility is formed when people feel that you are a good person, they like you, they feel you are good at what you do, and, most important, they feel you have the ability to make their referrals really happy with your product or service. Credibility is the time consuming stage. It takes active participation in the weekly meetings and lots of one-to-ones. How much time? At the MSP training I went to when I started BNI the trainer threw out the number 9 months before this starts to happen. I asked why. He said he didn’t know, it just seems to happen like that.

V stands for visibility. People have to know your name and what you do. That is being visible. And that is where you are when you first join a BNI chapter.

Is BNI a network marketing?
Networking is the Foundation for Business Growth However, most don’t have a reliable way of getting referrals consistently. BNI India offers a proven system of referral marketing that helps you grow your local business, through a trusted network of like-minded people that come together to help each other grow.
So now it becomes pretty clear the difference between selling and networking. Selling is effort to make a sale. Networking is effort in forming relationships with the assumption that referrals will follow. It is important to understand this difference, especially for new members who may want to see immediate results to their bottom line. Profitability will come, but it takes time and effort to create the relationships that will make that happen.The last letter is P, for profitability. You have established your visibility. People know who you are and what you do. You have established credibility. They know you are good at what you do. Now they start to refer you to their friends and business contacts. That results in new business for you and, of course, more profit. The funny thing here is that profit is kind of a by-product of the first two stages. If visibility and credibility are well established, the referrals will just start to come.

The objective of meeting here every week, and especially during one-to-ones in between meetings, is to form trusting relationships with other people so they feel enthusiastic about referring you. Remember that the vast majority of income generated by our chapter does not come from doing business with each other.
Now, “building relationships” may sound rather generic or boring vanilla, but it isn’t for our networking chapter! It is through building relationships with our fellow business owners, that we learn, assist and even patronize. You cannot help someone unless you get to know them.

What is the importance of BNI?
Ultimately, the goal of BNI is to help Members grow their businesses. With more visitors attending meetings, Members have access to more resources and opportunities that can help them achieve their business goals and generate new business.
One of the many reasons that BNI is such a successful networking organization in the DMV/Washington, D.C. Beltway area is that we recognize that small business owners wear many hats and have to do a lot of tasks in their workday. Networking can be a chore for many of them, so BNI has designed its meetings to be built around one main goal: Building Relationships.Time is priceless. Once you have spent it, it’s gone and cannot be returned. Thus, when a member or a guest of the member arrives for a Business Networking International (BNI) meeting, the meeting will start on time and end on time. They soon learn that meetings are facilitated to the maximum value, develop relationships and impart knowledge.

Of course, there are expectations from BNI for each member, which are agreed to when a new member is approved by the membership committee. If you are wondering why you should invest your priceless time, here are the top 18 Reasons to Join BNI.
The purpose and overview of BNI is to increase business for its members. The primary core value of BNI is “Givers Gain” so when you give referrals to others they are motivated to give back to you as well.

What is the structure of a BNI meeting?
Meetings are run by agenda, and fit into a specific time schedule. This allows members to know what to expect each time, so they can concentrate on giving and receiving referrals. Chapters are organized much like a business as well, with management, departments, committees, accounting, marketing, and so on.
So, when our BNI Capital Business Alliance Chapter meets every week, we have a tight and set agenda, with roles for everyone, including guests. It’s essential that we don’t waste anyone’s time. We are all business owners or operators who are quite busy and want to achieve the best use of our time when we meet.Finally, BNI is a structured, organized and goal-oriented relationship-building place for small business owners who want to give referrals, receive referrals and build lasting business and personal relationships. It is designed to make networking efficient and fun.

What is the 12 by 12 by 12 rule BNI?
The first 12 is how do you look from 12 feet away, the second 12 is how you come across from 12 inches away and the third 12 is what are the first 12 words that you say when you start talking about yourself? Let us dive deeper into each of these. How do you look from 12 feet away?
People hold very strong opinions and often opposing views about politics and religion. Bringing those views into BNI, especially the meeting, means you can inevitably and inadvertently hurt relationships with people who hold opposing views. BNI is an inclusive organisation, we welcome all people of NZ with legally held views and our chapters should also be representative of NZ’s demographic makeup. Bringing politics and religion into the chapter can not only make members feel excluded but also it can stop chapters from being diverse.On October 17 New Zealand goes to the polls to decide who will govern the country for the next three years and to give the government direction through referenda on some important issues.

BNI believes that members are entitled to have legally held religious and political views. Indeed, diverse and inclusive chapters are more successful. However, religious and political views should be kept out of BNI as they can damage business relationships where there are opposing views and also stop chapters from being diverse and inclusive.
If you’re like me, setting priorities or goals for the day and then getting on with them while avoiding distractions is the only way to get through the day sometimes.I’ve just read how in ancient European monasteries monks walked dark corridors with candles on the toes of their shoes, giving them just enough light to see the next step. It was done to demonstrate their faith in God, but there is also a powerful metaphor for the way we manage our day to day business activities.

Colin is the Marketing Director of BNI New Zealand, a director of Iron Road Ltd and a professional speaker and copywriter. While this is an outsourced function, Colin manages – at an executive level – all marketing and communication functions for BNI New Zealand. Colin is also the official spokesman for BNI New Zealand, and is responsible for building relationships with media and partners, including Hospice NZ, as well as representing BNI at all public speaking engagements (when BNI receives requests to talk at those functions). The core focus of his business is writing compelling copy for clients. Colin believes that in this era of low trust, social media and word of mouth dominance, a different approach to marketing is needed – one about conversation, relationships, engaging stories, delivering value… “We have to engage the market with compelling ‘stories’; we have to influence the people who influence the customer’s buying behaviour, we have to join the conversation. “People don’t like to be sold to anymore. They like to shop.” His business is to develop strategies for clients using compelling messages and stories for websites, email blasts, newsletters, brochures, press releases, articles etc. to increase leads, improve conversion rates and raise profile.
If you want to achieve something out of your BNI or your networking, you need a plan and a purpose… anything else is just routine and habit which occasionally coughs up a result. The thing with the monks is that while they were concentrating on one step at a time, they still had a higher purpose. They knew where they were headed. This is a bit like the monks with the candles on their shoes. One step at a time. On task at a time. It protects us against feeling overwhelmed and is an important productivity tool.Experience our proven referral system in action. People just like you working together, helping each other grow their businesses and improve their business skills.

What is BNI business model?
The World’s Largest Referral Networking Organization Become a part of a local network with global reach. BNI Members around the world meet in-person or online to pass billions of dollars worth of referrals to each other every year.
BNI is more than just helping you grow your business – it is helping you build your network. You will gain colleagues, business partners, and friends who will become part of your newfound family. This positive and supportive group of people will help you go through any crisis because you can not do this alone.”

It’s a no brainer for business owners who want to grow personally and professionally. The structure, accountability and systems are proven. BNI doesn’t need selling, it just needs experiencing and the rest takes care of itself when you fully adopt a givers gain mindset.” BNI got me out of my comfort zone. It pushed me ahead with resources that helped my business to grow. In two years I’ve made more than a thousand contacts around the world, started a book about entrepreneurship and studies in health science, been interviewed by TV, News and Magazines, and even managed to use my new networking skills to save myself in a life and death situation. My business has grown from two clients to more than forty and continues to grow. I don’t have enough words to thank BNI.” Become a part of a local network with global reach. BNI Members around the world meet in-person or online to pass billions of dollars worth of referrals to each other every year.Joining BNI was a life-changing decision. Learning how to market my business through weekly presentations and feature presentations has opened my eyes to the possibilities of networking. More than anything, I have enjoyed building a network of professionals that I am confident referring business to, as each has made the same commitment I have to our code of ethic. I am now a go-to person, and it feeds my soul to send business to fellow members. A third of my own customers are a direct result of BNI.””Meet entrepreneurs and other business leaders from around the globe. Get inspired by experts and hear tips to grow your business. Secure your spot today at the “World’s Best Networking Event”.”Thanks to the leadership and dedication of hundreds of thousands of BNI Members and Directors around the world, BNI celebrated its 38th year of consecutive growth! 2023 marks the start of Vision 2027, BNI’s 5-year commitment to helping BNI Members double their businesses through increased investment in training, technology, communications, and more! Sign up to visit a Chapter Meeting today to learn more about how BNI can help support your business’s growth goals.”International Networking Week 2023 featured International Speed Networking Events, world-class Visitor Days, a remarkable Referrals for Life Webinar, and much more. Started by Dr. Misner in 2007, This annual event celebrates the power of business networking and gives leaders across the world an opportunity to grow their networks and sharpen their networking skills. Click here to learn more.

For many new business owners, going out into the marketplace solo can be a lonely journey. I found the comfort of catching up with my business referral group each week to be invaluable for both my sanity and my business. Participating in BNI was the best business decision I ever made, and one I recommend to others in business regularly.” We’ve detected that JavaScript is disabled in this browser. Please enable JavaScript or switch to a supported browser to continue using twitter.com. You can see a list of supported browsers in our Help Center. When you give a referral to someone, you give a little bit of your reputation away. When you give a good referral, it enhances your reputation. When you give a bad referral, it hurts your reputation. The referral process works most effectively when you know, like, and trust someone. Trust is particularly important; therefore, referrals and trust go hand in hand.

We’d love to hear your story about doing 1-2-1s and how it’s helped you in BNI. Please share your story below – or feel free to comment on the results from this study.

One of the BNI tools that we recommend to help achieve this goal is the GAINS Exchange. This instrument is a great tool to use in order to get to know people better and to help find overlapping areas of interest.
The bottom line here is that if you do three or more 1-2-1s per month, you will be more likely to give twice as many referrals – and more importantly, you are more likely to receive twice as many referrals as people who do one (or less) 1-2-1 per month!

The Milan study clearly shows hard evidence of what Allen’s story suggested: namely, there is a direct corelation between the number of 1-2-1s carried out and the number of referrals generated: the higher the number of 1-2-1s the higher the referrals.
Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. His new book, Avoiding the Networking Disconnect can be viewed at Amazon.com. BNI provides members with methods and instruments to activate this process. But as results show, BNI membership is a little like a gym membership: paying the subscription to get fit is not enough. You need to actually show up and work out in order to get results. BNI functions the same way: the more effort you put in, the better the results. So – start setting up 1-2-1s with your fellow members today! What’s key in conducting an effective 1-2-1 is that it be structured and social. It needs to be the right combination of both a social discussion along with enough business and professional information to allow both parties to get to know one another better. As they continue the process, they will naturally discover overlapping areas of professional and personal interests.

So if trust is important to the referral process, how do you expedite it within the context of networking? BNI can be an accelerator, reducing the time required to build trust between individuals. One of the best ways to accelerate trust is through regular 1-2-1s. Research involving hundreds of BNI members in Europe has concluded what we’ve believed in BNI for many years. 1-2-1s can have a direct impact on referrals passed within a chapter.
The 1-2-1 process allows members to deepen mutual knowledge and develop better relationships with each other. It is building this personal connection that helps to expedite the referral process.

Once you know someone and begin to develop a level of trust, you are clearly more likely to refer this person. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence to support these findings. For example, Episode 191 of BNIPodcast.com includes a great story about a BNI member named Allen who was very concerned after the big recession of 2008 hit. Allen was in the commercial real estate industry which was decimated by the recession. After he joined BNI, he committed to doing as many 1-2-1s with members as possible. He did so many, that he actually won awards in his region for doing the most 1-2-1s and for having given the most referrals in the entire region that year. But what was most interesting, was that we discovered that by doing these 1-2-1s, he actually generated more business for himself than he had ever generated before (recession or not)!
We know that the quality of the 1-2-1 is important. What’s interesting to see as a result of this research, is the quantity of 1-2-1s is also very important. As you can tell in the graph here, there is a direct, linear correlation between the number of 1-2-1s conducted and the number of referrals given and received! Those who do three or four 1-2-1s per month both give and receive almost double the number of referrals as people who do only one (or less) 1-2-1 per month. The first 12 is how do you look from 12 feet away, the second 12 is how you come across from 12 inches away and the third 12 is what are the first 12 words that you say when you start talking about yourself? Let us dive deeper into each of these. Once it’s your turn and they ask what you do, think carefully about your first 12 words. Having a very concise unique selling point (USP) is critical to being remembered. A good USP makes people think about what you just said. It can be called the eyebrow test. Does what you say make their eyebrow(s) go up in such a way that means they are thinking “how do you do that? For example. instead of saying “I’m an accountant” you might say “I help people retire young, rich and free”. That might make them ask “Oh, how do you do that?” whilst raising their eyebrows, rather than quickly finding they need to use the bathroom.

Is BNI religious?
BNI believes that members are entitled to have legally held religious and political views.
Now is a great time to do an inventory on your image and see if your perception of yourself is reality. Or even check that your perception of yourself is accurate with someone who will be honest with you.Make sure your attitude sends the right message. This is especially true if the economy or business is bad and that is all we talk about. Focus on the positive when forming business relationships. Be open, trustworthy, friendly and sincere, not only through what you say but through nonverbal clues like posture, facial expression, hand gestures and eye contact.

The 12 x 12 x 12 rule is a convenient way to think about how you show up to events, business meetings and take advantage of the open networking at your chapter meetings.
So, what is the 12 x 12 x 12 rule for networking? Firstly, apologies for the imperial measurements, metrically, it would be the 3 x 25 x 12 rule which isn’t anywhere near as catchy. The 12 x 12 x 12 rule is a checklist for when you show up at business meetings or networking events for the first (or 100) time.When you first meet someone it’s crucial to let them talk first. Otherwise you’ll immediately come across as only being self-interested. Of course, you don’t want to stand there saying “after you, no, after you” but at least give them the opportunity to speak first before jumping in.

What is the BNI philosophy?
The principle core value of BNI is the philosophy of givers gain. It is the idea that if I am here to help you, you will help me. We will all do better as a result. It is something that you have to apply to yourself in the way you deal with other people.
Isn’t it great to be meeting people face to face again!? Our networking skills might have become a little rusty during lockdown so this a refresher on how to make a great impression in business settings, especially when we only get one chance to make a good first impression.Okay, we aren’t going to get 12 inches away from someone we don’t know, especially during Covid-19 times. However, what we are talking about is the message your body language is sending. Not all professionals have to stick to this, for instance a mechanic doesn’t have to dress in a suit and tie but they can be well presented in line with the standards of their profession. Coming out of lockdown is a great time to review your image and appearance (and maybe to put the Hawaiian shirt away for another 10 years). Ultimately, the goal of BNI is to help Members grow their businesses. With more visitors attending meetings, Members have access to more resources and opportunities that can help them achieve their business goals and generate new business. By creating a more dynamic community of business professionals, BNI Members can tap into a wider range of skills, knowledge, and contacts that can help them thrive in today’s competitive business landscape.With more visitors attending meetings, BNI Members have more opportunities to promote their business to potential customers and receive referrals from other Members and visitors. Visitors are the lifeblood of BNI Chapters, as they play a critical role in creating a diverse and inclusive membership that is essential for building a robust referral network. By filling in missing categories and complementary businesses, visitors help to ensure that BNI Chapters are well-rounded and comprehensive, allowing all Members to benefit from a wider range of referrals and opportunities. This not only increases the value of BNI membership, but also makes each Chapter more effective and successful in helping businesses grow and thrive. Having more visitors attend your BNI Chapter can have a significant impact on the value you receive from your membership. Increased exposure, enhanced networking and referral opportunities, and strengthened business growth are just a few of the benefits you can experience.Not a BNI Member yet and ready to take your business to the next level? Visit a BNI Chapter today to build valuable connections with entrepreneurs and business professionals and discover the opportunities waiting for you.

As a business owner, you know the importance of networking and building strong connections with other professionals. That’s why you joined BNI. But have you considered the impact that visitors can have on your BNI membership? Here are the top 3 reasons why an increase in visitors improves the overall value of your BNI membership:We appreciate that recognition fuels the growth of successful organizations. The person who masters the art of recognition attracts success, meaning, and happiness. BNI is built on a set of guiding principles which form the foundation on which Members interact, conduct themselves and fulfill their goals. At BNI, we’re Changing the Way the World Does Business®. Be willing to give first, before you expect to gain. Giving unconditionally creates a better world for everyone and creates important opportunities and lasting relationships.The safety and wellbeing of our Members is our top priority. On March 16, 2020 out of an abundance of caution, BNI transitioned all of its in-person meetings to BNI online®. The innovative online platform has exceeded our expectations and has proven to be highly effective in allowing Members to keep their network and business strong. BNI Members can network safely from the convenience and comfort of their home or office. We will continue to offer BNI Online® meetings going forward, and countries may start to return to in-person meetings when local governments and National Directors deem it appropriate at the country or regional level, and when Chapter Members are comfortable doing so at their individual Chapter level. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].

Your value grows as you develop your knowledge and skills. Create a curriculum based on the person you want to become and follow that curriculum to get yourself there.
The mission of BNI is to help BNI Members increase their business through a structured, positive and professional referral marketing program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals.