Increased exposure to many other people and businesses.
- Substantially increased business through referrals.
- Tools to network more effectively, including an orientation cassette tape giving the "Formula for Success" in BNI, a badge, a vinyl card holder to carry members' business cards, referral slips, marketing materials for your chapter and much, much more.
- Participation in up to 52 networking meetings per year.
- Quarterly newsletters with educational material on networking, public speaking, and business.
- Participation in business tradeshows (where you'll have an opportunity to market your chapter and your business).
- Free periodic workshops on networking.
- And much, much more!!
Q: Can anyone join a chapter?
A: We only take one person from each field. So if you are a residential real estate person and we already have one, we can refer you to another chapter, or allow you to open another chapter.
Q: How do you know new members are reputable?
A: The application asks for references and we have a membership committee that checks them. It's word of mouth, so before they even come to a meeting they have to have spoken to someone or been invited by someone in the group. Everyone has to have a sponsor, or one is assigned to them, and they interview them.
Q: What if a member gets a referral and does poor work?
A: We have an ethics committee and it is imperative that anyone who gives a lead and finds out it was not satisfactorily handled must report that to the membership committee, who will investigate.
Q: What occupations benefit the most from networking?
A: It is not the occupation, it is the individual. The occupation can be anything. If you're focussed and you have a dream and you're willing to make a sacrifice, you are the person we want in the group.
Q: Are members supposed to bring visitors?
A: You're encouraged to bring visitors for those occupations that are open, after the visitor has been prescreened, if they're a viable candidate. It's pretty much a closed meeting except for potential members.
(Excerpted in part from "Networking is Serious Business")
Started in January 1985 by Dr. Ivan R. Misner, Founder & CEO of Business Network Int'l., BNI provides a positive, supportive, and structured environment for men and women to further their business through word of mouth marketing.
Networking requires commitment. The most successful chapters of BNI are comprised of participants who are sincerely committed to helping one another through networking. They are a team. As a participant in BNI, you are responsible for complying with the policies and guidelines of the organization. A partial list of the policies of BNI are listed below:
- Only one person from each profession is permitted to join a chapter of BNI.
- All participants should represent their primary occupation, not a part-time business.
- Attendance is critical. If you cannot attend a meeting, you may send a substitute. This will not count as an absence.
- Participants are required to bring bona-fide referrals and/or visitors to their chapter of BNI.
Fees are paid annually or bi-annually and are payable at the first meeting of each month. See the Treasurer for prices. If you apply to participate in BNI, your application will be reviewed by the chapter's membership committee, and you will be notified of the status before the next meeting. Send email to our chapter president for more information about joining our chapter.
Click here for our list of businesses that we would like to join our chapter!
- Founder: Dr. Ivan R. Misner of San Dimas, CA
- Established: 1985
- Motto: "Givers Gain"
- Purpose: Networking in order to generate business for fellow members
- Unique Feature: Only one person from a profession is eligible to join a chapter
- Number of Countries: 37
- Number of Chapters: 4,600 (as of 05/2007)
- Number of Members: 92,000 and growing
- Number of Referrals: 4.9 million
- Total Value of Referrals: $1.9 billion
Click here for a list of chapters in the Western Mass Region.
Copyright © BNI Int’l. All Rights Reserved.
|
