BNI - More than Networking….

Last Thursday, I was running late for my BNI Abbey meeting. I’m not a morning person, I find it difficult to get up between 5.30am and 6.00am and I was moaning to myself on the way in…is BNI worth this? And the answer is yes. When I’m at my BNI meeting. I really enjoy it. This week was no exception.

For those of you that don’t know the BNI, it is an international Business Networking & Referrals Organisation. Set up by Dr Ivan Misner in 1985, it has become a global network with chapters in almost every country in the world. It’s interesting because Ivan Misner never set out to create a global organisation, he was simply looking for referrals for his consulting business.

That’s really the premise of BNI - getting and giving referrals. However, I always find that there is more than business networking to a BNI meeting.

Take last Thursday’s meeting for example. 28 business owners around one table are all going through the same ordeal of the recession. They’re all concentrating on surviving and thriving in tough economic times.

BNI Creativity at its Best

But the level of creativity that is coming out of this table alone would inspire anybody.

Derek Balfe of Heritage Insurance posed the question:

“If you were to swap jobs with me, who is the first person that you’d contact?“

The question was obviously posed in a business context but I thought isn’t that a clever way to seek referrals? A few names naturally came to me and that helped me get a referral to Derek and hopefully get him new business.

Stephen Monaghan of Phonelink and Ronan Reynolds of ACS have collaborated to offer a package for employers who have employees with suspected and actual swine flu. Many employers aren’t equipped to network out their telephone or IT system but these guys are now allowing an employers to do that - give access to an employee while they’re at home.

Tom Molloy of Flux Web Design created “The Flux Factor” report - a report that assesses everything about your website - SEO, design, wording, graphics etc. For the month of August, he’s giving free reports. It normally retails at €199.

BNI is more than a 6am start. It’s about collaboration, looking out for one another, learning from each other and having a bit of fun in the process.

Ivan Misner may not have set out to create an organisation that affected millions of business owners but that’s exactly what he has done. I’m sure my 28 colleagues around the table would agree.

When is late in BNI terms?

I’m a member of the BNI - Business Networking International - and it has a strict code of policies that as members we all follow.

Last Thursday, I slept in. I woke up at 7am and realised with a start, that I was late for BNi.

But I got thinking later on that day - is turning up late better than non attendance?

For anyone who is a member of BNI, then I’d welcome your comments.

A few of my group mailed me back the following comments: (I’ll leave out the comments where they told me that they missed me!!!)

• “It’s better late than never”
• “If you arrive past 7am, then you’re marked absent”
• “Late is late.”

So I guess I made the right decision in pulling the duvet over my head and sleeping in until 8pm.

Best not be late next week.

For more information on BNI in Ireland - check out http://www.bni-europe.com/ireland/

For more information on my own chapter - or if you’d like to visit, please go to www.bniabbey.com

BNI Visitors Day - with a Twist!

Last Thursday, 5th March, the BNI Abbey Chapter, based in Swords, held a visitors day. Normally what happens on a visitors day is that we get about 40 people to come along and see the concept of the BNI for themselves.

Our BNI visitors day was one with a difference. We had Bill Cullen. The Apprentice Hirer, the Chairman of the Glencullen group, the motivational speaker, author of Penny Apples and owner of the Europa Academy where our BNI meetings are held, gave us a motivational speech at 7.30am.

Now, I’m not fond of early mornings but it was such a wake up call. He told us the story of going to see a top-notch consultant in the US, I can’t remember his name now. He paid $250 to attend the seminar and he estimated that there were several thousand in the room. That consultant made at least a million dollars for two hours of telling this group how to be successful.

Bill, recounted the event and told us about the dramatics. He said there were lights; there was music; there were sounds of lighting & crashing; there were flashes and then there were two words on the screen.

“Sleep Less”

Bill was so thrilled with this advice that he shouted up, “I got that same advice from my granny and it was free!”

Wonderful stuff…so now, when I’m feeling tired, I say to myself that I’ll be a long time dead and that I’ve to make the most of the time that I have awake!

But getting back to the Visitors Day. Bill entertained us and motivated us and cajoled us for 15 minutes. It was fantastic. I’ve been doing a lot of this thinking (as you’ll have seen from my ezines)..that this is the year for massive action.

Bill echoed this sentiment when he said - Positive Attitude + Positive Action = Results.

We had over 50 visitors at our visitors day - it shows the power of networking as a marketing tool. It’s not sufficient on its own but it does work. And the BNI does work. It’s about Givers Gain…those that give, gain!

I’ll let you know how many people join our chapter as a result. And I’ll finish with a review of advice in six words about what Bill said to us -

Take More Action, Sleep Less, Smile More