Biz: What happens at the BNI meetings for business?

HappySad

I have heard if the bni where small business owners meet up I think monthly to talk and get referals for each other. Can you tell mr what exactly happens in the meetings?

Are you a member? What are the good points & bad points of these meetings. What do you think they could do better?

Horace

I am not a member of BNI but did go to a meeting once..one thing about BNI (they call themselves chapters for one thing) is that they do not allow say two consultants even if one is a management consultant and the other is a software consultant because they class that as being a competitor. You have to attend every breakfast meeting and they start at 6am and if you cannot go then you have to send a sub (if you work alone then thats impossible), on your first visit you are not allowed to put your business cards in the box because that is reserved for members and there is a heavy emphasis on making referrals, if you don't make referrals then you could be blackballed. Oh and you have to stand up and speak about your business for 60 secs (hi my name is xyz of bwp construction and I am looking for referrals for my business ending with my name is xyz of bwp construction)

There is another networking group called 4Networking (https://www.4networking.biz) which is a bit more relaxed, the meetings start at 8am and they do not limit the members they have so you could end up with 4 accountants in the room etc, with 4N (as it is commonly known as) you have 40secs to talk about your business and then you listen to a 10 min 4sight (this is an insight to another business which is presented by a guest speaker) and this is followed by 3 10 minute 1:1 appointments - there is a bumph table where you put your business cards and literature (keep 3 cards back for your 1:1s). There are 200 groups around the country and if you have a passport membership you can visit all of them (with BNI you seem to be limited to your own group because there might be someone at another BNI chapter that is in the same line of work as you and that is seen as a no no). With 4Networking you can attend 3 breakfast meets (you pay £10 for breakfast) without having to join, they also have a free online forum. Its a great way to do business because you meet people, get to know them and then you tend to pass business onto them or use their services yourself, I have even networked with people who are in the same industry as me and we now work together.

Hope this helps.

HappySad

A big thank you Horace. You long message is very good. I am looking start up a group myself.

Ilike the network group you talk about as it is more flexible and you can join forces with others in your industry. I like the intro for everyone and having guest speaker.
Do you have it where everyone sit round one table or in a circle and one person peaks at a time? Or do people all go into small groups and chat.

Are there any areas that you feel they can improve on?

Horace

HappySad wrote: »

A big thank you Horace. You long message is very good. I am looking start up a group myself.

Ilike the network group you talk about as it is more flexible and you can join forces with others in your industry. I like the intro for everyone and having guest speaker.
Do you have it where everyone sit round one table or in a circle and one person peaks at a time? Or do people all go into small groups and chat.

Are there any areas that you feel they can improve on?

Everyone sits together for the breakfast (it depends on how the tables are set out) and then for the 1:1s you break out and go and have those 10 min appointments (the group leader usually keeps time and makes it known when the 10mins are up) then you all sit together for the close of the meeting. There are no areas in 4N which can be improved upon as they are just brilliant. 4N have lots of ideas with different things coming on stream all the time. If you go onto the 4networking.biz website and look under Meet, here you will find a listing of groups that are near you, to book on you need to make an online profile and then click to book, then you turn up at 8am at the venue and they have a name card printed for you and you are introduced to people so you're not left on your own.

When you do your 40secs to the group, you usually stand up and say who you are, what you do, although you are pitching your business, you need to find a way to do it so that you are not selling them anything directly. Think of selling through the room not to the room if you see what I mean? You can network as often as you like whereas BNI makes you commit to attending every meeting. I started networking again last week after nearly a month off sick, my regular group leader contacted me to ask if I wanted any shopping as he would nip into Morrissons (which is near our meeting venue) and he would pick some up for me..he didnt have to offer but 4N is like that, folks are really friendly and helpful.

Check out https://www.4networking.biz and see for yourself.

paulwf

Although I haven't been to BNI myself my boss at the time used to attend regularly and I know what Horace means about the "chapter" thing. If you missed a meeting you were in trouble even though you were paying a high annual fee on top of the breakfast charge.

To be fair we did get some business out of it and we did get some useful service providers, I don't think I would have bothered myself though. There did seem quite a few people who had signed up to some dodgy franchises and were a bit desperate to find a way of making money from them.

Try and get a list of the members either before you go or on one of their open meetings. One of the networking meetings local to me (not BNI) is full of people like accountants, financial advisors, printers, sign writers...all the sort of people that will jump on startups to get their business but I wouldn't be able to get much out of them in return. I know the idea is they act to promote your business not just that you get business off of them, but it did seem a bit one way. I hope that makes sense...it just came across as a bit of a closed group waiting to pounce on any newbie and get business out of them rather than networking.

HappySad

Thanks Horace & Paulwf for your details. The group I setup is for business support in that we support each other with our business needs & also referrals. I will work on the structure mentioned by Horace and ensure that members are aware that they need to add value to others to get value back from others.

I like the idea of 1mins intro each. I would then look for say 1-2 hours group chat in a circle then free chat after that in smaller groups.

I found a hotel that can host the meeting that is free with wifi as long as we purchase drinks in the bar. Free parking too...

paulwf

HappySad wrote: »

I like the idea of 1mins intro each. I would then look for say 1-2 hours group chat in a circle then free chat after that in smaller groups.

I like the idea of providing support to each other as well as referrals. And evening drinks rather than an early breakfast sounds far better. You might even be able to get some sponsored food once in a while

How often will the meetings take place? If weekly then consider limiting it to an hour. A potentially 3 hour meeting will drag (and people need to have dinner etc after work) and you might run out of steam on things to talk about after a few meetings. 20 mins of intros, 20 mins 1 on 1 and then 20 mins group chat would be my preference, and people can always hang around later if they want to continue.

heretolearn_2

I've not belonged to BNI but have been to a couple of meetings as guests. I have been a member of similar groups. The downside I think of BMI is that there is a lot of pressure (a requirement really) to bring either a referral or a guest each time. This can result in a lot of rubbish referrals. One time I went as a guest (we are accountants) and as part of my spiel mentioned that we have speakers of 8 different languages. Someone on my table immediately wrote out a referral form for us of someone he knows who needs transalation services, and insisted we took it even though we said that's not relevant. Then he sat back and said 'well, that's this week's referral taken care of!'

I think these type of events work well for some types of companies and not so well for others. If you are a 'one off' type of services, such as a signage supplier, they can work well. For on-going or professional services, I think less so. One signmaker is much the same as another, but for say solicitors, there's a lot of criteria you use in choosing one, not just that you eat breakfast with them once a week, or someone you know tells you about them.

Horace

I didnt get on with BNI at all and felt under intense pressure when I was there as a guest, pressure to join and pressure to make referrals. With 4N I have never felt under pressure to make referrals, I like to chat and get to know people. I have had enormous help with my businesss too - mindmapping, a voiceover artist recorded my voicemail message, have had website advice (still being amended and updated). I met people that I would never have met previously.

HappySad remember its not just a case of adding value, its meeting, knowing and trusting before you part with any money for their services or referrals. I was invited to BNI by a travel counsellor whom I met at a wedding fair and I wanted to have a chat to her because weddings need honeymoons, she was so focussed on BNI, I found myself being dragged along and then left and to be honest I havent spoken to her from that day to this having found a different travel counsellor who is helpful, approachable and friendly whom I could entrust my clients to - as for this other woman she was what I call a 'Me' person only interested in herself and what she could get out of people. No-one pounces on you at 4N at all which is something that I have found at chamber events - they see start up and then bombard you.

An evening networking event would be fab as there are not that many of those about.

lincroft1710

paulwf wrote: »

Although I haven't been to BNI myself my boss at the time used to attend regularly and I know what Horace means about the "chapter" thing. If you missed a meeting you were in trouble

Sounds more like the Hell's Angels than a business networking meeting

HappySad

Thanks for all your advice.

Evening sound great; but I cannot make them as I would be working from home and I would also have childcare issues. I have 5 others so far who will attend this group & we will follow the format suggested. Intro each, group chat or guess speaker then free 1-2-1 chat and leave what ever time your want. Start from 9-11:30 with no obligation to attend you benefit more from attending. It will be mainly a business support group with referrals being part of this support but not the main part. There will be speakers offering services & business advice. Each member can also take stage and give talks on what ever topic that is of interest to the other members on any business related issues.

I run a woman support group for mothers and we mainly talk about our children but also related to that we also take about our lives, work, TV, social problems or anything that we need to talk or need support about. Anything that needs support.

I have run the idea with the others attended and they are very happy with the format. It will adapt if needs are different. The main thing is offering free support to new startups and I also get the support at the same time.