There’s been a discussion on a VA forum recently about the value of joining BNI as a Virtual Assistant. If you don’t know what BNI is it stands for Business Network International and can be found at www.bni.com internationally or here in Australia, bni.com.au. I belong to the Melbourne East region.
I joined when it first came to Melbourne around 10 or 11 years ago and was a member for over 5 years. Things changed for me on the business front and I decided to leave BNI for a time. My husband and I later shifted and to get back into connecting with businesses locally I rejoined BNI to attend a chapter close to our new home. I do find being a member of great value. But there are things you need to know.
BNI requires you should attend every meeting weekly. If you don’t attend regularly then the other members don’t get to know you or what your business is about. That’s the same for BNI worldwide. You’re allowed three absences in a 6 month period, to cover for illness or emergencies, but if you can’t attend at other times, you’re encouraged to get a substitute to attend in your place. This could be a colleague, friend, family member, client, someone else you’ve met as a visitor to your BNI chapter. Here in Melbourne there is a Substitute Roster which is very useful. I couldn’t attend yesterday morning as I had to take my husband to the dentist urgently, but since I’d found this out the previous afternoon I had time to ring around and find a substitute. I’ve heard the argument about working solo and not being able to attend several meetings but, hey, I work solo too, as do most of the members of my chapter and most chapters. After all it is about networking for business with other business owner/operators.
With respect to number of referrals that should be passed – this may differ from chapter to chapter. I have heard that some chapters require you pass referrals every meeting and I agree that if you don’t have anything to refer then the quality of referrals can diminish. But each chapter does track how many referrals are passed each week, how many $$ of closed business and how many visitors attend. Our chapter has passed around $200,000 of business this calendar year within a group of 21 people and I’ve been the recipient personally of around $7,000 of that in just the past 5 months. That’s business I wouldn’t have gotten if I didn’t attend. While I don’t pass referrals every meeting (or receive them) there are some weeks when I pass several referrals simply because of things that have happened in the week that I knew would be useful to a member of my chapter. I’m sitting on 3 at the moment – they’ve already been passed via email but I have the slips to pass in at next week’s meeting.
Which probably answers why would you pay to join something like BNI. It’s cheaper than Yellow Pages advertising. You have all the other members of your chapter carrying your business cards around with them every day, they become like an extended sales force for your business on a local basis. Their structure is focused on growing the business of every member in the chapter so it’s very different from a Chamber of Commerce or other networking groups. And you grow a respect and trust for those you meet on a weekly basis. They become your resource team for your business: accountant, bookkeeper, web designer, financial planner, printer, ink cartridge supplier, copywriter, mortgage broker, telecommunications, solicitor, etc – are just some of the categories covered in my chapter. And once you’re a member no-one else from your category can join your chapter. So I have a captured audience for my business.
Another thing, BNI helps you to learn how to promote your business and give good short sharp infomercials about your business and the type of referrals you’re looking for. And the opportunity to be on the Leadership Team can teach you other skills too.
If you’re going to visit a local chapter to see how it might work for you I recommend:
- – Arrive at least 10 mins early so you can see who’s there in advance and get a feeling for the room and the people. The Visitor Host, if they’re doing their job properly, will ask for 2 business cards from you to give to the President and the Membership Officer. They will introduce you during the meeting.
- – Have a notepad and pen with you and listen to the members as they introduce themselves and give their introduction. Make a note of any you are interested in or things that you could say during your short intro. You’ll generally be asked to do similar when it’s the visitors’ time to do so. Your name, what you do and were you are is most likely what you’ll be asked to say, plus what a good referral would be for you – think about this. What type of client are you trying to attract?
- – Take enough business cards with you for all members of the group, so at least 30 cards if not more. Find out how many members are in the chapter you’re visiting and if you need to take more, then do so.
- – Seek out those who interested you and collect their card, or take it from the business card box as it passes you.
- – Be prepared to stay after the meeting for awhile to chat to anyone who shows an interest.
I hope this gives you some clear idea on whether BNI is for you in your VA business. I know it is for me.
Ronnelle Melwood says
Hi Kathie,
This post is very timely for me. I recently attended my first BNI session (as a guest) and can testify to the merits of your post. I was unable to stay to chat afterward (bad move on my part); but the person that invited me provided an email introduction to a member interested in my services (social media support).
Thanks for the advice and for highlighting the benefits of BNI membership.
Ronnelle Melwood
SetUFree Virtual Services
Debra Barber says
Hi Kathie. It is great to see you talk openly of the expectations on you upon joining a BNI chapter. I’m not sure if it is the same in each chapter but there are training sessions that you are expected to attend within a certain period after you join, you must hold one-on-one sessions with other members (weekly), you are marked down if you are absent without a substitute, you must provide a doctor’s certificate if you do not attend due to illness (yours or a family members), you are expected to take a guest along with you weekly and all of your activities are tracked (as you set out). Perhaps you can confirm if this is the case in your BNI group or just the one we have our business in here. Much appreciated.
There are many benefits to joining a BNI chapter and many in the local one here have commented on more than covering their investment in a very short period of time. This seems to ring true across most industries in the group.
Thanks again.
Kathie M Thomas says
Mostly but not all Debra. We’re encouraged to bring visitors but we’re not expected to bring them every week, i.e. we’re not told we have to. The one-on-ones we’re encouraged to have regularly – sometimes I might have 2 in one week and not in another week or two. It really depends on other people’s diaries and my own. There is a training session for all new members and all other members are invited to go back once a year to refresh. Doctor’s certificate – never been asked to produce that but we are encouraged to contact the leadership team to advise if we’re not going to be there – before the meeting.
And yes, I have definitely recovered my investment over and over and over again.
Debra Barber says
Thanks Kathie. Good to know what other chapters are doing.
Sue Kramer Harrawood says
Kathie,
Tremendous information as usual! I can always count on learning something reading your blog. May my readers say the same when I get my blog rolling.
You and I are both huge proponents on VAs getting out of their offices and seeing people. Though I’m not in a BNI chapter I am in a few groups and my business has definitely grown because of those memberships. I’ve also been asked to speak by members of my groups to additional groups where I’ve received new clients.
I can’t stress enough to your readers to get out of their comfort zone (I’m on the shyer side so I get it) and join a great group. Yep, it’s a time and dollars committment but the right group will far outweigh the initial investment. However, it’s not only about getting new clients but also learning to speak better, increasing confidence, building great relationships, finding out what services potential clients are looking for and the buzz words they use when searching for a VA and much more.
Kathie Thomas says
Thanks Sue. And that’s just one side of the equasion. It’s what we also gain in the way of resources to run our businesses. We can find reliable services and products through the recommendations of others and through personal connections at these networking events. Some of the services I use today I met many, many years ago through networking groups and BNI.
Rhonda Charlesworth says
Hi Kathie
I joined a BNI chapter here in Canberra last year and I was appointed the Event/Growth Coordinator.
I do run out of things to say in my Sales Manager minute when i have not had any customers for the week and Im sure the members get sick of hearing the same stuff each week, but then again we get new members so i need to repeat some details again.
Any suggestions what else I can chat about????
Kathie Thomas says
Hi Rhonda, thanks for asking. Try planning your infomercials so you have a series of them. Concentrate on one thing each week. For example you might have Wordprocessing as a service offering so speak about that, how fast and accurate you are, and mention one or two clients you’ve helped with that skill. The following week speak about another service offering. I focus on a few and rotate them. Another thing you can do is think about your ideal referral and base your infomercial around that. I’m sure you must have more than one client so use your different client types as case studies. For example: business coach, speaker, teacher, private individual, etc, etc. So in going through that exercise you should be able to come up with at least 4 different presentations but hopefully closer to at least 8 and then rotate them each week.
Rhonda Charlesworth says
Thanks Kathie 🙂