In October of '06, three professionals sat in a corner at Perkins on Amboy Road and started a wonderful journey. We created the beginning of Profit Partners, the BNI chapter that meets every Wednesday morning at 7:00 A.M.

BNI (BUSINESS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL) is the most successful organization of it's type in the world. There are thousands of chapters throughout the world, which has given millions of referrals, which has equated in to BILLIONS in business for its members.

BNI has a very specific structure. Each chapter is comprised of one professional in their field - owners, managers, independent contractors, one member for each industry. We meet once a week for breakfast, where we each commit to learn about each others business and the value that we bring to our clients. The goal is to become a sphere of influence to the people we work with, enabling us to introduce our clients to everyone from a plumber, financial planner, insurance agent or massage therapist - any one they may need and know that they are being serviced in a professional manner.

What has made BNI so successful is the ability to follow up and track success. It ensures that our good name will remain intact, that our referral is in good hands, and that each member of that chapter is committed to working to improve the business of each one of the other members.

I now meet with 17 other professionals and it seems each week we are adding new, exciting professionals to our chapter. Bottomline, I now have 17 sales agents - all selling "Frank Rizzo - The Name You Remember, for a Real Estate Experience You Won't Forget." It makes getting up for breakfast all that much more enjoyable, knowing that I have the opportunity to do business with someone who has been referred to me from another professional who understands how I work, what I stand for, and how I will assist them with their real estate needs.

I mention this because INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING WEEK starts Feb 4 through Feb 8. It's a great opportunity to meet and great others involved in BNI and see what you could to start realizing the power of the referral.

If you need further info on BNI - please contact me directly so I can assist you in furthering your referral business!