Recently I heard of an organization known as BNI. For those of you who haven't heard about BNI, don't feel alone. BNI stands for Business Networking International. I only heard about it recently through a colleague. He actually gave me the book "The World's Best Known Marketing Secret" so I could learn more about the organization and its'. The book emphasizes the value of networking in all facets of life.
As I read the book I realized that my natural tendency of being shy was holding me back both socially and professionally. I was the type that when I went to any group event I tended to find one person that I already knew and stick to them like glue rather than take the opportunity to get to know others and let them get to know me.
So the first thing I did was go to BNI website, www.bni.com, and I read more about the organization. I loved what I saw. As a realtor I am often asked about recommendations from my clients for various professions/service providers. They are new to the area, sometimes I am the first person they meet. What better service could I provide my clients but to provide them a list of trusted service providers. The BNI just gives this process a more structured, focused and organized way of doing just that.
I found out there was an active BNI group in nearby San Marcos, Texas, also in Hays County, so I went to a meeting.
I was impressed with what I saw. I like that the meetings were very organized and focused. Members share information about themselves, their profession, their philosophies etc. The entire concept is based on the members getting to know one another and build relationships. And isn't the idea of business abotu relationships? In talking to the members I discovered that over time, both business and friendships grew.
As there was not an active chapter in my hometown of Kyle I decided to start a group. To understand how the group works you need to know that there is only one representative from each profession, e.g. I am a realtor in the group. So the selection of the members of the group is extremely important. I know I want to make sure that any in the group feel as strongly about servicing their clients as I do. I want to know if I refer a client to someone that they are going to "take care" of that client in the same way I do when it comes to helping them buy or sell a home.
So if anyone is interested or knows anyone that might be interested in joining the Kyle BNI chapter please let me know. Would love to talk to them to see if we'd be a good match.
Comments(0)