Women-centric Networking Organizations Part 2: Utilize Your Advantages and Resources

Hi Joanna!

My concerns with BNI are as follows:

1. Mix: If you join a group you must be concerned with the types of "businesses" represented. Many groups have coaches, florists, massage therapists, and other professions that may be less than advantageous to your niche

2. Referral Process: there seems to be a real pressure to give referrals and often this pressure leads to poor, unqualified or what I call junk referrals--not a referral at all

3. Power Partners- You have a power partner that is synergistic to your business ex Realtor and Loan Officer or Appraiser. If your power partners are week or if they have a favorite somebody who they give their referrals to and not you--you are not going to fair well in that group

dean

Joanna, First let's quantify what BNI really is in my opinion. It should be named BRI aka Business Referrals International. This is not about networking. They do not teach networking skills. They do not promote other networking events or groups. They barely provide any time for networking in every meeting.

#1 Reason in my opinion this is not a networking group or organization? Only ONE professional from each business is allowed (or business niches within one big business) within each group. They set up a contentious atmosphere where people are NOT welcome if they impinge upon somebody else's "territory" aka profession. 1 Realtor, 1 florist, 1 massage therapist and so on

My experience was BNI is not for everyone. It is a good fit for many service providers house cleaners, mechanics, etc. It is a great place for many people but not great for one and all in my humble opinion:

1. Referrals (the ones that were actually good) went to the oldest most established members

2. The embarrassment factor of not having a referral to give when each meeting has their "Referral Giving" sections does not address

    a.) What is a Referral

    b.) How to qualify a referral

    c.) Do not give referrals without a "warm" call in first

3. BNI is a business, they make money and that is why they exist. I find their premise that they are there to serve their membership as inaccurate. If that were the case then each member would pay monthly fees that were in line with the number of good referrals they were given and the dollars those referrals produced

4. Cooked numbers--many members in my former group admitted to "cooking" or embellishing the actual dollar amounts their monthly referrals brought into their businesses. When asked why they for the most part felt "caught up" in the group feeling

5. NOT ENOUGH PRESENTATION time. There is no networking during the meetings! Everything has to be a dance card on your own time "date." I go to meetings for this very reason as my time is tight. BNI does not in my experience give enough networking time.

6. As for Power Partners your friend is absolutely dead wrong. Was this a BNI employee?

Rule #1 your personal and business reputation rides on everyone you refer out. If somebody does a poor job it reflects upon you

7. Nepotism- There is a weird nepotism in some groups where a power partner will not give up their main referal recepient no matter what you do for them.

8. Power Partner Does Not Fit: Example a friend was a Title Rep. His power partner was seller's Realtor-agent. That agent had NO control over ordering title insurance so he never got any of the agent's deals

I hope this helps out-

dean