BNI: Great Networking Opportunity, or Waste of Time and Money?

Wow, my initial gut feeling was that BNI was too cultish, and the need for my money asap made me nervous as well. Unable to sleep one night I read a plethora of negative reviews on BNI which helped me make my decision NOT to join. I would rather spend the 495 on Newcastle beer, and hand out bottles to prospective people I would network with. At least then there is a chance of a few good laughs and maybe a few friends will be made. (and without rising at 5 am!

BNI is a very good referral source. I agree with Kathy Olberts that you have to be respected in the group, before anyone would give referrals. I disagree with Adam and Jeff who feel pressured to use members of the group regardless of their performance. There are a number of members in our chapter I would never consider using, or I have other resources for them. The next thing about using members of your chapter, is that you see them every week and really understand who is and isn't good. I am disappointed that virtually everyone is allowed to renew regardless of how well they abide by BNI values. We've had people join solely because they've applied, and haven't always waited for the best person.

I have been invited to several BNI meetings by several different people in a couple of different chapters. I went to a county wide meet up, and found it interesting, but a bit like a Shakley or Tupperware meeting. Everything is grand and glorious.My company has a very good reputation, I can network well with others, and we sell and install flooring, something that everyone needs sooner or later. I have several concerns about BNI. My biggest concern is one stated by Adam, there is no choice on who you can recommend. This is not a problem if the person is good at what they do and conscientious, but if they are not, what do you do?Another problem is that our store is in a small, rural area, and the group is very small. How many referrals are you going to get from a group of 8 to 10 people, even 15? I do not remember what the initiation and membership dues are, but it seemed rather expensive. Other organizations like the Chamber of Commerce or the Rotary seem to have much broader appeal, and are much less expensive than BNI.

BNI has both positives and negatives, in my experience on the positive side it is more structured and organized than most networking opportunities. The frequency of weekly meetings helps foster relationships. It also emphasizes warm referrals rather than just leads. I have been able to get enough business out of it to cover my membership fee. On the negative side, you are forced into a group and encouraged to pass referrals to people solely because they are in your group. You don't necessarily have a say into who joins the group as long as they don't have a competitor and are able to pay their fees. There is also the negative of the annual membership and initiation fee. There are a lot of imitation BNI groups in our area that have popped up in the past year and they charge little to nothing for fees.

I am a bankruptcy attorney and I have been a BNI member for about two years. BNI is by far my top source of referrals and business. If you are curious, I recommend visiting a couple of chapters, which you can do for free or for the cost of lunch (which is waived if you call ahead and substitute for an absent member).

I think there are two main factors as to whether you will be successful with BNI. The first is how well you build your reputation with the group, and therefore how comfortable they will feel referring you to their colleagues and clients. One has an opportunity to build one's reputation in every BNI encounter, or, you can shoot yourself in the foot. The second has to do with how much your target audience is similar to the target audience of the other members of your BNI group. Five years ago, I joined BNI as a "relationship coach" and did okay with giving and getting referrals. However, when I switched my niche to "career coach" my BNI-sourced business really took off because everyone in the group knows someone who can use help with their career. Of course, had I not already built my reputation in the group by being a good President, and being helpful in other ways, no one would have accepted me (given me referrals) in my new niche. Before joining I would recommend potential BNI members evaluate the fit of their business with the other businesses represented before making their decision. Then, I would recommend new BNI members give their group at least one full year after joining before deciding whether BNI is an appropriate marketing vehicle for them.

Thanks for the feedback, Amy and Gil -- I'm impressed to hear what a large amount of Gil's revenues have come from BNI! Personally speaking, I attended a couple of BNI meetings when my husband and I first launched our web development/writing business, but we were more focused on working with larger companies, and we were new to the area, so we would have had trouble generating referrals for others. For those in the right industries who are willing to make the commitment and provide referrals, though, there can be a big payoff.

I agree with Amy and Kathryn. BNI is all about "Giver's Gain" so the more you give in terms of referrals, time spent with other members learning their business, and in honing your networking skills through word of mouth marketing, the more you'll benefit from a membership. I've been in BNI Embarcadero -- http://www.bniembarcadero.com -- the largest chapter on the West Coast, for six years. Each year, my percentage of revenues from BNI referrals has grown significantly and was 72% in 2010.

I've been a member of BNI Embarcadero (the largest chapter on the W. Coast, I believe) for the past nine months and it's been a fantastic experience. I've run my own marketing consulting practice for the past 12 years and when I relocated from the Midwest to San Francisco, I needed a way to build a network and generate new business. My membership has paid for itself many times over. Kathryn's right. To get the most from your experience, you need to commit to it and actively network with fellow members both in and outside of the weekly meetings. http://bniembarcadero.com