Professional Business Referral

Every business person knows that the best new business prospect is a referral someone who’s been told by a person whom they know and trust that you do good work. Referrals are the heart and soul of BNI. While members can often purchase products or services from one another, the main focus is on referrals to outsiders. In BNI your fellow members are an extended sales force, constantly thinking of you when they are dealing with friends, customers, vendors and whomever. In fact, most members carry the business cards of other members at all times. So if your business could benefit from referrals and you would be willing to help non-competing business people build their sales in return, our BNI group may be the right place for you. In addition to referrals you’ll get support and encouragement from a friendly and talented group of people.

We only take one person per professional specialty. So if you are a residential real estate person and we already have one, we can refer you to another chapter, or allow you to open another chapter. Of course, if you are a commercial real estate person, you could be eligible to join this chapter.

Attendance is critical and mandatory for all members. If you cannot attend a meeting, you may send a substitute. This will not count as an absence.

The application asks for references and we have a membership committee that checks them. It’s word of mouth, so before they even come to a meeting they have to have spoken to someone or been invited by someone in the group. Everyone has to have a sponsor, or one is assigned to them, and they interview them.

 

What if a member gets a referral and does poor work?

We have an ethics committee and it is imperative that anyone who gives a lead and finds out it was not satisfactorily handled must report that to the membership committee, who will investigate.

 

It is not the occupation, it is the individual. The occupation can be anything. If you’re focussed and you have a dream and you’re willing to make a sacrifice, you are the person we want in the group.

 

You’re encouraged to bring visitors for those occupations that are open, after the visitor has been prescreened, if they’re a viable candidate. It’s pretty much a closed meeting except for potential members.

 

BNI understands the importance of the ethical concerns governing certain professions and acknowledges that rules can differ by location. As such, BNI therefore requires its members to uphold the rules of its profession so as not to violate the professional’s ethical obligations. In the event that BNI’s general rules could potentially violate a professional’s ethical code, BNI’s rules are superceded by the dictates of the professional’s ethics’ code. Significantly, a primary objective of BNI is to educate its membership in ways to market and grow business.  It is BNI’s intent to ensure that this is permitted.

 

BNI understands that many professions are broad and that people often specialize within their profession. BNI does not expect, nor does it encourage, any professional to participate in an area in which the professional does not have expertise. On the contrary, BNI prohibits professionals from acting outside of the scope of their abilities.

 

BNI is primary objective is to assist its members in ways to improve their business and to educate them concerning how they can effectively network. Business people get business when their expertise is known and others reach a comfort level with them. BNI provides a forum that allows members to meet other business peers who need to know effective and efficient business people.