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BNI MDPP WEEKLY MEETINGS -
RSVP
Learn How You Can Build Your
Business by 10%-25% in 2010
RSVP for a BNI Mid-Day Power Partner
Chapter’s Meeting
Do you have a strategy in place
to deal with this challenging economy and make sure your
business prospers in 2010?
Virtually every successful business grows through good “word of
mouth”: someone purchases your products or services, and
recommends them to others. This is known as “referral
marketing,” and it is the most successful (and inexpensive) form
of “advertising” available to your business. The question is,
how can you generate those referrals on an ongoing and
consistent basis?
By joining a business networking organization. These
organizations are specifically designed to generate new business
for its members through regular meetings run in a structured
manner, with each “chapter” having only one member from each
profession. These chapters act as the “sales force” for all the
professionals in the group, to provide qualified business
referrals for each other. As trusted business professionals,
they will be referring your business to their clients and social
circle, while you do the same for them.
Business Networking International (BNI) is the largest of these
business and professional networking organizations. BNI
currently has over 5,000 chapters and over 100,000 members in 37
countries worldwide. By the beginning of 2008, BNI members had
passed over 5.5 million referrals, which generated $2.2 billion
worth of business for its members. BNI will typically increase
business by 10%-25% in the first year, and can increase your
business over time by 50% or more. It operates on the “Givers
Gain” philosophy that those who give business freely to others
will benefit in return and get business as well.
BNI has a saying that networking is about “farming” rather than
“hunting.” Success in BNI is based on developing relationships:
getting to know your fellow members and their businesses, both
inside and outside the meetings, and building trust and good
will between you and the other members. This is a long-term
marketing strategy that can be the cornerstone of your business’
marketing efforts if done consistently.
And while building your business is the primary reason most
people join BNI, participation in the organization also provides
other important benefits:
- You will provide your
clients with a valuable service by referring professionals
to them that they can trust. People want to do business with
people they like and trust, and they are grateful for having
a resource that can provide that to them.
- You will develop a trusted
group of professional resources for your own use. Many BNI
members say this is as valuable to them as the business
building aspects of BNI.
- You will have the
opportunity to become comfortable in a networking
environment and speaking in front of a group. While many
business people come into BNI being intimidated by public
speaking, most find that they become quite comfortable with
it and that it helps them in client interviews as well.
- You will be offered a
number of ways to improve your marketing skills. BNI not
only provides its own training for member success, but it
also has a sister organization, “The Referral Institute,”
which offers training seminars in a variety of network
marketing techniques.
- You are likely to find
that BNI will introduce you to valuable friends as well as
business colleagues. Many people find that the social
exposure that BNI offers gives them a much needed circle of
trusted friends that can reduce the isolation many feel as
business owners. Also, many members have discovered valuable
mentoring relationships through BNI.
We hope you will come and find
out more about us to see if this type of marketing might not be
a great business builder for you.
We invite you to join us for
one of our chapter meetings. We currently meet Mondays from
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the
Legends at Bennett Valley,
3328 Yulupa,
Santa Rosa, CA, 95405.
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