Making Real Connections

One of the first thing that happens in the weekly, early-morning meetings of a business networking group called “Real Connections,” is that each attendee stands and offers a brief description of his or her business, and the kind business leads he or she is looking for. Usually these little speeches begin with: “Did you know...?”

An opening paragraph on the group, in their style, might go something like this:
Did you know that more than two dozen area business owners get up early every Tuesday morning to attend meetings of a newly created local chapter of Business Networking Int’l (BNI) at The Regal Room in Olyphant?

“There is a huge demand for this kind of marketing,” said Theresa Collins, district manager at First Liberty Bank and the president of the local chapter. “Several of us had been in other BNI chapters and knew how profitable it was, but wanted to form one closer to where we work. The BNI directors worked with us every step of the way and before we knew it we were rolling. The response from the local business community was incredible!”

BNI is the largest business networking organization in the world, with chapters in more than 40 countries. The concept is a simple one, based on the premise that other business people in your area are very likely to know someone who is looking to buy the goods or services you provide, and vice versa.

“Any business person will tell you the fastest way to a closed sale is a quality referral,” she said “The problem usually is that they have no reliable way of generating those referrals. That’s what being a BNI member provides — a proven, reliable system for educating your fellow members exactly how to identify a referral for you each week. We even measure the ‘value’ in closed sales dollars (in something they call ‘BNI bucks’). In just six weeks, the BNI-Real Connections Chapter has made more than $30,000 in closed sales for its members.”

Collins said the meetings are “very structured and businesslike, but we also have lots of fun. I’ve been a BNI member for almost four years and I can say with confidence the BNI System works for any business or professional that is willing to learn and work the system.”

One caveat: Each chapter contains only one member from each kind of business or profession, Collins noted. “We are still adding members for the remaining open business categories.”

If a business person finds their profession is already represented in the chapter, there is a solution: start a new chapter. Contact BNI’s regional director Steve Gambino at (908) 995-8860 or by e-mail at sgambino@garden.net.

Meetings are Tuesdays, from 7-8:30 a.m. at The Regal Room, 216 Lackawanna Ave., Olyphant. Admission is $11 and includes breakfast. Bring plenty of business cards. Call 307-8168 or visit www.bni.com or www.bnipa.com for more information.

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