“We had a lovely chat. I collected loads of business cards. The breakfast was great.”

What do you really want out of your networking time, effort and investment?

It is always nice to meet interesting people, to get lots of new contacts to add to your mailing list, and even to enjoy the social and hospitality aspects of the meeting.

But don’t we want something more than that?

Don’t we want outcome, results, business?

I have been networking for many years now and, while I’ve always enjoyed the experience, I have often come away with an, “Is that it?” sort of feeling.

Until I found BNI.

You see, at BNI, the focus is on outcome. What do I mean?

We only allow one person from any given profession or trade to join a chapter, so there is no conflict of interest.

Every member is encouraged to contribute to the chapter by bringing referrals for their fellow members. These are not just leads; they are warm opportunities to do business.

The agenda of each meeting gives everybody the chance to talk about their company and the sort of business they are after.

And we track the number of referrals and the amount of business that results from them, so we can make sure every member is deriving a generous amount of value for their seat at the table.

When I visited my first BNI meeting, I immediately recognised the difference BNI brought to the business of networking – and I never went anywhere else again.

How does that sound to you? If you could handle more work, please do get in touch with me – [email protected] – and I will introduce you to a chapter that has a vacancy for you – and business to pass to you right now.

By Alyson Roach