Membership means handing them out - hand over fist.
That was one of the first lessons emphasized by leading members who formally announced the organization's launch Thursday morning to about 50 members of the Half Moon Bay business community over a continental breakfast,
 Local business leaders met early Thursday morning to learn about Business Networking International (BNI.) |
"If you focus on giving to others, you'll get everything back that you need," said Andrea Cook, one of the Half Moon Bay chapter's founding members.
BNI is a professional networking organization that is dedicated to making and promoting local business through referrals.
Altogether, the international organization has 4,200 chapters in 26 countries.
In local communities, members are equipped with stashes of business cards - their own and those of their BNI colleagues.
When members encounter someone needing a service, they are encouraged to promote a BNI member through a personal referral.
The biggest means of promotion is through word of mouth, but there are other methods as well.
One key for BNI members is distributing referral cards. If someone expresses that they are looking for a particular service, members can hand out slips and obtain contact information.
The BNI member that can provide the desired service can then later contact the potential client.
Cook and membership chairwoman Noreen Cooper-Heavlin began putting the organization together in February. Cooper-Heavlin, a professional organizer by trade, had considered joining the Pacifica BNI chapter but found that she couldn't because the group already had a professional organizer and BNI chapters restrict membership to one representative of each profession.
"Sometimes the way to join is by starting your own chapter," said Kellie Morlock, home loan consultant and BNI secretary/treasurer.
Cook and Cooper-Heavlin started to gather others in the business community to form a leadership team, meeting at various cafes and restaurants in Half Moon Bay.
While networking and referrals are the group's main goals, they focus on other things as well.
During their weekly breakfast meetings, members spend time talking about their businesses and working out problems.
They also practice communication skills and self-marketing abilities with their "elevator speech," a 30- to 60-second talk that captures the essence of their business.
The Half Moon Bay chapter launched with 15 members. Another seven individuals signed up Thursday, bringing membership up to 22. More people have requested information.
Eventually, the organization's leaders hope to have at least 30 members.
While membership might have privileges, it also has a price.
To be a part of BNI, members have to pay $295 in annual dues, a one-time $75 registration fee, and $55 monthly chapter fees.
Members say it is worth it, pointing to the Pacifica BNI chapter where business referrals resulted in $900,000 in revenues for its members in 2005.
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