Business Network International

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Business Network International (trademarked by its abbreviation BNI) claims to be "the world's largest referral organization."[1]

BNI was founded in 1985 by Dr. Ivan Misner, a consultant who now lectures and writes on networking and word-of-mouth marketing. Its motto is "Givers Gain" - members who provide referrals are theoretically more likely to receive them. Chapters allow one person per professional classification, and prospective members must be approved via an application process.

Contents

[edit] Philosophy

BNI draws a distinction between a "referral" and a "lead." A lead is contact information for a prospect for a member's business, while a referral occurs only when the prospect has already expressed interest in the business in question, and is ready to be contacted by the referred BNI member. Referrals are about farming rather than hunting, and are only effective if the referrer has credibility in the community[2].

[edit] MLM

Business Networkers International is sometimes linked with MLM companies, by being tagged "MLM" in online articles [3], or by being referred to favorably by the representatives of those companies [4]. In fact, BNI is a franchise, and members do not get paid, directly or indirectly, for recruiting other members, and specifically forbids MLM representatives from marketing the business opportunity aspect of their businesses to other members[5].

[edit] Criticisms

BNI has a strict attendance policy, permitting very few absences from weekly meetings. Members are encouraged to do business with other members, but there is no requirement ot do so. You must feel that a person you refer or do business with meets your professional and ethical requirements. [5]

[edit] Statistics

  • Number of Chapters: over 5,000 (as of 2007)
  • Number of Members: 86,000 (approximate)[6]
  • Number of Referrals: over 3.3 million (2006)[6]
  • Total Value of Referrals: $2.4 billion (U.S.) (2006)[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ BNI web page. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  2. ^ Referring to Success. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  3. ^ Achieve Networking Excellence Through Accountability. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  4. ^ Can I Make It as an MLM/Network Marketer Weblog. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  5. ^ a b BNI - Business Networking International?. Yahoo! Small Business. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  6. ^ a b c Hopkins, Philip. "Business network rewires the bush telegraph", The Age Company Ltd, 2006-07-10. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. 
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