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Originally Posted by Bub  Be careful about BNI. While it does try to set up a referral base, I feel it's main aim is to get members to keep encouraging everyone they know to come to meetings as guests in the hope they will sign up (about $1000 a year + $20 each week for breakfast). A money making business with it's members as it's unpaid workforce, guilted into drumming up potential new financial members.
My son used to call it a cult when I talked about it, and it started to feel like it. They reneged on promised it made to me and I pulled out. The managership was pretty poor and I felt guilty each week if I did not bring a victim (sorry- "guest") with me. I ran out of people to ask.
I started to stress the day before if I could not find anyone to come.
Glad to be out of it. |
Although I have not been in BNI, someone close to me has and she relayed a similar story. BNI is great for some businesses that can create power-networking groups (e.g realestate agents to architect to solicitors to electrician did great referrals to one another). I'd warn against joining if you were in a business that was too removed from the other businesses (e.g a health professional, when no one else is in that industry). Doing the sums the investment in time was not worth it so she left.
And there's not really any visibility as to what you get for your joining fee. Sure you get some booklets - but not enough to justify upwards of $1,000 when the BNI agency itself does nothing to support the events.
David