We've tossed around different ideas to get online reviews (and, fear not, we will continue), but online endorsements aren't the only ones that matter. A whole lot of business happens by word of mouth. You get it by networking, face to face, in the real world.
Recently, a friend invited me to attend a Business Network International (BNI) meeting. BNI is all about referrals. The philosophy is one of good karma: you recommend your fellow members to friends/relatives/clients and they do the same for you.
Each group only allows one member from each industry to avoid competition. They meet once a week for a breakfast meeting, during which they each give a 30-second pitch about what kind of client they'd like to have for that particular week. After that, they go through the room, announcing who gave a referral, who got business from a group referral, and who scheduled a lunch or coffee date to get to know a fellow member better, so they could help talk them up. It's basically the accountability portion of the meeting, where members show they are working toward the mission statement.
I talked with one woman, a home designer, who had been a member for five years. During that time, she's been able to cut her marketing costs by 20 percent, while increasing her profits by 25 percent. My friend, a new realtor in a city saturated with real estate professionals, said it was too soon to quantify her payoff, but insisted that BNI was responsible for a consistent stream of phone calls. In just one meeting, I had one man ask if I could edit his book and a hair stylist inquire about my copy writing services. I have no doubt that every single person in the room with me could (and would) recommend a florist on a weekly basis.
The organization presently has over 6,200 chapters throughout every populated continent in the world. Last year, members of BNI passed over 6.9 million referrals which generated almost $3.1 billion (U.S.) worth of business for each other. Click here to find a chapter.
Recently, a friend invited me to attend a Business Network International (BNI) meeting. BNI is all about referrals. The philosophy is one of good karma: you recommend your fellow members to friends/relatives/clients and they do the same for you.
Each group only allows one member from each industry to avoid competition. They meet once a week for a breakfast meeting, during which they each give a 30-second pitch about what kind of client they'd like to have for that particular week. After that, they go through the room, announcing who gave a referral, who got business from a group referral, and who scheduled a lunch or coffee date to get to know a fellow member better, so they could help talk them up. It's basically the accountability portion of the meeting, where members show they are working toward the mission statement.
I talked with one woman, a home designer, who had been a member for five years. During that time, she's been able to cut her marketing costs by 20 percent, while increasing her profits by 25 percent. My friend, a new realtor in a city saturated with real estate professionals, said it was too soon to quantify her payoff, but insisted that BNI was responsible for a consistent stream of phone calls. In just one meeting, I had one man ask if I could edit his book and a hair stylist inquire about my copy writing services. I have no doubt that every single person in the room with me could (and would) recommend a florist on a weekly basis.
The organization presently has over 6,200 chapters throughout every populated continent in the world. Last year, members of BNI passed over 6.9 million referrals which generated almost $3.1 billion (U.S.) worth of business for each other. Click here to find a chapter.
