The word “Networking” has really become a popular part of a business owner’s vocabulary, and when approached to visit another networking group (BNI), I hadn’t set my expectations very high.

My company was on the verge of bankruptcy after 4 years of struggle, and I felt I had nothing to lose by visiting another networking group. Little did I know, BNI was the group that I had been in search for.

Within my first 15 minutes I knew BNI was going to be the piece that had been missing in our business plan. On my second meeting as a member of BNI I received a million dollar referral to produce catalogs for a company in New Jersey, and another in Toronto, Canada.

BNI breeds and attracts the members who truly embrace the philosophy of “giver’s gain”, something that is lacking in the business world today. My personal thanks and gratitude go to Dr. Ivan Misner who founded BNI.

I have seen my business take off as a result of being a member of the BNI Pitman N.J. Chapter for the last six months. I have closed 20 orders for my company due to BNI referrals. I have yet to receive a BNI referral that did not turn into new business.

BNI has even made me better at sales. I'm better because I applied the BNI core values to my business everyday (not just once a week).

Building and sustaining relationships is fundamental in my industry, and staying in close contact with business professionals is a great way to foster and promote a productive business relationship for life.

BNI is a great tool for building businesses by increasing the credibility and posture of each of its members to their customer base!

When I became a member of the Moorestown Chapter of BNI in February of 2005,I had been in business 15 years and was looking for a way to increase my client base while following the principles of traditional Oriental practice. Work of Mouth marketing is the only way traditional practitioners are supposed to advertise, so BNI seemed to be a good fit for my business goals.

In just two years, my practice has grown exponentially. With the referrals, support, guidance, training, and education received through BNI, I have been able to expand my one room practice into a complete holistic healthcare center– Joint~Effort Wellness Center in Moorestown.

What really excites me is that through my contacts in BNI, I have been able to become a great resource for my clients. Not just for the health and wellness services they expect when come to see me, but also because I can provide my clients with referrals to every imaginable service and product available throughout the Delaware Valley Region.

I took a look at a lot of groups before I found BNI. None of those compare. 100% of my business comes from word of mouth and BNI is responsible for 90% of that. Between the networking education and the ability to network with hundreds, if not thousands, of business people with the same mindset, BNI has provided the framework to grow our business tremendously over the past 3 years. The only regret I have is not finding out about BNI sooner.

I started my BNI Membership 1 month after starting launching my practice as a Business Coach and Marketing Consultant. Within 2 1/2 years, I had completely filled my schedule, and the only spot I had open was 11:30 on Thursday, my BNI time. I average 1 new paying client for every month since being an active member of BNI!

As a Marketing Consultant, I can say that my BNI Membership out-performs phonebook advertising, cold-calling, mailings, and every other form of marketing I tried.

When I started my business I had a small advertising budget. I friend told me about BNI. I decided to take a portion of my advertising budget (less than 5%) and dedicate it to networking. I joined BNI in September 2004, and saw immediate results. In 2005, BNI accounted for 65% of my total sales, while using only 4.7% of my total advertising budget.

We have grown our business substantially through BNI.

Chapter members have given referrals to us early in the sales process, and very often we find ourselves with little or no competition on our proposals.. BNI works!

I received a referral from a BNI member that has turned into the largest contract in the long history of my company. This contract provides repeat business each year. It is unlikely that we would have even known of the existence of this opportunity if we did not get this referral.

My BNI chapter referrals have become the primary source of all of the new business I bring in to my company each year. No more cold calls or expensive advertising. The relationships I have formed with other members are highly valued both personally and professionally.