I was in a dicsussion with some long-time, successful business owners who have used BNI successfully as a tactic and they were sharing some great insights into how they utilized BNI.
The first question to start with is simple... what do you want to get out of your membership?
Like any business tactic, BNI is not just something you do and grow your business. It's not that simple. You have to figure out how to best utilize it as part of your strategy. I have seen many BNI members come and go who didn't ever really understand that. They entered the group and started having random 1-2-1 meetings with others. They did their best to keep their numbers up, but it never really clicked. They never really asked themselves what BNI could do for them.
I know... BNI's philosophy is "Giver's Gain", and this philosophy works. However, you can't be very successful if you can't help others help you. This is where you need to step up.
For example, some people utilize the group to set up key introductions. They ask for help meeting specific people and sometimes they get that help... sometimes they don't. The best way to get introductions is to spend some time with others in your group, especially those who might know people you need to be introduced to. This is being smart with your BNI membership.
What do you want to accomplish with your BNI membership? If you aren't a member... what could you accomplish with a group of quality professionals who don't refer to each other because of membership, but because they have truly invested time into getting to know and trust each other.
