by Don Harkey
I heard a long time member of our chapter comment recently on why he has stayed in BNI for so long. He said that he typically gets enough referrals to pay for his membership each month, but sometimes he doesn't, but he doesn't mind too much. He says that taking an hour and a half each week to focus on building his business and setting up strategic collaborations is valuable in itself. I have to agree.
Looking at other BNI chapters in the area, I see pretty high turnover. Our chapter, however, has several members who have been in the chapter for years. I attribute this to the fact that our chapter is more than a referral network... it is a group of friends who work together to grow their business. There are many stories in our chapter where people have received personal help and advice from other chapter members and sometimes this is more valuable than referrals. The really cool part is that when our chapter is focused on helping each other out, the referrals flow freely!
I heard someone on the radio say recently, "if you are feeling sorry for yourself, help out someone else". This came from a man who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and spent the last weeks of his life helping other terminal patients come to terms with their condition. He called the experience the most rewarding of his life. BNI can work the same way. The "Gain" in "Giver's Gain" isn't always financial...
