We all get into ruts from time to time, important things that we do on a regular basis become routine and don't receive the level of effort that they deserve.

BNI can be a bit like that. Because the Chapter President run the same agenda every week, it's easy to let yourself get into a rut.

We get to the Chapter meeting at the same time each week.
We stand and talk with the same people at Open Networking.
We sit with the same people at the breakfast table
We say the same things in our infomercial
We say the same thing when it comes time to pass a referral or testimonial.

and as a result . . . you are NOTWORKING when you should be NETWORKING.

My advice is to keep raising the bar on yourself in your networking effort. Set your self a challenge to do something different each week.

1. Bring a guest each week – it’s not hard if you see it is a fun challenge. Get the chapter to award a special prize for the most visitors in one month.
2. Change the time at which you normally do Dance Cards – be innovative. Why not a breakfast Dance Card? Or a Saturday morning Dance Card?
3. Arrive at 6.35 am just to be different and act as the Visitor Host even if you are not officially that role.
4. Offer to do the Education Coordinator session without being asked.
5. Tell your local Director that you would like to be on the next Leadership Team before you are asked.
6. Write an article for your chapter newsletter to share your expertise with the other members.
7. Set yourself a goal for the number of referrals you will bring over the next month and then reward yourself when you achieve it.

Someone once said to me “if you are not making money AND having fun, then what are you doing in business?” Try putting some fun and difference in your BNI activity.

You will be surprised how NETWORKING will reap rewards. On the other hand, NOTWORKING will perpetuate mediocre behaviour.

The best way to build business is still through good old word of mouth.

How many ways are there for you to increase your business? Dozens? Hundreds? Maybe thousands? Guess again. Try four. That's right, there are only four main strategies you can incorporate to increase your business.

First, you can advertise, but competition for customers in our society is fierce.
The second way is through a public relations campaign. This can be expensive and time-consuming for a small business.
The third way is through word of mouth, which has long been recognised as the most cost-effective form of marketing a business can use.
There's one other marketing strategy that a lot of people use as an alternative to advertising and PR, and that is the "C word"--cold-calling!

Advertising is probably top of the list, but most businesses have a limited budget to spend on advertising and PR is best used in conjunction with other marketing efforts. Cold calling has no appeal whatsoever. That leaves only one other way you can effectively build your business: by word of mouth.

People Want Referrals
People don't want to go to the telephone book to pick a lawyer. They don't want to pick a real-estate agent from the Yellow Pages--or an accountant, or a chiropractor, or an insurance agent, or a dentist, or a mechanic. People want referrals!

People want to have more personal information before making such selections because whenever you choose a professional exclusively from an advertisement and have no other source of information, you may be taking a big risk as to the quality of service you will receive.
With referrals, the risk is greatly reduced. Someone else has done business with that person and is recommending that professional to you with confidence.

Referrals Are Good Business
Compare a lead that you receive from an advertisement with a similar lead (that is, referral) that you get from someone you know. The referred lead is easier to close and costs less to obtain.

Relying on the advice of a mutual friend or acquaintance, the referral starts with a higher level of trust for you and your product or service. Getting dozens of people to send such referrals your way every day is what building successful word-of-mouth business is all about.  

By Tony Benner, Executive Director BNI Sydney Inner West

RE/MAX recently held their International Convention in Las Vegas where they recognised their 'outstanding agents'.

The results for the Cairns region was published in The Weekend Post, where Executive Director for Northern Australia, Lance Gane recognised all the top achievers as BNI Members!

"This is a fantastic result for these BNI members and a testament to the quality relationships that these members have built up. One award recipient, has informed me that she now receives 30% of her referral business through BNI".

Congratulations to (right to left): Lynne McConaghie (Reef Chapter); Kendall Booth-Thomson (Kingsfords Chapter); Linda Rawson (Harbour View Chapter); Lucie Spiteri (Rainforest Chapter); Matt Powe and Kristy Kernot (Sheridan Chapter).

We have the pleasure of Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI, touring Australia in June and July, 2006.

Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chairman of BNI (Business Network Int'l.). BNI was founded in 1985. The organization has over 4,200 chapters throughout every populated continent of the world.  Last year alone, BNI generated over 4.4 million referrals resulting in over $1.7 billion dollars worth of business for its members

Dr. Misner’s Ph.D. is from the University of Southern California. He has written eight books, including his New York Times best seller, Masters of Networking and his #1 bestseller, Masters of Success. He is a monthly columnist for Entrepreneur.com and is the Senior Partner for the Referral Instititute - a referral training company with trainers around the world.  He has taught business and social capital courses at several universities and is on the Board of Directors for the Colorado School of Professional Psychology.

Called the "Father of Modern Networking" by Ecademy.com and the “Networking Guru” by Entrepreneur magazine, Dr. Misner is one of the world's leading experts on business networking and has been  a keynote speaker for major corporations and associations throughout the world. He has been featured in the L.A. Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times, as well as numerous TV and radio shows including CNN, CNBC, and the BBC in London.

Dr. Misner is on the Board of Directors for the Haynes Children Center. He is the Founder of the BNI‑Misner Foundation and was recently named "Humanitarian of the Year" by the Daily Bulletin. He is married and lives with his wife Elisabeth and their three children in Claremont, CA.  In his spare time!!!… he is also an amateur magician and a black belt in karate.

You will have this fantastic opportunity to meet and hear the inspirational Dr. Misner, at the following functions that are open to BNI Members, media and networkers:-

Thursday 29th June
GOLD COAST BIG BUSINESS DINNER: 5.30pm
Southport Sharks Function Centre, Gold Coast

Friday 30th June
BRISBANE BIG BREAKFAST:  6.45am
Brisbane  Technology Park, 1 Clunies Ross Court (Off Miles Platting Road) Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane

Tuesday 4th July
COFFS HARBOUR BIG BREAKFAST:  6.45am
Pelican Beach Resort, Coffs Harbour

Wednesday 5th July
SYDNEY BIG BREAKFAST:  6.45am
Waterview Convention Centre, Homebush

Thursday 6th July
CANBERRA BIG BREAKFAST:  6.45am
Members Dining Room of Old, Parliament House, King Georges Terrace, Parkes, Canberra

Friday 7th July
MELBOURNE BIG BREAKFAST:  6.45am
Carlton Crest, 65 Queens Road, Melbourne

Friday 7th July
TASMANIA BNI LUNCH:  1pm
Mercure Hotel, 156 Bathurst Street, Hobart

Please refer to the BNI website for event and contact details. Seats are limited, so book early!

Congratulations to Jo Spiegelhauer, BNI Area Director, for Northern Australia and owner of "Your Personal Coach" in Townsville, for being nominated as "Bendigo Bank Businesswoman of the Year Awards" - category "Emerging Businesswoman of the Year".

The criteria Jo will be assessed on is:
1. Qualifications
2. Achievements
3. Leadership
4. Management Techniques
5. Mentoring

Lance Gane, Executive Director for Northern Australia commented "Jo's background as a coach, coupled with her BNI Director Training, means she is a person of excellence in these areas. We are excited to be working with Jo and wish her every success in these Awards".

Congratulations and Good Luck Jo!

BNI is pleased to announce the official kickoff of BNI Poland - the 29th Country BNI has opened in.

One-hundred twenty-five excited guests were present on April 27th for the historic launch of the first Polish chapter of BNI!  Starting from its dedicated core group of 22 members, the BNI Baccara chapter already has ten new members after their very first meeting.

BNI Launches in Hong Kong, China

BNI is growing quickly in Asia and is happy to announce the official kickoff of BNI Hong Kong!  The launch of the "Abundance Chapter" is the crowning achievement of weeks of hard work by their dedicated directors and core team members.

At the festive kickoff on April 26th, the tables were full--with 125 excited guests present and ready to learn more about BNI!  Eager to join, an amazing 75 applications were collected at the first meeting!   The new chapter already has 30 members!

BNI Launches in Taiwan

BNI is pleased to announce the official launch of BNI Taiwan!  After months of hard work, planning and dedication, the Qi Qian or "Flagship" chapter launched in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 31st. Quickly growing from a core group of 16 committed members, the new chapter kicked off at around 30 members -- including all key professions!  This begins a new era as BNI's unique form of business networking comes to Taiwan for the first time!

Malaysia 20-22 June 2006

The first World Conference for BNI members will be held in Kuala Lumpur in June . . .

If you are interested in a Malaysian holiday, some serious networking and the possibility of some tax deductibility (talk to your accountant), send an email to tonyb@bni.com.au to receive details of the conference, and a travel package from Australia.

There are some great reasons for going to this Conference:-

~ Top International Speakers
~ Visit the exciting country of Malaysia
~ Network with people from all over the world
~ Attend the skill session master classes
~ Meet like-minded people who want to do business
~ Develop strategic alliances and partnerships
~ Improve your business skills
~ Compete in the BNI world golf championship
~ Take part in the first ever worldwide conference
~ Meet Dr. Ivan Misner the founder of BNI
~ Hear Geoff Kirkwood present "What Is Your Vision?"

Continued from January-February newsletter, extract from Inspirator International Interview with Dr. Ivan Misner - Founder BNI and CEO - World's Largest and Most Successful Business Referral Organisation.

Early in my consulting business a major client of mine did not renew a contract because of financial challenges and I was left with a substantial void in revenue that had to be filled quickly.

I sat down and thought about the best ways for me to generate more business and determined that one key area was through referrals.

I had participated in many networking groups but never found one that I felt was as effective as I thought it could be. From that thought I put together my first networking group as a part of my consulting business. The group was very structured and allowed only one person per profession to allow open communication and avoid conflicts.

I quickly learned that I had struck a nerve in the business community. People began asking me to help them by opening another group and another and another. In the first year, we opened 20 chapters without really trying! After four years and 80 Chapters, I had to make a choice between my consulting business and my networking organisation. I'm glad to say - I chose the networking business.

From this small "acorn"of an idea, a mighty Oak has grown. Today, BNI is the largest business networking/referral organisation in the world.