Tough Economy Leads Many to Networking Groups

Although business people often recognize the power of word-of-mouth marketing, Misner said they usually have no idea how to effectively generate a large number of referrals.

Tough Economy Leads Many to Networking Groups

(San Dimas, California) With a sluggish economy, businesses looking for a competitive edge are turning to the worlds oldest, best and most cost-effective way to build their business -- word of mouth. Networking groups are booming, and leading the way is BNI (Business Network Intl.).

With more than 2,500 chapters in 14 countries, BNI is the worlds largest referral organization. Last year, BNIs more than 54,000 members passed nearly 2.8 million referrals worldwide, and the organization added nearly 350 chapters. In the Greater Los Angeles area alone, there are more than 80 chapters of BNI.

BNI founder and CEO Dr. Ivan Misner, author of the New York Times bestseller Masters of Networking," said difficult economic times forces business professionals to think out of the box. Creativity in marketing your business has become a basic tenet for todays successful company or professional practice," he said.

Although business people often recognize the power of word-of-mouth marketing, Misner said they usually have no idea how to effectively generate a large number of referrals.

BNI provides the structure and system. Each chapter has about 20 to 30 members, and each member is from a different profession. The chapter meets weekly with each member speaking about his or her business for a minute, and one member giving a more detailed presentation. Members are encouraged to bring referrals for someone else in the group, and leaders are trained and use a manual to run the chapters.

The success of BNI lies not just with the people within the group, but its the networking beyond the network that makes it work," Misner said. Its really like having a group of sales people working for you."

BNI is headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., and has chapters in 14 countries. Since its inception, members have referred almost $1 billion worth of business to other members. For more information about BNI, visit www.bni.com.

If you would like to schedule an interview with Dr. Misner, who is also on the business faculty of Cal Poly University, Pomona, or find out about specific chapters in your area, call Michael Drew at 714.540.0331.