In BNI, we of course focus primarily on providing referrals to fellow BNI Members. But we also develop ourselves as leaders – for example, we gain stronger presentation skills for use with current and prospective clients. Moreover, by learning about the challenges and opportunities facing other businesses, we develop our own “pattern recognition” that helps us avoid pitfalls and capitalize on opportunities. In BNI, we also surround ourselves with high-quality, values-driven service providers who can provide advice and much-needed services to support us in our journey. And of course – perhaps most importantly – we develop lifelong relationships that certainly transcend business.
So even though we focus our language on referrals, is BNI really more of a holistic business building system? My sense is that this is very much the case, but why is this relevant? Well, words matter. We want to help as many business leaders as possible achieve their dreams, so ensuring we have simple messages that clearly describe BNI is important. And as we look at raising the global awareness of BNI in 2020 and beyond, it’s important that we choose our words carefully so that the world clearly understands BNI and how we can help.
So, is BNI really a “business building system”? I’m curious on your thoughts. Please email me on graham@bni.com. And thanks for all that you do to support fellow BNI Members every day. You are making the world a better place.
Onward!
Graham
