I was contacted by someone this week who felt that BNI needs to advertise in order to attract members. “No successful business has ever been built without advertising” he assured me. At BNI we recognise that advertising is an effective and proven way to market ones business – however we also believe that ‘Word of Mouth’ marketing is a powerful way to build ones business and as such we have never felt the need to advertise BNI. We would never suggest to anyone that they do not advertise – however one of the benefits of BNI is that it provides a cost effective way for people to promote their business. There are additional costs over and above the cost of membership – however even when you factor in your time, the cost of your meal etc, the overall cost is generally an expense that sits comfortably within one’s overall marketing budget. One of the attendees at a MSP (Member Success Programme) training session I ran in South Auckland this week was a graphic designer who has been in BNI for two years. He was returning for a refresher and he told the group that he was looking to achieve $50,000 of business through BNI over the next 12 months. I asked him how realistic he felt his goal was and he told the group that he was basing this goal on his experience to date in BNI and that he felt that this was very achievable. Not a bad goal and I would suggest that this is also a pretty good return on one’s investment as well!.
One of the benefits of building your brand through ‘Word of Mouth’ is that it generates a good degree of media attention. To read the latest coverage of BNI in this weeks NZ Herald – click here
2 comments
Was he selling advertising, perhaps? In our experience here in Minnesota, US, (12 yrs old, 150 chapters, 3700 members) we find that teaching the members to invite builds the best chapters. By bringing people you know into the chapter you are giving them a head start by recommending them. In effect you are lending your reputation, so people who know, like and trust you will be more open to getting to know them faster. Just like when you refer another member to your clients, the referred member has a better chance of getting the work because of your reputation that you are lending to them. It’s all about the referrals.
It’s also worth pointing out that BNI NZ carries out an active public relations programme which, characterised by the fact that PR is based on third person endorsement, is a better cultural fit with BNI.
Here’s a quote worth noting:
“All recent brand successes have been PR successes, not advertising successes. Red Bull, Starbucks, Harry Potter, Linux, Palm, The Body Shop, JetBlue and Google.” – Al Ries (best-selling co-author of one of the most influential marketing books of all time: Positioning: The Battle for your Mind).
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