There’s a saying – good things come in small packages. It’s true, sometimes in life it’s the small things that make a difference: The chuckle you get from a funny license plate on a car, or that satisfied feeling when you achieve the perfect milk to cereal ratio! With networking though, bigger tends to be better.
One chapter in Whakatane has recently proved this. This year the chapter experienced an expansion in numbers after a flat period where their membership dropped to a low level. People had left for personal reasons – three left in quick succession due to life changes. Some were leaving the area and others had changed businesses. At one point the group itself was in danger of disbanding.
Thankfully membership has increased steadily since that low point, something that could be put down to the improved financial circumstances in the area – particularly due to property development.
Another factor that led to success for the chapter involved the members being proactive. Noticing that the economic tide was turning, the chapter attempted to capitalise on this by bringing more property-related businesses to the group. They sat down and thought about what sort of members they needed and then actively targeted these types of business with word-of-mouth marketing.
Along with an accountant, lawyer and mechanic, the chapter now also has a building consultant, home loan provider and a real estate agent. They’re all excited about the changing times and hopefully the upswing in numbers will continue. The chapter should be congratulated for its proactive planning and thoughtful approach to increasing membership.
Remember, if you can just get a couple of new members joining a chapter, the whole energy in the group changes. With new blood you have a new lease on life, greater enthusiasm and new ideas about how relationships within the chapter can be built.
It’s easy to forget about the benefits of BNI, but when new members come in you are immediately reminded about how valuable the group is to creating business opportunities.
That’s why bigger is better in networking and business.
