People usually associate business networking groups like BNI with white collar businesspeople like accountants, lawyers or real estate agents. Perhaps also businesses in the trades and service space – like plumbers or electricians.
These people may however not connect more novel small businesses with a networking organisation, but the truth is unique businesses have an important place in your chapter.
Recently Mark French, our Regional Director for BNI – Nelson Bays & Marlborough, had a one to one with someone in a less conventional BNI business. Gavin Graham is a Fitness Professional/Personal Trainer who is a member of BNI Blenheim and through BNI has grown his business and also increased the quality of his clientele. He’s also added value to his chapter by training around 50% of the members – one chapter member lost 37 kgs thanks to Gavin!
Gavin says in his 4 years with the chapter, the members, the systems and the excellent types of referrals, have helped his business double in size and doubled the numbers of clients consistently showing up to training sessions.
Attracting unique professions to BNI
Success in BNI doesn’t depend on the profession, but on the person. Their commitment and willingness to give and help and learn is important. So the short answer to ‘do unique professions work in BNI?’ is, yes, if the unique profession has the right person. 2 great reasons to give to a person in a unique or novel business as to why they should join BNI are:
- By being in BNI you can build relationships with plenty of expert people that you refer to your clients and thereby creates added value to your relationship with them.
- Proactive members will get business and referrals – no matter how unusual their business.
Personal trainers could be seen as perhaps not the easiest to consider joining BNI. Like tradespeople they’re very busy in the mornings. Gavin’s story however illustrates how beneficial BNI can be for them and vice versa.
