Customers who arrive recommended, every week.

We won't ask whether you want to join BNI. We'll ask five questions about how your customers find you. The answer is yours.

These are the rules shared by every BNI chapter in the world. That's why a new chapter starts out with a proven method.

1. 01

   Givers Gain®

   BNI's core philosophy: if you help others win customers, they'll want to help you too. It isn't about selling to fellow members, but about thinking every week who you can introduce them to. The more you give, the more you get.

2. 02

   Lifelong learning

   Every meeting includes a training slot, and BNI offers courses on presenting your business in 45 seconds, asking for specific referrals and giving good ones. The skills you gain are useful outside the chapter too.

3. 03

   Traditions + innovation

   A method with over 40 years of history, used by 11,800 chapters around the world. The foundations stay the same, but they're kept up to date with tools such as BNI Connect to track every referral.

4. 04

   Positive attitude

   You surround yourself with business owners who want you to do well and help you get there. A chapter with good energy shows it in its meetings, in the ideas that come up and in the eagerness to refer.

5. 05

   Building relationships

   Networking is farming, not hunting. 1-to-1 meetings are for really getting to know each other, because nobody refers someone they don't know. People do business with people they trust.

6. 06

   Accountability

   Attendance, punctuality, referrals given and closed business are measured every week. That's what turns a group into a serious business network rather than just another social club.

7. 07

   Recognition

   Those who contribute are recognised publicly: who gives the most referrals, who brings visitors and who does the most 1-to-1s. A thank-you in front of everyone motivates as much as a new customer.

1. 1

   One seat per profession

   Each group has just one electrician, one lawyer, one accountant… You don't compete: you collaborate.

2. 2

   A structured weekly meeting

   Each member explains in 45 seconds which customer they're looking for. Everyone leaves knowing who to introduce to whom.

3. 3

   Referrals, not contacts

   It isn't passing on a phone number. It's introducing someone who needs what you do and already trusts the person referring you.

4. 4

   1-to-1 meetings

   During the week you meet other members to get to know their business and ideal customer.

5. 5

   Training and follow-up

   Ongoing training in referral marketing and follow-up of every opportunity with the BNI Connect tool.

6. What's expected of you

   Attendance and punctuality, as in your own business. Taking part, doing 1-to-1s, bringing visitors and giving referrals to others. BNI works for those who get involved: we say so up front.