Visit Us: A Visitors’ Guide to BNI

The Anatomy of a BNI Meeting

Each BNI Meeting is broken down into 4 major parts:

  1. Open Networking: The first 10 minutes of each meeting is dedicated to open networking. Members have the opportunity to talk with each other to discuss business opportunities & ideas and exchange referrals.
  2. 50 Second Commercial: The Meeting is called to order and each member is given 50 seconds to talk about their business and what they are looking for in a referral.
  3. Presentations: Each week, two members give a 10 minute presentation on their respective businesses.
  4. Passing the Bucks: This is the referral portion of the meeting. One last time, we go around the room and each member discusses referrals they have passed to other members, one-on-one meetings they’ve had with other members, testimonials for each other and we pass in Green Slips (how much $$ we’ve made from a referral).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What time should I arrive?
A. Please arrive by 7:00am. The Visitor Host will greet you upon arrival and begin introducing you to other members.

Q. What should I wear?
A. Wear whatever you would normally wear to work. Our Chiropractor wears scrubs, our Insurance Salesmen wear suits and our Electrician & Handyman wear jeans.

Q. Will I be expected to speak during the meeting?
A. Be prepared to speak during the “50 Second Commercial” portion of the meeting. For a basic commercial you should:

  1. State your name and business name
  2. Where you’re located
  3. What types of services you provide
  4. What a good referral would be for you

Q. Should I bring my business cards?
A. YES! Please bring 30-50 business cards with you as you will have an opportunity to pass them out to each Referral Zone Member

Q. How many times can I visit?
A. You may visit only twice as a guest. Afterwards, you will need to make a decision on whether to submit an application to become a member of our chapter.

Q. Can anyone apply?
A. Anyone can apply to our chapter, but we only take one person per professional specialty. Once you are accepted as a member, your competition is locked out!