When networking meetings suck

Networking value depends on building your own personal network around you. It does not work unless you put the effort into making that happen. In BNI members will bring you random referrals because they happen (by chance) to come accross them, but only 1 in 10 of these will be what you actually want as a new piece of work. Unfortunately this is most people's experience of BNI and if they do really well they make ￡30,000 to ￡50,000 a year using this sort of practice. The real value happens when you actively look for people to add to your team that are really close to what you do. Telecoms, website design, cabling, printer copiers, office furniture, business coach - these have all been great partners for my business (IT Support). Each of them knows exactly what to look for and doesn't try to sell anything else. ..... continued

I'm a BIG fan of BNI. I wouldn't have gotten Northstar IT this far without it. It's not just the business, it is the mentoring and the support peers I have met as a result. But as Patrick Soals below says, it is about Givers Gain. That is what BNI teach you first. Or as one of my long term clients and now friend says "it's about farming, not hunting". If you choose a BNI chapter wisely (not one full of 1 man band trades people), with a good balance, and you go with the right attitude, including being in it for the long term. Also do what loads of BNI members don't do, check out other chapters, see what members are there and go visit or sub. At times I have had serious business from other chapters outside of my own. With that in mind you should without doubt get a good ROI out of your membership. That said Paul Green would say "marketing is a multi-pillar activity" and as my mother has always said "don't put all of your eggs in one basket". In all aspects of business, not just marketing, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. For now, Captain Christian signing off, have a good weekend... ??

Contentious opinion alert: Everyone who says they didn't get enough out of BNI probably has forgotten the very first core principle of BNI philosophy: Givers Gain. It's not about taking. It's not even about giving. It's about exchanging. Of course, I also recognize that a majority of members of your chapter have to be just as into it as you for you to be able to get anything out of it. I'd also argue against "growing out" of BNI and general networking. As Adam Morris says in the comment above/below mine: "But as you develop, become a better more mature MSP (read higher priced looking for larger and more mature clients) you naturally become more selective. The BNIs etc tend in those cases to be a poor use of a business owners time." If an MSP is at that point, why is the business owner doing the networking? Hire a business development expert to your staff and let them handle it! We're building a business for ourselves, not a job. Respectfully, of course, Adam. I submit to your experience over mine! Alright, now someone take this soapbox from me before I wear it out. ??

Heres a video I recorded 6 years! Ago about in person networking/ BNI https://youtu.be/tlJteShS_rQ

I saw networking meetings as a necessary evil when I started out in my MSP and they did get us off the ground. But as you develop, become a better more mature MSP (read higher priced looking for larger and more mature clients) you naturally become more selective. The BNIs etc tend in those cases to be a poor use of a business owners time. Far better to host or build you own networks if you can.