The Oystercatchers chapter in Knysna, on South Africa’s beautiful Garden Route, was recently featured in the Eden Express newspaper. In this article, Hans Viljoen describes the BNI philosophy and how members are growing their businesses. Since this news report, several applications to join have been received. To read the full article in Afrikaans GO HERE. The English translation is below.
BNI GETS WINGS IN THE SOUTH CAPE
By Heidi Sonnekus
Photo Heidi Sonnekus , English translation by Solveig Mcormick
October 16, 2013
The members of the Knysna Branch of Business Network International (BNI) are shown in the photo after their meeting last week. From left in the front are Andy Cox, Hans Viljoen local Regional Director, Gudrun Cox Chapter President and Chris van der Merwe. Behind them are Cynthia Neuwerth, Andre Gerber and Johnny Valasis. The photo is by Heidi Sonnekus.
It is a Tuesday morning 8th October, and a group of Knysna’s business men and women sit around a large table in the Savannah Café. They are members of BNI – Business Network International and they are busy.
Breakfast is enjoyed while those present are given 60 seconds to say who they are and what their activities are and then one member is given ten minutes to elaborate on his profession.
Today it is Chris van der Merwe’s turn and he is from Remax Coastal in Sedgefield not far from Knysna. He describes his business’s mission and demonstrates it with a video clip.
Thereafter a strange thing occurs. The members all start handing out pieces of paper – pink, yellow and white slips called referral slips.
Hans Viljoen from Innate Hosting and Regional Director explained to me that “This is referral time – the “I have” section of the meeting. BNI is an international organisation. Members promote one another’s industries through positive Word of Mouth referrals. To measure how effective it is, and how active the members are we keep track of our referrals. If Gudrun Cox (Harvey Travel Plettenberg Bay representative and President of the Chapter this year) refers someone to me, she gives me at the following meeting a white slip which describes the details of the person that she has referred me to, and who is expecting to hear from me.”
“I keep record: when contact is made and business is concluded I complete a Thank you for Closed Business slip and hand it in for the value of that referral to be listed against Gudrun’s name. We thank the referral Giver. BNI is all about giving. We have a Motto which is GIVERS GAIN®
“If we need to decide if her membership can be renewed, we can see the record of her activities in the chapter and how valuable she has been in the organisation. BNI is thus not a meeting house for a coffee club. It is a genuine business meeting. People are occupied solely with how they can bring valuable new business to the members and the organisation that they have formed. It is important to ensure that each member receives value. It is important to ensure that good service is given. The referrer’s reputation hangs in the balance if you do not keep up to the promised standard of work and provide prompt service. We do not want to tarnish the name of BNI and our chapter members.
The community develops through reputable behavior on many levels: people refer friends to businessmen and women that they trust; you polish your service because you know that the person has been referred by a BNI member and you are seen through new eyes by the people that surround you: thus people are invited to visit, and value is attributed to BNI” Says Hans.
It works: BNI can boast that last year nationally 98,000 referrals were passed between 99 chapters to the value of approximately R454 million.
For a lazy businessman this could sound like altogether too much work – but this is part of the natural selection process. And yes there is a subscription fee involved.
“Previously I would have happily spent the same amount of money on distributing leaflets without ever knowing whether they were bringing me a contact of any value. Through BNI I know exactly what value I receive for that part of my marketing expenditure and the other members have my interests at heart.” explains Chris.
The chapter meets before work on Tuesdays at 07h30. It is not a social clique it is a formal business network community. When it is over members have completed business and then continue to do a full day’s work.
“We allow only one person per profession, but membership is open to all types of industries and businesses from plumbers to Doctors” says Hans. “Our Knysna chapter is still small but the members are firmly committed. Chapters normally have a minimum of 25 members and the larger a chapter grows, the more business opportunities there are and the more money is made by the members”.
BNI will shortly launch a chapter in George and Hans foresees that chapters will open in Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn in the future.
For more information phone Hans on +27 82 825 8249 or email hans@bni.co.za.