Local tree surgeons association

[Excels1or]

Ended up getting dragged into a meeting with BNI last week. If you've never heard of it, its a "networking" group that you pay a pretty heavy membership fee to join, and after joining you have to actively make leads for other members within it.

 

I'm not saying its a waste of time for some folk, however to us it reeked of a pyramid scheme. 

 

It got me to thinking, there where some positive things about it, namely that the meeting was weekly at 0645 on thursdays via zoom and they went around the room asking individuals if there was anything they needed from other members over the coming week.

 

My question is do you think this would be beneficial to you within your local vicinity?

 

Personally I would be interested in joining one specifically for the area we work in (Glasgow), without the monthly fees and the pushy Herbalife sales techniques.

[Mark Bolam]

They’re a bullshitting bunch of cretins who think talking about work is making money.

I went along as a guest once for the (excellent) breakfast.

 

Never again.

[daltontrees]

I got invited to join one a few years ago in Glasgow. I thought about it for a few minutes and realised I'd be better spending the time advertising my business and winning work based on merit. The danger can be that if the BNI members don't understand what you do then they create leads that you can't do anythingt with and woudl have killed off yourself on the first phone call. Als you end up recommending people that you actually don't know their work quality, and so it can reflect badly on you later.

 

I didn't bother with it and never thought about it since and certainly never wondered whether I should have done it. My advice, build a reputation through good work and good customer relations and you'll never need BNI. Got enough to be do without trying to pass business to others, even if they do reciprocate. It felt dodgy to me. Not illegal, just a bit 'masonic'.

[Excels1or]

1 hour ago, daltontrees said:

I got invited to join one a few years ago in Glasgow. I thought about it for a few minutes and realised I'd be better spending the time advertising my business and winning work based on merit. The danger can be that if the BNI members don't understand what you do then they create leads that you can't do anythingt with and woudl have killed off yourself on the first phone call. Als you end up recommending people that you actually don't know their work quality, and so it can reflect badly on you later.

 

I didn't bother with it and never thought about it since and certainly never wondered whether I should have done it. My advice, build a reputation through good work and good customer relations and you'll never need BNI. Got enough to be do without trying to pass business to others, even if they do reciprocate. It felt dodgy to me. Not illegal, just a bit 'masonic'.

Masonic is a good word for it mate 😂 We're not super short of work, the guy that introduced the group to us said it was a networking group, filled with factors and construction companies. Obviously a lie! I just thought the idea was a good one, and there was potential for tree surgeons in local areas to do the same without having to do any bum tickling or human sacrifices!

[Jamie C]

I almost got talked into it years ago when I was running a web design company but I managed to side step it and my business partner jumped in for me.

 

It seemed like a great idea at the time but the early morning breakfasts turned into a right chore and the networking side of things didn't produce anything. Mind you, that could have been our fault : ) 

 

To each their own, but frankly, you'd be better off just crackin' on.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Jamie C

[Con]

I'm trying, but I can't think of anything worse!

[Jon Lad]

I have been invited to join one locally a few times but never have because of the reasons others have already mentioned: you're tied to weekly morning meetings; folk in it not really understanding what work you do / don't do and then recommending you for what you don't; also being expected to recommend someone that you've no idea is any good at what it is that you're recommending them for, with the potential blow-back that could create if they're not.

 

In my view, there are better uses for your time and money to generate enquiries and work than this.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Jon Lad

[JaySmith]

I know for a firm local to me who used to get a lot of leads and clients through the BNI network. This was many years ago and is probably like the yellow pages, everybody used to use it where as now it is dead. I personally wouldn’t use the yellow pages to find a tradesman, I’d ask friends for recommendations or look on social media platforms and look at their reviews and previous works before making a choice. Marketing and how people engage and buy from businesses has drastically changed in recent years. Facebook and Instagram is what most seem to use nowadays and have better results with. I think mediums like Yell and BNI have had their day and IMO represent a poor return on investment.

 

As a lot of firms have been set up by climbers and are one man bands, there are a lot of firms who pool and share resources amongst each other. I have friends who sub to each other on bigger jobs bringing in kit and guys to access larger jobs. In my view this is a better way of operating than trying to get recommendations from an accountant at a BNI event.