Member testimonials

I've been a member of BNI for over 4 years now and it has without a doubt been the most useful marketing tool I've ever used.

Looking back on my first year in business I saw that over 80% of my work had come through BNI directly and indirectly. Looking back 4 years this has now been worth over £30,000. One visitor to the group alone has brought me over £10,000 of business. BNI is thoroughly recommended.
Lee Chalmers, Authentic Living

BNI has proved to be one of the most successful ways I have found to gain new business. But it’s more than that, I have gained a great insight into how others work and with it, a huge number of friends all willing to help out, if called upon.

I thoroughly recommend BNI it has been worth every penny and every 5am alarm call!
Gary Woodward, Sense Advertising & Marketing

When I joined BNI eight years ago in Islington near Canonbury Theatre it was very different from what it is now.

I have learned from other people in BNI, who they are, what they want and how they do it. I have seen businesses grow and those that do absorb from the other members, sucking in the knowledge and using it for their own development. At the same time they take along others in the group as suppliers or advisers.

Client care and nurturing contacts is the most important thing that I have learned. Nothing develops by passing over a referral. It takes time, effort and energy to turn that into, if it’s going to, real business. That’s not to diminish the value of referrals. It’s to say whether you give them or receive them you have to nurture them to achieve the objective and for me that means being sure that the BNI member I have recommended, is better than the supplier or adviser my client already has.

Being a member of BNI over a long period of time has helped me develop and grow. Those that remain are invariably people of extreme good quality because they too believe in the long term and the absolute necessity of building trust and respect.

All in all BNI is a most worthwhile and useful experience. Getting up at 6, peddling along the canal to Islington from Bow in east London, particularly when its raining, dark and cold, is not a particularly inviting thought but as soon as I get there and meet my BNI friends again, the buzz and adrenalin start coursing.
Lynne Brooke, Vizards Tweedie

I have already paid back my membership for the year and have only been a member for a few months now. So it has definitely boosted business.

As well as bringing in more work, it has made me realise that networking is not the same as socialising, and that I am quite happy to talk about my business to complete strangers.

I'm also becoming more comfortable presenting in public as every week you need to stand up for a minute and talk about your business.
Roman Marszalek, Doctor Logic

When you are responsible for getting new business for yourself – networking is a critical part of generating leads.

It has bought me a lot of opportunity and sales – probably in excess of 20% of my opportunities in my first year, with leads which now account for 50% of my new business pipeline next year.

You need to get to know people before they trust you enough to feed into their own network of people they know – but only a couple of months generally, provided you get your 1-2-1’s in.

Being in a group like BNI boosts your confidence as both a public speaker and business person – most people in business share the same issues and concerns. It’s good to know you are not on your own.

I have learnt some very valuable lessons from other people’s business experience. This has definitely changed the way I work. The key area has been referrals – and having someone endorse you in advance of speaking to them.

The connections into commercial rather than to private individual opportunities are all there!
Robert Thacker, Centor Insurance & Risk Management

Not only has joining the group helped me with hitting my targets and receiving business, it has also helped me with communication and presentation skills.

I believe that having the chance to explain the services your company can offer, to 25+ members and visitors on a weekly basis, not only benefits you but also the fellow members of the group, as this allows them to generate opportunities that may not be achieved without BNI. It also potentially gives you an extra 25+ sales staff to your team by the members referring business to your company.
Daniel Croome, Charity Telecommunications

I attended my first BNI meeting as a somewhat sceptical visitor but left thinking that this was an interesting and, clearly, successful way of developing new contacts and generating business... so I joined.

Working as an independent operator can sometimes be lonely; you're isolated and there's frequently nobody to use as a sounding board. I've found that BNI has provided:

  • a group of people who, whilst not doing exactly what I do, understand the difficulties of being on your own in business
  • a source of free advice and guidance from people who have no 'axe to grind'
  • a ready made test group upon whom to try out a new idea and see whether it appeals' before spending too much time developing a new product or service

... plus, of course, access to their network of contacts who may want to do business with me.
Ian Cooper, Eyedeecee Management

I was introduced to BNI soon after I started in business, but cautiously decided that direct mail and cold calling might be more cost effective. When I later went to a BNI launch meeting and came away with a fist full of invitations to talk to people and eventually two good pieces of business, I revised my decision.

BNI has accounted for about 75% of my business from my second year of trading onwards. It has also educated me in networking and presentational skills and provided me with a London-wide network of contacts.
Roger J. Gould