Welcome!

• Nominate an Eagle Award Winner! Use the Award link above. Vote now. Vote often!.
• Missing a member? Text me at 210-373-8599.
• In-Person Location Starting June 3rd: Color Me Mine in Hubner Oaks [ map ]

Virtual Meeting Info

• https://bnionline.zoom.us/j/570738903
• Meeting ID: 570 738 903
• Passcode: 333944

Thank you for your referrals!

See you, Wednesday.

Need CEUs?

Here's a short list of good places to get CEUs.

• www.bnipodcast.com
• bnipowerofone.com

As a rule, we are saying 3 podcasts = 1 CEU, but if you spend time doing the homework on the podcast pages, that time counts!

Please make sure you turn in your CEUs after doing them!

Latest BNI Podcast Episode

Official BNI Podcast Episode 962 "Time and Money"

Podcast Episode 962 Audio

Synopsis:

In BNI Podcast Episode 962, guest Shirley Towne addresses the common objection that prospective members lack the time and money to commit, arguing that preserving these limited resources is exactly why they should join. She explains how she replaced a $5,000 monthly budget for Yellow Pages ads with a much smaller BNI investment, demonstrating that the 90-minute weekly meetings and One-to-Ones generate personal introductions much more efficiently than paying for cold leads. Ultimately, Dr. Ivan Misner and Towne conclude that building a network is a far better use of time because it focuses on long-term relationship-building and "farming" for opportunities, which is significantly more rewarding than the exhaustive "hunting" of direct sales and cold calling.

Questions:

1. How does the ROI of your current marketing compare to the value of personal introductions? Consider how much money you spend on advertising for cold leads—like the $5,000 monthly Yellow Pages budget mentioned in the episode—and evaluate whether investing that budget into a referral network would yield higher-quality, warm personal introductions.
2. Are you treating your networking efforts like your best customer? A key mindset shift is to block off dedicated time on your schedule for networking meetings and one-to-ones, treating these relationship-building activities with the same priority and respect as you would a meeting with your top client.
3. Is your sales strategy based on exhausting "hunting" or sustainable "farming"? Take a look at where your time goes; evaluate if you are spending too much effort on direct selling and cold calling (hunting) rather than systematically building long-term relationships that consistently generate new opportunities (farming).
4. Are you operating your business in isolation? Entrepreneurship can be lonely, so ask yourself if you are actively surrounding yourself with a supportive, uplifting group of like-minded professionals who are intentionally looking out for opportunities to send your way.
5. How quickly does your current marketing pay for itself? Calculate how many closed deals it takes to cover your advertising or networking costs. Consider that while traditional ads can take over a year to become profitable, an efficient referral network often allows you to break even on your investment within just a month or two.