In a recent BNI Education Slot, Darren Jamieson shared several encounters that perfectly illustrate a widespread misunderstanding about BNI: the belief that the value of a chapter is limited to the people physically present at the weekly meeting.

https://youtu.be/XP80bg2M4tA

The first example came from a visitor who asked whether Darren’s BNI meeting would include companies with multimillion-pound turnovers and 500+ staff. When Darren explained that such businesses were unlikely to be in the room, the visitor declined, missing the point entirely. Darren highlighted how his own company, Engage Web, works with international clients, including a global franchisor spanning four continents. While these clients aren’t in the meeting, the relationship pathway starts in the room.

Another conversation involved a sales trainer who had previously left BNI because none of the members in his group had sales teams large enough to hire him. Darren was astonished, especially given the trainer’s profession, and reminded him that BNI is not about selling to the room. It’s about leveraging the members’ networks: their clients, suppliers, former clients, and contacts from other spheres.

Darren went on to share a similar story from a specialist seeking only mortgage brokers. Expecting “lots in the room,” he dismissed BNI entirely, unaware of how many mortgage brokers he could reach nationally and globally through BNI Connect and cross-chapter relationships.

To drive the point home, Darren referenced his own business statistics for the previous month. Only 10% of his new business originated from his chapter. The overwhelming majority came from ex-members, other chapters within the region, and contacts across the UK who were reached through BNI members.

Darren’s ultimate message was clear: looking only at the people in the room is a fundamental mistake. BNI offers access to a vast interconnected network that spans the country and even the world. The true opportunity lies not in the membership list — but in the reach that every member brings with them.

Full Transcript

(00:00) I had a conversation with somebody recently who I had invited to BNI. I’d invited them as a potential visitor, and this was over LinkedIn. They said to me, “We only deal with companies with multi-million-pound turnovers and 500-plus staff. Will there be any of those at your BNI meeting?”

(00:34) I thought for a minute and said, “No, it’s very unlikely any of those will come along. I don’t know any personally as members of the group. No — they won’t be there.” So I said, “No, there won’t be any businesses of that size in the room.”

(00:58) However, it’s not about who’s in the room. It’s about who they know and the clients they have. For example, my company Engage Web has a client who is a global franchisor with over a thousand franchisees across four continents. We know them; we’ve worked with them for a long time. There are other businesses in the room who also have clients of equal size across the UK, and some internationally.

(01:43) So yes, there won’t be a business in the room with 500 employees and multi-million turnover, but there will be businesses who have those companies as clients. They said, “No, we’re not going to come. It’s not for us. Our kind of clients aren’t in the room.” They just looked at the room and thought it wasn’t right for them.

(02:00) I had another conversation this week — Tuesday — with a business that was a sales trainer. He trains people how to make sales. And this blew my mind: he knew it was BNI from my invite, and he knew what it was about. I was inviting him to Chester BNI in the Cheshire West region in the UK.

(02:28) He said, “I’ve been a member of BNI before, about 10 years ago, and it didn’t work for me because I found that in my group there weren’t any businesses big enough with teams of three or more salespeople who could use me as a trainer. None of the businesses were big enough to become my clients.”

(02:54) Really? I replied and said, “I imagine that’s probably correct — there aren’t many businesses in a BNI group with teams of salespeople. There might be one or two, but not many. But remember: it’s not about who’s in the room. It’s about the clients they have and who they can introduce you to.”

(03:20) And I can’t believe I had to say this to a sales trainer. “It’s about who they can introduce you to and recommend you to — because they know you, like you, and trust you as a colleague.”

(03:42) BNI is about leveraging the people in the room to get in front of their contacts. If you see a 30-member chapter and think, “There are 30 potential clients — once I’ve sold to all of them, I’ll leave,” then it won’t work for you. You need to look at those 30 members and realise they have hundreds of clients collectively — thousands, even.

(04:24) And that doesn’t include their suppliers, former clients, contacts from other networking groups, friends, family — all of those people are within reach. Those are the people you want to be introduced to, not just selling to the room.

(04:41) And I had this conversation with a sales trainer of all people. What kind of sales trainer doesn’t get this? I don’t know.

(05:02) I face this all the time: people look at a chapter and say, “My target clients aren’t in the room.” I had one person whose target clients were mortgage brokers. He said, “Will there be multiple mortgage brokers in the room?” I said, “No — this is BNI; there will only be one.” He said, “Then it’s not for me. I only want hundreds of mortgage brokers around the UK.”

(05:22) I asked, “Do you know how many mortgage brokers are in BNI? How many you can contact through BNI Connect if you were a member?” He wasn’t interested. He just wanted a room full of them.

(05:56) I didn’t even point out that we work with a mortgage broker trainer who trains hundreds, and we have a database of thousands. Again: it’s not about who is in the room — it’s about who they know. But he didn’t get it.

(06:18) The biggest kicker is my own experience. I delivered my Thank You for the Business this week in our chapter. I thanked members whose referrals led to business. I also thanked ex-members, and members in the region and across the UK. Of all the business I got last month, only about 10% came from my own chapter.

(06:47) The rest came from ex-members and other chapters — people across the region and the UK. You cannot look only at who’s in the room. You have to look beyond that: their clients, their contacts, other chapters, other members, their clients, their contacts.

(07:08) Look beyond your room. It’s a big world out there. There are so many people within and outside BNI that members can access — your ideal clients and perfect referrals. Don’t just look at the room. Look at the wider scope throughout the country, the continent, the world. It’s a big place out there. Thank you.