For the past three years, I’ve belonged to a referral network group called BNI (Business Networking International). We meet every Friday from 7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. at the Rafael Racquet Club in San Rafael, CA.

In this economy, entrepreneurs are looking for different ways to gain a foothold. Being part of a BNI chapter is a great way to help one’s business along. No, it won’t solve all of your business issues but it certainly can help.

BNI is a hard contact networking group. This means that there is only one of any profession allowed in the chapter. For example, I am a residential REALTOR; no other residential REALTORS can be part of the group. We have one residential insurance agent, one housecleaner, an acupuncturist, a CPA, a business/trust attorney, etc. We have 43 members in our chapter. The 2008/2009 annual dollar goal for referral business is $950,000. This year, we will hit $1,000,000 in business passed.

Often times, as sole business practitioners, we find ourselves alone, in our offices, doing our work. At the very least, one is exposed to 40+ people once a week. Additionally, those 40+ people are part of your sales force. At BNI, the motto is, “Givers gain.” If you give, at some point in time, you will be on the receiving end of those referrals.

BNI is an international business referral network. Learn more about it at www.bni.com or check us out at www.bnisanrafael.com.

Cheers and happy networking!

Posted by:Mark Machado