Episode 193: “The BNI Connect Vision”

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Synopsis

Note: The podcast refers to www.bniconnect.com.  However, currently the website to go to is www.bniconnectglobal.com.

As of January 2011 51% of BNI members are members of Gen X and Gen Y: people born after 1965. This is a connected, tech-savvy population. Hence BNI has made a decision to combine online and face-to-face networking.

Here are some of the benefits to the new BNI Connect system:

• A uniform database system worldwide
• A uniformity of brand worldwide
• Increase member retention
• Increase results for chapters

The basic business model of BNI will not change. BNI chapters will continue to meet face to face on a weekly basis. BNI Connect makes it possible for local businesses to have a true global  network. There are three legs to this stool:

1. Database of members around the globe
2. Websites for chapters (you can point existing chapter domains there)
3. Social network with free “My BNI” page for members

Ask your local executive director to find out when your chapter is scheduled for transition to BNI Connect.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Complete Transcription of BNI Podcast Episode 193 -

Priscilla:
Hello everyone and welcome back to The Official BNI Podcast brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the net for networking downloadables. I am Priscilla Rice, and I am coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkley, CA. I am joined today by the Chairman and Founderof BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello Ivan. How are you?

Ivan:
I am doing great, and I have a topic today that I am excited to talk about. That is the vision for BNI Connect, which is an online technology that we are using to incorporate into the BNI program. Let me start by making a statement that I think many people will find surprising. As of last month, in January 2011, BNI was for the first time a non-baby boomer organization. 51% of our organization are non-baby boomers or pre-baby boomers. They are part of the Gen X population and Gen Y population, also known as milleninals, people born after 1965. Gen X and Gen Y are millennials.

The majority of our organization now are no longer baby boomers or pre-baby boomers. They are Gen X and Gen Y, millennial. I believe that changes the organization a little bit. This population is very connected. They are very technology savvy. So for the very first time in the history of the company- we are 26 years old- I am making a pretty significant change in the organization. That is to integrate face-to-face networking with a comprehensive online support system.

What I want to do in this podcast is basically announce what is rolling out right now as I speak. It’s rolling out throughout most of the world. I want to give a little timeline for how and when this will all happen. Most importantly, I want to talk about why we are doing this. I think that is really important. BNI is going to continue to be a face-to-face network that meets weekly all around the world.

However, we want to create an online support mechanism to address our changing demographic. We believe that a healthy future by integrating technology includes a number of things that are really important. That is what BNI Connect brings to the table.

First of all, a uniform database system worldwide. We have operated for many years now with multiple database systems from different countries that are not integrated. The first thing that BNI Connect will do is integrate our database system globally so that everybody around the world is on the same system.

Secondly, uniformity of brand worldwide. Priscilla, you and I have done a couple of podcasts on brand and why we need to have a similar visual look all around the world. If you are listening to this podcast, when you are done with this, go back and do a search on the BNI brand on this podcast and listen to some of those podcasts because you talk about the importance of having a uniform brand.

One of the reasons we did the changes to the brand this year was for BNI Connect coming up because we need a uniform brand and BNI connect will help us do that.

Another reason is to tap into the power of a global network. You know, for years I have talked about us thinking globally but acting locally, but that has changed. We are not that organization anymore. So BNI went out and got the trademark, “Local business. Global network.” That is the organization that BNI is becoming. You can be a local business with a chapter in a local community, but because of BNI Connect, join a chapter and immediately have a global network. You can be a local business and have a global network.

We want to increase member retention. We think that having online tools to educational, informational, knowledge networking- and of course, referral networking we felt would help increase retention not only for existing members but for particularly the post-baby boomer members who join the organization.

Most importantly, we want to increase the results that members get by integrating technology into our system. Once again, it is important to say that we are not changing our core business model. BNI is going to continue to meet every week, but through BNI Connect, we are integrating technology into our existing system.

Imagine it as a three-legged stool. The first leg is the database, where we put everybody together in the same system with reporting mechanisms that chapters can use to measure referrals, palms report and a number of other things.

The second is the websites. We will have a uniform website. Chapters will have as part of BNI, you automatically get a website. As members join, they automatically get posted on the website. When somebody leaves, they get removed automatically. You have control over a lot of the content that can go into the website as well, so it is customizable. If you have a domain name, it can point to this website.

It is important to tell you, so don’t freak out, everybody out there. You don’t have to close down your chapter website right now. That is not necessary. We think that chapters are going to want to organically transition to this website because there is very little work that has to be done and the database is automatically updated to it. So that is the second leg of the stool.

The third leg is the real vision making. That is the real vision making for BNI Connect. That is the social media, the social networking aspect. Every member will have a My BNI page, just like a Facebook page so you can promote yourself globally to all the other members, to the public if you want, through your my BNI page. Most importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to communicate with members around the world through bulletin boards and groups that get together online to talk about best practices. What’s working in your chapter that can work in other groups?

You can have groups by profession. What are attorneys doing around the world? What are accountants doing around the world? What are chiropractors doing around the world?

You can have groups based on profession to share best practices, ideas and knowledge. That is the real vision making for this program. I think BNI has the opportunity to step in and fill the void which exists in most networking organizations by integrating our existing worldwide network with online integrated technology system that addresses the management of the chapters, education, and of course, global networking.

I think BNI is on the precipice of change, Priscilla. I think we have a chance to lock in our lead as the world’s leading networking organization for the next decade and beyond. I think this is a chance for BNI to work together as a team and really change the way the world does business by integrating core technologies to meet the need of the changing business environment.

We are creating a strategy to guide this company through the next ten years or more and we are laying the groundwork for the next generation of networking. I think if we focus on solutions- and there will be problems. I’ll tell members if you’re concerned about this program and implementing it, and you are concerned about whether there will be problems or not in implementing this globally, let me just tell you right now. Don’t worry. There will be problems. It’s unavoidable. If we focus on solutions, I think we can get this system implemented.

It is being released right now in regions gradually. It is in probably about 30-40% of the world at this point. By April, we hope to have about 80% of the organization, and then there will be a few other countries that will transition- because they are part of a completely different database system- around October or so. They will be transitioning. Our goal is that by the end of this year, 2011, 100% of our organization will be fully integrated into BNI Connect. It’s absolutely, I think, going to change this organization in incredibly powerful ways.

Priscilla:
Can I ask you a couple questions?

Ivan:
Sure. Shoot.

Priscilla:
Will it cost you additional money if you have your own page?

Ivan:
No. It will not cost additional money. It is part of your membership in BNI. So the chapters will have their own chapter website. Again, if you have a domain, you can have that point to this website and it is no charge. The members have free access to the standard, basic level membership at no charge. The My BNI page is free.

There will be a premium membership available for additional services in much the same way that an organization such as LinkedIn has a basic membership and then a more advanced membership. We will be sending out information on what those things will be. Basically, it is more of everything. More contacts, more photographs, more groups, more access, more education. That will be a fee for service, a very nominal fee. We will be releasing information on what that is.

Every member, 100% of the members, get the standard membership at no charge whatsoever. The websites for chapters are also free.

Priscilla:
One other question. Will you be able to search? Let’s say I wanted to see what all the different recording studios were all over the world that were in BNI. Could I do a search on that?

Ivan:
Yes. You can do searches based on areas, territories, by professions. It’s really going to allow the public to be able to connect with professions that they are looking for much easier than it is now. Here is another aspect of it. It will allow you to connect with other chapters if you want to visit another chapter. We have so many members who visit other places within their country or other countries. It’s very difficult to find where a chapter meets. It’s going to be much easier to find where a chapter meets so that you can go visit a local chapter and see what they are doing in their country or in their area

Priscilla:
Great. Sounds wonderful and very exciting.

Ivan:
I am very excited about it. I think this is the biggest project- this is, absolutely the biggest project in the history of the company. It’s being done during the middle of a recession. The reason we are excited about this is that we- first of all, I refuse to participate in a recession. You know that. I’ve talked about that in my podcasts.

I think this is the perfect opportunity to position BNI as the ongoing world leader in business networking. I have done several blogs about the trends for networking. I think education is an important trend, and I think integration is an important trend, integrating technology with the face to face networking. I think if we, as an organization, can all row together in the same direction, we will continue to dominate this industry against all of our competition. I think this shared vision of integrated technology will help use to do that.

So if you are a listener, be looking for more information about BNI Connect. You will get more information. In the meantime, ask. Feel free to post a question here on the podcast. I will do my best to respond to those questions. And ask your local Executive Director where they are in the schedule to transition to BNI Connect. Ask your local director. You’ll get an answer as to where you are at in the transition.

That is all I have for today, Priscilla. I am sure I will be talking more about BNI Connect as time goes on.

Priscilla:
That’s great, Dr. Misner. Thank you so much. Well, listeners, I would like to just remind you that this podcast has been brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the net for networking downloadables. Thanks for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we hope you will join us next week for another exciting episode of The Official BNI Podcast.