Where the REAL power of BNI is manifested!

A few days ago I had an interesting discussion with a fellow BNI member regarding, what we were calling, "Business Categories".  As we all know, one of the key features of BNI is that you get to "lock out your competition" when you join a chapter.  This means if an electrician joins a chapter, another electrician CANNOT join the same chapter, thus, locking out one's competition.

What I wanted to discuss here is that locking out one's competition, DOES NOT mean that you are able to lock out TARGET MARKETS, nor should you want to!  Let me explain the difference between the two and how, when leveraged properly, can actually INCREASE YOUR BUSINESS and help your chapter stats.


First:  The BNI Business Category


The category that you are "locking out of your chapter" is the one that does the EXACT same thing as you do.  Like, you can't have two electricians, or two video production people in your chapter.  Competition refers to DIRECT competition in the exact same line of business that you are. In a BNI chapter you get to be the ONLY one that promotes your specific and unique products and services, without any direct competition.  This is a GREAT thing and allows you to have a captive audience when you give your Sales Manager Moment and ask for specific referrals.


Second: The Target Market


Now, the target market that you are going after with your word of mouth marketing efforts is a totally different piece to this pie.  A target market is a specialized group of people, business, demographics, etc. that you are looking to connect with your business' products, services, etc.  Target markets ARE NOT locked out in of a BNI chapter, and why would they?  Many different categories of businesses can service the SAME target market within a chapter.  Let me give you an example:


A mortgage professional is launching a new spin on an existing product and he needs help to vocalize and illustrate what his "package" entails.  He falls within the "start-up" target market.  Now there are MANY categories of businesses that can help this mortgage professional and ALL OF THEM could be in the SAME CHAPTER!  He could use a Brand Marketing Specialist, a Media Creation Specialist, a Web Designer, an SEO professional, and the list could go on.

Third: Using Your Category to Leverage a Target Market


My point is that the Start-up Target market is not off limits in a chapter just because YOUR category can service it.  Your business can service that target market DIFFERENTLY than anyone else in your chapter, and that uniqueness of service is how your competition is "locked out of the chapter", not by the target markets that you and other members might be able to serve.  In the example above, all of those business categories are in the SAME chapter... OUR CHAPTER to be exact, and all of them bring a unique service to the equation that the others do not provide.


You may have seen this configuration before... it's called a Power Team!  A TRUE Power Team is one that not only passes referrals to each other, but the members within are habitual connectors to the target markets which everyone on the Power Team can serve.  Through the power of cooperation and innovation between Power Team members, MASSIVE TYFCB can be generated.


So, the moral of the story is:  Don't get confused between a BUSINESS CATEGORY and a TARGET MARKET.  Who you are and what you provide will be unique to the chapter, but who you can serve with your product or service is WIDE OPEN for others in your chapter to service as well. Here is an example to push this idea home for you...


A Nutritionist, a Chiropractor, Personal Trainer, and a Health/Beauty professional all stand up in their Sales Manager Moments and ask for referrals to people trying to lose weight.  Is this a bad thing?  Absolutely not!  This is a GREAT thing!  Why?  Well, all four professionals can service that weight loss client in a unique way within their business offerings.  Just because the Chiropractor connects with the client first, DOES NOT mean the other three are "out of luck".  With the Givers Gain mentality, that Chiropractor should be looking for ways to include the Nutritionist AND the Health/Beauty professional AND the Personal Trainer within the overall service package for that client.  Oh wait... that would mean that those CATEGORIES should sit down and have a Four-On-Four and figure out how they all can BEST refer and include each other in their client acquisition phases!  And if they do that... well, they are on their way to creating an alliance that is based on mutual benefit for everyone... They are on their way to creating a POWER TEAM!


Don't take my word for it... ask the Power Teams that exist in High Trust.  LBLS Power Team, The Media Marketing Power Team, The Business Development Power Team.  They all will tell you the SAME thing.


If we all look at ways to INCLUDE instead of EXCLUDE... all of our businesses will grow in proportion.  I hope this was enlightening and I look forward to seeing YOU at a local TARGET MARKET very soon!


Dan Fowler
Red River Productions
www.redriverpro.com