Bijay Shah

Bijay Shah

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

BNI is more than a Referral Network

I recently received a linked-in message from an ex-member which was very touching. Here is the message:

Hi Bijay,

I hope you and the family are doing well. I recently moved to the US - Buffalo NY to be exact. The move came due to family reasons so on arrival Erika and I did not have employment, network or anything.... a clean slate in a brand new country. It is funny how life can take you in so many different directions!

I recently attended an advertising club networking night, by the end of the night I had gotten nowhere. They are a very tight community, a really tough egg to crack and by the end of the evening I left with no real contacts at all to help me in the job search.

Before I left Dubai for the US I contacted someone at BNI in Buffalo. The regional director has been outstanding so far I have visited two chapters and will be attending a third chapter next Friday. Every single person I have been introduced to at BNI has been more than helpful. I am sure that once I have a job I will return to BNI - as a paying member rather than a guest, unfortunately BNI does not have a category for "unemployed" yet.

Anyway, I would like to thank you for the introduction to the BNI concept, I might meet someone who can help in my job search but most of all it has allowed me to access a number of people that I am sure I will need to contact in the near future - the car salesman to sell me a car, the mechanic to keep it running, the insurance man...... and the list goes on as you know!

Many thanks again,
Alan Drummond 

Alan's message came to me after I sent some of my selected Linked-In connections a 'how are you' message. I'm very confident Alan will find something soon. This just reiterates that the 'Givers Gain' philosophy of BNI is so powerful, not only does it change the way we do business but it can also change people's lives....and livelihoods!

I welcome any comments from those of you who may have other similar experiences other than business referrals through BNI which has made a great impact to you life.