I’m not buying from Amazon!

29/9/09

In fact I’m not buying from Tesco, Shell, Virgin, Interflora, Sony, Rymans, P&O, Dell, Cadbury’s, Disney, Ford, Barclays, my local newsagent, and certainly not Imperial Printers.

Why not? Because by doing so I will be helping these companies stay in business and, what’s more, make a profit.

Have I gone mad? No, I don’t think so, but I’m pretty sure some BNI members have!

Visitor Days are a great way of growing a BNI chapter and if run correctly can easily add anywhere between five and fifteen, or more, members to a group. These extra members make finding referrals far easier, but this is nothing compared to the extra business that is passed within the group. Every member will benefit from the extra referrals given, some of which will be worth thousands of pounds.

So, why do I think some members are mad?

Well, it’s very simple. These members see nothing wrong in buying from Amazon and the rest, they gladly part with their cash, sometimes for little in return, all the time adding to these companies' profits.

But, recently when it was suggested that a chapter might have a Visitor Day, one of the objections against running the day was that some members did not want to grow their chapter just so that BNI made money.

I have to say that words fail me!

Okay, so that’s not strictly true – I’ve written a fair few. But that thinking is just so negative and short sighted that I find it beyond belief.

I just can’t believe that any member would not want more referrals, more business, maybe thousands of pounds worth of extra business, if not for them but their fellow members, just because BNI will make a few hundred pounds.

I might go as far as suggesting that these members are not really best suited to BNI and the philosophy of Givers Gain.