What’s your category?

23/10/11

All BNI members know that they are only allowed to represent one category in their chapter. However, although a clash with another member, or potential member, is one of the most common problems in BNI, it even goes further than that. Many members, even if sticking to their category, try and include everything they can within their category, trying to grab as much business as possible, but not understanding that they are losing much more than they gain.

As a business you must stand out. What makes you different to someone else doing what you do? Doing everything, for anyone, is not different. You need to be special; have a category of one!

Take BNI as an example. BNI is the world’s largest referral organisation. It is not the world’s largest networking organisation. It is not the world’s largest membership organisation. It’s not in more countries than other organisations. You can come up with lots of things that BNI does, very well, but the only thing BNI talks about is being the world’s largest referral organisation.

Now you have to be brave to focus on just one thing; think of all that business you might be missing out on. But I promise you, if you are brave, you will see the rewards. Whereas, if you are the same as everyone else, offering everything, to everyone, you will get the same result – nothing special! Think about successful people: do they do the same as everyone else? No, of course not!

So, not because of BNI, but because you want greater success, focus on your core business. Give a clear message to your fellow members and watch your referral rate climb.