150!

One of the most important things that we do as business owners is getting and then keeping customers.  In fact it is so important that it really should be the first thing we do every single (business) day.

And it doesn’t matter what you do or what you are: accountant, solicitor, plumber, web designer, copywriter, cake maker, garage owner, driving school, because in effect you are a marketing company for your product or service, and unless you market your business the simple truth is that you won’t have a business.  It really doesn’t matter how good you are at what it is that you do because unless people know, and a good number of people at that, you will go hungry.

Now the great thing about being a member of BNI is that you are marketing your business at the very minimum once a week and that you have your fellow members helping you.  But my question is, are you one of the 87% of chapter members missing out on a massive business opportunity?

Most successful entrepreneurs will tell you that their ‘list’ (their database) is their most priceless business asset.  Buildings, plant, stock, even staff, can be replaced, but lose your database and your business is pretty much dead.  The amazing thing is that most small businesses don’t have a database and those that do rarely use it.

Now building a useful database will take time: people that you have, and can build, a relationship with.  But, here is the crazy thing, most BNI chapters have three visitors a week, and most chapter members have no idea who they are.  150 business owners a year that every member has a relationship with, however small, that could be put on to a database and kept in contact with.

Then over time a relationship has the chance to grow and you never know where that might lead.

Don’t forget – BNI is all about farming.