QUOTE(Jordy @ Jan 30 2008, 08:15 PM)
If I am not mistaken, BNI is seperated into several different smaller groups. Each group can only have one person per industry, but there will be other people in the same industry within other groups.
We have discussed this network before a few months back, but I couldn't believe it is back.
This I believe is a great concept, but unfortunately, the joining fee is too high (if I'm not mistaken, it around RM2k).
So it is not suitable for me at the moment

You are right, we are separated into different chapters scattered in different meeting venues. In Klang Valley itself, there are more than 25 chapters consisting of 20-40 members per chapter. It welcomes visitors to get to know this concept but the application to join this organization need to be pre-screen by the membership committee based on the applicant's experience/knowledge in his/her business. This is so that all those who are members of BNI know that another fellow member is well qualified in his/her business. This pre-screening will help to maintain the professionalism & business ethics at a high level. We reduce the misconduct of business transactions caused by lack of experience/knowledge.
I was very sceptical myself before I attended BNI meetings & I thought that I'd give it a try for one year. I joined since Jan 07 & I'm still amazed by what word-of-mouth can do to a conventional business. For myself, the real benefits depends very much on the credibility of the person. It takes trust for others to refer business to you & it takes time to build that trusting relationship. It may be faster for some & slower for some. If people don't understand what you do & why are you different from your competitors, don't blame anyone else but yourself. It's the member's responsibility to educate others of what they do & what people they are looking for.
For those who intend to expand overseas, BNI members do meet up in regional conventions for networking purposes. The upcoming one will be held in May 08 in KL itself. I see it as an opportunity for local business people to get connected to other business owners internationally.
Many people have asked why do we meet at 7am in the morning? Crazy ar? The reason is business owners don't waste time. We finish meeting & breakfast at around 9am and we move on to our everyday routine/work. We don't have it in the evenings so that we don't interrupt with people having to fetch spouse/children or dinner time with family. It does take a while to get used to the early morning meeting but after a while, it's quite fun!! Ha ha...