BNI (Business Network International), the world’s biggest referral organisation, formally launched its first Platinum group at an event attended by over one hundred businesses at Shaw Hill Golf Club, Chorley.
Established over 30 years ago, BNI now has over 200,000 members in over 70 countries worldwide. It works by organising weekly networking meetings for groups of businesses, who use their own network of contacts to find business opportunities for one another. Each group, or chapter, follows proven networking processes to ensure the maximum amount of business is generated for members.
With eleven chapters already operational across Lancashire, the new BNI Summit chapter brings the total number of chapters in Preston and South Ribble to four.
Speaking at the launch, Mike Holman, Regional Director for BNI Lancashire, said: “BNI is one of the great untold success stories of local business. With £20million in business acquired by referral through its chapters last year in Lancashire alone, the numbers tell their own story.
“One of the reasons BNI stands out so strongly from other types of networking groups is that we have proven procedures that ensure we take a proactive approach to generating a significant amount of business for each other.
“We are very proud to formally launch this group, which has been building gradually over the last twelve months, as the first to be entirely based on our new Platinum standard, aiming to generate £1million per year in its first year, £3million in its second and £5million by end of year three.
“I was inspired to launch the Platinum standard in Lancashire after seeing other chapters across the world and in other parts of the UK generating business for one another that far surpass our traditional goal of £2million a year. I thought, if they can do it, there is no reason at all why we can’t do it here in Lancashire.
“The group has been building gradually because one of our core values is that members have to know, like and trust one another before they can be expected to refer business to one another.
“Now the chapter has formally launched I am looking forward to working on an extensive training programme which will enable the group members to get the very best returns for one another through our proven referral marketing strategies.”
