BNI® SHARES WHY REFERRALS ARE THE MOST POWERFUL WAY TO GROW A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BNI® (Business Network International), the world's leading business referral organization, is demonstrating the power of referral networking and word-of-mouth marketing through their proven platform. BNI Members worldwide generated over $20.6 billion in revenue1 in the past twelve months alone. This incredible recorded revenue was made possible by 13.5 million referrals passed across the BNI community between Members who represent hundreds of different professions. Since inception in 1985, BNI has proudly helped 1.9 million businesses garner over $164 billion USD in revenue.2

Suzanne Elsey, a Business Consultant and BNI Member in BNI United Kingdom, shares her experience with growing her business through BNI's referral platform. She says, "The opportunities I have received because I am a Member of BNI have changed my life. Initially, I was concerned about the weekly commitment, but in the first year alone, I had a 33% ROI, which increases each year. If you want to grow your business the easy way, you need people talking about you to others all the time, saving you effort and time. This is what being part of BNI will give you." BNI Members, like Elsey, meet online or in-person every week in over 77 countries to build relationships, learn about each other's businesses, and to refer valuable new clients to one another.

Small to medium-size business owners choose BNI because it is the most cost-effective, time-efficient, and powerful way to grow a successful business. In fact, BNI's Membership investment is only ~$2 per day3 and last year, BNI Members received an average of 46 referrals.4 BNI has seen that not only do referrals close twice as often as traditional leads5, but BNI referrals convert to business 62% quicker6 than leads from other sources.

"Purpose-driven entrepreneurs and business leaders join BNI to expand their revenue," says Graham Weihmiller, BNI's Chairman & CEO. "Once in BNI, they find so much more – leadership opportunities, business partners, lifelong friends, and – perhaps most importantly, encouragement, meaning and fun. BNI's commitment in helping small to medium-sized businesses succeed in today's dynamic environment is at the heart of everything we do."

BNI is more than just a revenue-generating membership platform, it is an opportunity for business owners to give back to others. An excellent example of how powerful referral marketing can be in today's business environment and how this philosophy of Givers Gain® changes the way business is done around the world is displayed in this video from the team in BNI Australia. To learn more about BNI and how you can visit a free Chapter, please reach out to our Support Team at (800)-825-8286 (USA) or support@bni.com (internationally).

1.This information is based on historical BNI Member self-reported data as of February 6, 2023, and represents collective results from BNI Members worldwide over the last 12 months. 2.This information is based on historical BNI Member self-reported data and represents collective results from BNI Members worldwide from 1985 to 2023. 3. Worldwide average BNI Membership fee in USD as of September 2022 divided by 365 days in one year. ($688/365) 4. Worldwide total Member referrals for the 12 months ending Jan 31, 2023 divided by the average total Members for the same 12 month period. This information is based on historical BNI Member self-reported data as of Jan 31, 2023 and represents collective results from BNI Members worldwide over the last 12 months. 5. This information is based on a BNI Member survey conducted in December 2022 (n=10,934), and on historical BNI Member self-reported data as of December 2022 and represents collective results from BNI Members worldwide over the last 12 months. Factors influencing results for BNI Members include but are not limited to length of time in BNI, level of participation with their BNI Chapter, industry type, market location, Chapter size, and maturity of the Member business. 6. This information is based on a BNI Member survey conducted in December 2022 (n=10,934). Factors influencing results for BNI Members include but are not limited to length of time in BNI, level of participation with their BNI Chapter, industry type, market location, Chapter size, and maturity of the Member business.

About BNI®

BNI (Business Network International) is the world's largest and most successful business networking organization. Today, BNI has over 298,000+ Member-businesses participating in over 10,900+ BNI Chapters that meet in-person, online, or in a hybrid format each week in 77+ countries around the globe. Since inception in 1985, BNI has proudly helped 1.9 million businesses garner over $164 billion USD in revenue. To learn more about BNI and how you can visit a chapter, go to www.bni.com. BNI's philosophy is centered on Givers Gain® and BNI's motto is Changing the Way the World Does Business®. To connect with the support team, please reach out to (800)-825-8286 or support@bni.com.