The Formation of BNI Vivaldi Latvia

This time "BNI Vivaldi" alone is not enough - "Latvia" must be added too, because on closer inspection online I found at least two other groups in Europe that have taken the name of this famous Venetian composer. One BNI Vivaldi is in Vienna, Austria; another in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Either way, Latvia's second BNI group has already reached 30 members and can slowly begin looking towards an official launch.

What is a BNI group?

The group started forming this summer and, from 3 September 2015, informational breakfasts have been held every Thursday morning to attract new entrepreneurs who want to grow their business on the basis of referrals. Meetings start at 6:45 and conclude a little after 9:00, as a one-to-one conversation over the breakfast table tends to run on.

It is a group of 30 to 60 entrepreneurs, where each "membership seat" is reserved for only one sector - thereby eliminating competition within the group. The sectors currently represented in BNI Vivaldi Latvia are: language services, public relations, beauty services, office supplies retail, EU fund consulting, GPS systems, auto service, bicycle retail, financial services, audit, real estate, visual advertising production, recruitment, advertising agency, flower retail, floor coverings, coaching, hotel services, intellectual property protection, window manufacturing, insurance, training services, Apple products retail, architecture, disposable goods wholesale, tourism, massage salon, and IT services.

The group meets throughout the year (approximately 50 times) at the same networking event every Thursday morning, which follows a 20-point agenda (opening address by the group president, exchange of business cards, each member's 30-second elevator pitch, welcoming new members, awarding the best networker, receiving and passing on referral and thank-you cards, statistics report, a 10-minute presentation by one member, referral review, and more).

Networking and presentation training sessions take place as well, along with collaboration team work - but all that is still ahead and will certainly take time. Similarly, inviting guests and one-to-one meetings are mandatory requirements for every member, and those take time too.

What is a BNI member?

An entrepreneur or company representative who is ready to invest their time, energy, and financial resources in networking as a marketing tool for business development. An entrepreneur with a good reputation, who is ready to serve a referred client to the best of their ability, and equally ready to refer their best clients or suppliers to other members.

To briefly summarise what the BNI Latvia director has said: BNI suits those who can do more. It does not suit people who say "yes" to everyone. BNI members do not sell to each other (and even less so send SPAM sales emails) - instead, they train each other as members of a sales team, so that those members can then recommend each other correctly and with quality. In the end, member to member, they also become each other's clients in time.

The goal of BNI networking is not to obtain as many contacts as possible, but to build professional relationships. Come to a networking event with the thought of helping someone - and someone will certainly help you!

First success stories

Latvia's first BNI group - BNI Wagner - by 10 December 2015, since the group began operations on 1 July, has already passed and received referrals worth EUR 170,000. These are deals of various sizes, depending on the specific member's company's product or service - and on how successfully they operate as a networker.

BNI Vivaldi Latvia has not yet started its official operations, but thanks to referrals received and services purchased by members, over the past three months I have already recouped the membership fee I paid (EUR 850 + VAT). I therefore place great hopes on next year for my business development, thanks to BNI.

With the member's permission, I will share one example. After one BNI breakfast, at which I emphasised in my talk the importance of marketing and personal branding in recruitment, Zane Bičevska (director of Divi Group) called me and asked whether I would be interested in running a seminar for a group of 70 people at one of her clients - a state-owned company (I have not obtained permission to name it, so I won't). Why not?! My call was already expected there (Zane had "warmed up the contact"), we met, agreed on the fee and the seminar programme, and everything went smoothly. I am grateful to Zane and will happily fill in a BNI "Thank you for the referral" card. That's how it works!

The official launch of BNI Vivaldi Latvia - a grand event with more than 150 guests - is tentatively planned for the first dates of February next year (the exact venue and date are still being finalised). If my story has caught your interest and you want to experience the BNI atmosphere yourself, or to attend this joyful launch event, feel free to write to me by email!