BNI Rainshadow Referrals
Sequim chapter
President Jonathan White
Phone: 461-5312
Meets: 11:45 a.m. every Wednesday*
Location: Dynasty Chinese Restaurant, 380 E. Washington St., Sequim
Call White to apply for membership.
A professional organization with a worldwide reputation has come to Sequim and is attracting new members, with four being inducted last week.
BNI Rainshadow Referrals is the recently organized Sequim chapter of Business Network International, with a 32-year history in 80 countries, consisting of 7,500 chapters and 200,000-plus members.
Jonathan White, a broker with Schwab Realty, is its enthusiastic and passionate president.
“The culture of the organization can be summed up in two words: Givers Gain, meaning if I provide you (as a member) referrals for your business, then it’s more likely that you’ll bring referrals to my business,” White explained. “Basically, we help small businesses grow and thrive.”
The chapter became official in October and has 25 members. White expects membership to rise to 30 in January.
He has been involved in BNI for a decade.
“We have a positive, supportive and structured organization that’s an eclectic group of business people and professionals,” he said. “We only allow one representative from each profession and each member has a role to play. We require that everybody show up every week and we have a set agenda arrived at over 30 years of trial and error — it works!”
Before being approved as a member, applicants are vetted to ensure they “are ethical, upstanding and honest,” White said. “So when I refer somebody to one of our (chapter) businesses, I know they will be treated professionally and in a businesslike manner.”
Referrals are among members to increase each other’s businesses. So if a member has a friend outside the chapter who is looking for a reputable landscaper, the member would refer the chapter landscaper to their friend, knowing that the landscaper will do an excellent job, White explained.
During the 90-minute weekly meeting, each member gives a 60-second introduction about his or her business; members are asked who would be a good referral; officers present their reports; two members each have eight minutes to speak about their individual businesses; and the group discusses how members can help each other’s business flourish.
White noted in 2015, BNI passed $9.5 billion worth of referral business among all its members. His goal for the Sequim chapter is to pass $1 million worth of referral business in 2017.
He explained that if he sold a house to a referral provided by a member and the commission was $10,000, that “value” would count toward the club’s $1 million goal.
“We are a very dynamic and committed group in Sequim. We’re looking for a variety of business professionals and there are hundreds of categories,” White said, “but (belonging) is a time and energy commitment. To network is networking. In order to get referrals, it takes some work,” White stressed.
“We have one-on-one meetings over coffee where one member gets to know another member personally and professionally. It’s a very altruistic group.”
White was proud to say that within a few months of joining BNI Rainshadow Referrals, one member reported she doubled her business.
Members’ businesses can be start-up or established and there’s no age limit on who can join. Members pay yearly dues to belong to the chapter.
“What we’re doing is boosting the local economy and we have a very broad group of business professionals,” White said. “The group meshes very well and supports everyone 100 percent. It’s also a social outlet because business is all about relationships and looking to grow.”
White noted, “Business people will tell you the best way of getting business is through referrals and we have a system to help you grow and get referrals. We want people that will make that commitment to BNI, to its members and to themselves.”
*Because of the Christmas holiday, the club will not meet Wednesday, Dec. 28. The club will commence its 2017 year on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at the Dynasty Chinese Restaurant.
