What's wrong with Business Networking?

Networking groups available in the Greater Toronto Area all follow the old BNI format, almost to the letter. Problem is, what used to work 15 or 20 years ago doesn't necessarily work today.

  1. Problem: Rigid Membership Policies
    All networking groups operate on the principle of "exclusive categories," meaning, only one marketing consultant, or one lawyer per group is allowed to join. Meeting always run at 7am, changing that to 8 am requires approval "from upstairs."
  2. Problem: Outdated Marketing Tools
    Some networking organizations still hand out membership lapel pins, business card holders etc.
  3. Problem: Weak Online Presence
    All networking organizations have web sites where they list "chapters" and their members, but this is where the online presence usually stops, with the main purpose of the web site being to promote the organization, not its individual members. Some organizations even hide members from public view and only allow other members to view chapter listings.
  4. Problem: High Cost of Membership
    Most networking organizations charge an annual, non-refundable membership fee, which usually goes to line the pockets of the franchise owners.

I am privileged to be a part of the solution: Better Business Networking.com

  • No Rigid Membership Rules
    Each group creates its own set of rules. They can follow the guidelines, but are free to change them to suit their needs and need no approval from "management" (there is no management). If a member enjoys having "competitors" in the group, they have the option to open their category. Groups can meet weekly, biweekly, monthly, or as frequently as their members feel most comfortable with...
  • Internet Marketing Tools
    Each group receives a town-specific domain name and web site/blog of their own, so each member can post articles, videos and other content on the blog to drive traffic and create links back to their own web sites, e.g. OakvilleNetworking.com
    Email marketing best practices are enforced in email marketing campaigns to grow each group in its early stages, once the group reaches critical mass the growth continues organically.
  • Free Membership
    There are no annual membership fees. The only cost is a token admin fee, with the cost-per-member of about $5/year, which is really not worth the mention.

If you're interested in starting a group in your are, please contact me, I'd be happy to explain how it works.

Boris Mahovac R.G.D.
Email Marketing Coach/Consultant

History of Better Business Networking

Better Business Networking is not an association, is not an organization, it is an idea! Born out of frustration with existing, formal networking organizations, BBN started as a single business networking group in Oakville, Ontario, in the summer of 2008. A handful of business owners in Oakville and Burlington started meeting on a semi-regular basis in a local bakery, with the main objective of simply getting back in touch and keeping on top of developments in each other's businesses.

Very soon, it became apparent that the format of the meetings needed some change: 5-6 members managed to spend 2 hours just chatting, and not much business was done. Soon we started inviting our contacts and the group grew to a dozen or so members. We realized that the bakery offered us little privacy to conduct, what was, essentially, a business meeting, so we decided to look for a more suitable venue.

The original business networking web site and blog was installed at OakvilleNetworking.com, and soon started attracting new members. Additionally, our Email Marketing Expert used his skills to directly invite visitors to our meetings. This resulted in our group growing to about 15 members in less than 2 months.

At that time it was decided by the "founding four" members that the group should not follow any other group's rules and regulations, but instead that the members themselves should decide on how the group should continue. A special meeting was held during which members were divided into 3 focus groups, with the task of finding out what the "will of the people" was in terms of how the group should be structured and run.

After this special session, the founding four met separately to analyze the results of the discussions. They then compiled a set of "rules and regulations." The results were presented to the full membership and accepted by all.

What's unique about BBN?

  1. Membership is free. Because each group is operating as a non-for-profit entity, members are not required to pay membership fees. However, because a meeting room and other facilities need to be obtained, a small, at-cost payment is required to over these costs. This varies from group to group, and is mutually agreed upon by the members.
  2. Exclusive and non-exclusive membership. Most other business groups, such as networking groups, associations and chambers of commerce operate as either exclusive or all-inclusive. Typically, networking groups offer exclusive membership in a given business category. This means each group (or a chapter of) will accept only one lawyer, only one chiropractor, etc. Once you're in, you hold exclusive rights to the membership in your business category. Other organizations, most notably chambers of commerce, operate from a diametrically opposite premise, where any and all businesses are invited to join, regardless of repetition. This is where we are different: we give each member the choice of having his/her category open or closed.
  3. Strong online presence. If a business or a networking group doesn't have a strong presence online then it is losing a lot of credibility and membership. BBN started as a blog site for the Oakville chapter, and very quickly, because of search optimization efforts of the webmaster, started attracting the right kind of visitors. Today, all chapters are provided with a fully-featured WordPress-based blog, where their members can post articles, videos and other content to promote their own business and to educate their own prospects and clients, but also for the educational benefit of the chapter members.
  4. Built in email marketing expertise.Boris Mahovac, our resident email marketing expert, has developed a promotional campaign to attract and educate potential new members to each new BBN chapter.