The philosophy of BNI is built upon the idea of "Givers Gain". BNI offers members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts, networks and most importantly, business referrals. Being a member of BNI is like having sales people working for you every day who market your product or service. If referrals are an important part of your business, then BNI is the organization for you. BNI provides a positive, supportive, and structured environment for the development and exchange of quality business referrals. It does so by helping you build personal relationships with dozens of other qualified business professionals. Last year, members of BNI passed millions of referrals that generated billions of dollars of business for each other. Belonging to BNI is like having dozens of salespeople representing your business, and in return you are representing their businesses. What goes around comes around. If I help you, you'll help me and we will both benefit as a result. Networking requires commitment. The most successful chapters of BNI are comprised of participants who are sincerely committed to helping one another through networking. They are a team. As a participant in BNI, you are responsible for complying with the policies and guidelines of the organization. What You Should Know Weekly meetings last for 90 minutes. Members need to arrive on time and stay for the entire meeting. Only one person from each professional specialty is accepted into a chapter of BNI. All participants must represent their primary occupation. Attendance is critical. If you cannot attend a meeting, you may send a substitute.