BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
NEW BRUNSWICK — In the age of text messages and e-mail, business cards may still be the ideal way to network.
Visitors Day for the New Brunswick chapter of Business Network International (BNI) was held on Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick. About 50 attendees, 90 percent from Middlesex County, came to exchange business cards and build connections within the area.
BNI provides a method of effective networking that produces business referrals, according to the visitors’ packet. Members carry several copies of other members’ business cards around with them. When they meet someone new who could use the products or services, they hand the card out and recommend those services, according to the packet.
North Brunswick was represented by CommerceSign Solutions, CertaPro Painters, Cort Furniture Rental, Innovative Marketing Concepts, attorney Carl Gensib and Reiki master Linda Jean Isele.
“The purpose is to network and make money,” said Howard Rossman of Travel Reservations in East Brunswick.
Rossman is a 40-year resident of North Brunswick. He became involved with BNI three years ago when he was invited by a few members.
“I wanted to see how other businesses work. This is a great thing. It is very educational,” he said.
BNI meets weekly to promote its word-of-mouth exposure. The New Brunswick chapter meets on Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 a.m.
The North Brunswick chapter meets on Thursdays at the same time at the Omega Diner & Cafe on Route 1.
“We will be having our membership drive on May 12. We started one year ago and it grew very quickly, but we only have 21 members,” said Christopher Volk, president of the North Brunswick chapter. “This is definitely a great thing; it is something that works. It is worth getting involved.”
Only one person is allowed to represent a specific profession so as to eliminate any competitors from participating.
“There are approximately 37 chapters in the local area if your profession is not available,” said Ed Somodi, current president and facilitator of the chapter, and representative from Postmodern Picnic in Edison.
“I live in East Brunswick, but the position [for commercial insurance] was filled. I was invited here as a guest,” said Volk.
Ira Barkoe, president of Innovative Marketing Concepts, has been in marketing and sales for 37 years.
“You get a specialized, dedicated, free sales force of 45 to 60 people working every day for you,” he said. “It is one of the most effective ways to do networking. We have multiple mini-spheres that work well to generate activity,” he said.
Barkoe coordinated the visitors event, which is usually held every six months.
“There is a strong turnout today. There are 23 visitors. Some people don’t come to the meetings and decide this isn’t for them. They weed themselves out and we get fresh blood back in the game,” he said.
He believes BNI is essential to promoting growth in all areas of life.
“You develop business relations to help your business grow and you develop personal relations that enrich your life,” he said. “We have also helped people grow from a personal standpoint. Some people tremble when they have to get up and talk in front of people. This helps you improve your skills because the group is so supportive. It is incredible, the changes that happen to people.”
BNI requires that a current member sponsor someone into the chapter and that an application is approved, according to BNI secretary/treasurer Howard Fried, of Jersey Unlimited Moving, Packing & Storage Co.
“BNI helps to reduce my advertising. The referrals I have referred me to other people and have gotten me more business,” he said.
The New Brunswick chapter earned over $147,000 for its members from April 1 to May 1, according to BNI.
“Dollar for dollar, you can’t replace this; it is invaluable,” Fried said.
There is a one-time registration fee of $75. The annual fee is $265 until May 31; as of June 1, fees will be $295. Monthly breakfast and room dues are $50 per month.
BNI was started by Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D., in January 1985. He has written “The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret” and “Business by Referral,” among other books.
“It’s not net-sit or net-eat, it’s network,” he said.
BNI-NJ Central and Northwest was founded in the spring of 1999 by Mark Carmody, a former New Jersey resident and BNI member in Massachusetts, who decided to make BNI his business.