An interview with Brian Alcorn

As the NetWorking lifestyle takes my work through the states in my area, I’ve met some interesting people and great individuals.

Recently I talked with Brian Alcorn, BNI executive director, who leads 12 successful BNI chapters. He’s also on the board of directors of the South Charleston Chamber of Commerce, www.southcharlestonchamber.org , in West Virginia, and owns a successful company in southwestern Virginia.

Brian wanted to expand his business, and was invited to attend a BNI conference. There he met and spoke with BNI founder Ivan R. Misner. After that, Brian was committed to networking and building a strong referral-based networking organization with BNI. He was lucky. There were only three states available at the time: South Dakota, Alaska, and West Virginia.

The 12 BNI chapters Brian leads average 26 members, and each has a president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer. Two members in each chapter form the membership committee and one member is the education coordinator. The education coordinator is responsible for teaching members the positive aspects of networking. Members can attend statewide, four-hour-long leadership team training every six months to learn the inner workings of a chapter.

BNI has its own code of ethics. Building relationships is very high on its list for success within the organization. They also believe that “givers get.” As Zig Ziegler said, “If you want to be successful in life, all you have to do is help others to be successful in life.”

To measure their success, the chapters keep track of the one-to-one meetings that members have with each other outside the weekly meetings. The record shows that the 320 members have referred more than $2.75 million in business through each other. BNI is growing in West Virginia because the members are excited about the professional referral systems and invite others to join.

Brian says that BNI members make great Chamber members because they have a strong networking background and experience. They understand the importance of being involved in Chamber committees and helping others build business relationships.

If you live in West Virginia and want to learn more about the various chapters, please visit www.bniwestvirginia.com. Brian would enjoy the opportunity to talk with you.

I’m always looking to speak with leaders in the Mid-Atlantic states. If you or someone you know would be interested, please contact me at PaulM@TheNationalNetworker.com or via TNNW Blog.