network with key connection-bni and make your business buzz€¦ · 8/10/2015 · bni asks members...
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PAGE 19THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015
Network with Key Connection-BNI and make your business buzzBy: PHINEAS AZCUY
Special to The Islander News
Be on your mark with a 30-second pitch.Get set with plenty of business cards. And,go to the next Key Connection-BNI weeklybreakfast meeting to see how this dynamicand interpersonal networking event canhelp market your business.Key Connection, which just reached
Chapter status, was established by H.Ruben Weisson, an Ecuador native andKey Biscayne resident of 26 years. It is the34th Business Network International (BNI)chapter in South Florida and is the latestaddition to this global networking and re-ferral organization that operates in 64countries, through 7,000 chapters, and withmore than 170,000 members worldwide. “We connect professionals to profession-
als and businesses to professionals in an ef-fort to develop sustainable growth,” saidWeisson, Vice President, Portfolio Man-ager and Financial Advisor at MorganStanley in Aventura. “The program featuresan accountability process which helpsmeasure the success rate of referrals givenand received.”According to BNI.com, the mission of
the organization is based on the philosophyof “Givers Gain,” an idea deeply rooted inword-of-mouth referrals.A Key Connection-BNI membership
guarantees member exclusivity, meaningonly one person representing a professionalclassification can be accepted into thechapter. As described in BNI.com, “Be-longing to BNI is like having dozens ofsales people working for you.”In addition to an initial $595 in annual
dues for the first year, there are mandatoryweekly breakfast meetings. BNI asksmembers to send a colleague on their be-half as a fill-in substitute when missing ameeting.Margaret Nee, Principal of Miami Estate
Management, LLC, a property manage-ment firm, attended a recent Key Connec-tion BNI meeting as a substitute fill-in.She was unaware she had to deliver a shortpresentation, but that did not stop her fromstanding in the middle of the room and
introducing herself. Nee took advantage ofher time before and after presentations tohand out business cards.Other business professionals such as
BankUnited Branch Manager David VanSky and Photographer Alejandro Borgese
attended the meeting in an effort to maxi-mize their networking potential and stimu-late business. They also spoke about theirprofessions and the consumer services theyprovide.“Here you are getting a personal
recommendation from a friend that youtrust, so it’s very powerful,” said JayFuchs, Senior Vice President at Riemer In-surance Group, Inc. in Hallandale. “BNI isall about referrals.”Key Connection BNI meets every
Wednesday morning for breakfast from7:30-9:00am at the Key Biscayne YachtClub. For more information, email Weisson at
[email protected] or call(305) 903-9340.
Recent Key Connection-BNI meeting participants include Dr. Erik Shane, Ph.D. of Leading & Learning Tutoring andEducational Consulting Firm; Christine Amiguet of Store Displays; Paola Padovan P.A. of Padovan Realty Corp.; andCarol P. Craiglow of Interiors by Studio South.
Photo courtesy Phineas Azcuy