Drinking coffee and lattes at Panera in Clifton, about half a dozen members of BNI of Northern Virginia gathered for a “Coffee, Tea, You & Me” discussion to learn about business networking.
BNI HAS BEEN around for 22 years but "Coffee, Tea, You & Me" has been around for a year and a half. Anyone can join — there are no dues or qualifications, just showing up is all that is required.
Group leader Marvin Powell, 41, of Compton Heights, led the group discussions with the focus of networking with trust and building relationships with other networkers. One of the main focuses of the evening was discussing the book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," by Stephen R. Covey, on which the group has based its teachings.
"The main foundation of the book is to be proactive, a person must be proactive for private victory," said Powell.
WITH A DEGREE in economics, sociology and African American studies from Kent State University, Powell became a stockbroker in New York City but discovered that he wanted to give back to the small business communities. He owns his own financial planning firm that caters to small business owners. “Once you know who you are, you have to tell others so they know and can get to know you and eventually trust you,” said Powell. His goal is to teach small business owners and consultants how to strategize financially and connect socially with others.
Networking these days has changed significantly compared to 30 years ago, he says. These days there are Web sites, social events, and seminars where people can now network professionally and socially. During the group discussions everyone had the opportunity to address what they wanted to talk about. Carolyn Johnson, an accountant from Lakeside, needed help in reaching specific people in her business since networking was new to her.
“My business is travel. I’m competitive but there are other businesses out there that are competition for me,” said Johnson. “I want to get myself known out there.”
With this scenario, Powell went on to say how networking is about how a business person can use their sphere of influence with the people they know.
The most important factor in making a business person well known is trust. “Trust is competency and character; without these the customer won’t trust the networker,” said Powell. “If the networker uses their skills then that shows that they are more than competent at what they do.”
The importance of the BNI group is to let the small business owners of the community connect with other small business owners and learn how to use their knowledge to become successful networkers.
Meetings are held every Friday from 3-5 p.m. at various locations in the Centreville-Chantilly-Clifton area. For more information on the BNI group of Northern Virginia, visit www.bninova.com. Or call 703-201-4267.