Who is involved?

Key Executives of the Referral Institute include Senior Partner, Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D. and Partner and President, Michael Macedonio. In addition to the partners, the organization is made up of dozens of Franchise owners and over 100 certified trainers.

What is the Referral Institute’s relationship with BNI?

The Referral Institute and BNI have a strategic alliance relationship and have actively been promoting each other for years. Many of the individuals involved in the Referral Institute are also involved in BNI

Does the Referral Institute have special privileges in BNI?

The Referral Institute Franchisees and Trainers have the same privileges that any individual would have getting involved in BNI. They have the privilege of joining a BNI chapter and the opportunity to form a strategic alliance relationship with the local BNI franchise owner

What is required to be a certified Referral Institute trainer?

The first requirement to train Referral Institute material is to either own a Referral Institute franchise or work for a Referral Institute Franchise Owner.

Typically trainers working for franchise owners will first take the programs as a student and show results implementing the material. Once someone has become successful with the material as a student and they desire to get more involved they are given the opportunity to implement the same marketing techniques representing the Referral Institute. This is a compensated position and the Sales Consultant must be able to show documented implementation and results. At this point the prospective trainer will attend trainer certification put on by Referral Institute headquarters and have the opportunity to train Referral Institute material.

Can an Assistant Director become a Referral Institute franchisee?

Yes they can, but only with the recommendation of the Executive Director. Many Assistant Directors have other fulltime jobs. If an Assistant Director were to choose being a referral trainer as a career, this could be a good opportunity for them to recommend BNI to their clients and in their marketing efforts. For anyone to pursue a Referral Institute franchise they must first be referred by a Referral Institute franchise owner or a BNI franchise owner. This referral process gives BNI Executive Directors input on who is training in their area and gives the Referral Institute pre-screened prospects. This process will also give a greater probability of a strong relationship between BNI and the Referral Institute in the local area.

What steps are needed to become a Referral Institute franchise owner?

First it is useful to understand that the way we market and the way we bring on new franchise owners may seem a little out of the ordinary. It is unusual however it has been extremely successful.

As you know we help business owners build their business by referral. Well, it probably isn’t a shock to hear that’s how we market our business. It doesn’t stop there. Not only do we actively build our business by referral, but a referral is the first requirement for someone to explore the franchise opportunity. I understand that this is not what you typically see in the franchise world. Any prospective Master Franchise Owner or Franchise Owner must be recommended by either a Referral Institute franchise owner or a franchise owner of our strategic alliance BNI, Business Network International.

If you are interested we would be happy to introduce you to franchise owners and once they got to know you they could recommend you. [email protected]

As a BNI Executive Director will I have first right of refusal in a Referral Institute franchise in my BNI region?

BNI Executive Directors can have an important role on who is involved in the Referral Institute in their area however they are not given a first right of refusal. A first right of refusal option may result in BNI Directors being distracted from their primary business, BNI, and at the same time have a Referral Institute franchise owner who does not have the time to invest in a referral training company.

What commitments have the Referral Institute made to BNI?

There are several commitments that the Referral Institute has made with BNI. One commitment that is visible to BNI Directors is the Referral Institute sponsorship at BNI Conference. The BNI conference will allow the Referral Institute to stay connected with the organization as well as make local connections between the organizations. The Referral Institute has also put into its franchise agreements the local Referral Institute franchise must have a supportive position toward BNI

Why doesn’t BNI offer this kind of referral training?

BNI offers outstanding training on how to be successful with networking in the BNI context. The Referral Institute offers training that reinforces what BNI teaches and additionally shows their clients how to effectively network with other networks such as Chambers, clients, vendors and strategic partners. There are many other areas of training that BNI could offer that would be valuable to the members, however BNI has chosen to stay true to it’s mission. In doing so BNI has grown into the world’s largest business referral organization. Staying true to the BNI mission allows BNI to stay focused on running professional business referral groups and allowed them to refer business to other specialists such as sales trainers and referral trainers.