No experience of Plato but do have experience of BNI, pm me if you want further insight.
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BNI (split from Plato Dublin)
- Thread starter SeanA
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No experience of Plato but do have experience of BNI, pm me if you want further insight.
Re: Plato Dublin
I have experience with BNI & would recommend it to SME's such as printers, web designers, solicitors, IT support companies & service providers.
The clear objective is to exchange business opportunities & referrals. Some owner/managers find the overt networking, american style fraternity thing & 7 a.m. meetings uncomfortable.
BNI is a for profit business but many members feel that they get good value for their buck so if you want to meet & sell your stuff to other SME's why not give it a try.
There are different chapters around Dublin & some are better than others. Also a lot will depend on the type of people you are seeking to influence so find out what trades/professions are in there already before deciding which chapter.
Plato is quite a different programme as it is heavily subsidised by Intertrade, Fas, CEB's & others. The primary objective is development of business skills within a group environment & I gather that networking opportunites are not a major part of the programme.
I would appreciate any feedback from current or former members on the programme & whether they would recommend it to somebody running a smallish IT company.
I have experience with BNI & would recommend it to SME's such as printers, web designers, solicitors, IT support companies & service providers.
The clear objective is to exchange business opportunities & referrals. Some owner/managers find the overt networking, american style fraternity thing & 7 a.m. meetings uncomfortable.
BNI is a for profit business but many members feel that they get good value for their buck so if you want to meet & sell your stuff to other SME's why not give it a try.
There are different chapters around Dublin & some are better than others. Also a lot will depend on the type of people you are seeking to influence so find out what trades/professions are in there already before deciding which chapter.
Plato is quite a different programme as it is heavily subsidised by Intertrade, Fas, CEB's & others. The primary objective is development of business skills within a group environment & I gather that networking opportunites are not a major part of the programme.
I would appreciate any feedback from current or former members on the programme & whether they would recommend it to somebody running a smallish IT company.
Sorry, my bad! I was so engrossed in battyee's response i forgot the previous post. Should have been paying more attention I think Battyee has hit the nail on the head, yes good for sme's. Can be more to it than just the referrals, can learn from those around you, accountants, printers etc. And you do get use to the early mornings. But don't join half heartedly, the more you put in the more you tend to get out. Certainly worth a punt for a year, should cover it costs.
blacknight
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A lot will depend on the BNI's catchment area and the business you are in.
We were members in Carlow for a while, but it didn't work out too well as you can only sell SMEs hosting once, whereas solicitors etc., got more lucrative repeat business
We were members in Carlow for a while, but it didn't work out too well as you can only sell SMEs hosting once, whereas solicitors etc., got more lucrative repeat business