The co-founder of Xcel Accounting, Simran Samtani is BNI UAE’s longest-serving female member. In June she will have 12 years of BNI membership under her belt. So, how does that make Simran feel? “That’s by chance it wasn’t planned,” she smiles. “I kept renewing year after year, I’m here because I’m finding value, and because I love the platform.
It’s been a long journey since Simran attended her first chapter meeting as a visitor, and it’s interesting to hear about what she values the most in BNI. “Of course referrals, it is a referral organization,” she says. “But personally for me, the intangibles far outweigh the tangibles. We were also in our first couple of years in business when we joined BNI. Some of the things we’ve taken from BNI are systems. The traffic lights system, we’ve adopted for our team and the structure of the leadership team meeting is what we use for our weekly meetings.”
BNI is a pool of vendors, contacts, and trusted advisors for Simran. That’s been constant since day one. “We wouldn’t even look outside BNI if we’re sourcing for our personal requirements or business requirements,” she adds. “In fact, the first BNI meeting I attended, I was visiting my husband’s chapter along with him and I didn’t even have business cards. Someone from his chapter gave us printed visiting cards I picked up at the meeting.”
ACT
When questioned on why BNI, she is clear about her thought process. “The reason I continue in BNI is three things – I call it ACT. A is for accountability because we are accountable for our traffic lights system. C stands for commitment and consistency meeting week after week. And, the T represents timebound, there’s so much structure in a 90-minute meeting.”
The support element of fellow BNI members is a standout point for Simran, especially in these interesting times. “In 2020 I have accountability partners which have helped me sustain,” she says. “We created a support group of 8-10 people at the beginning of these interesting times and meet every Saturday and to ask each other “What do you think is happening?”
Trust the System
As a successful entrepreneur, Simran has a goldmine of wisdom to share with her fellow BNI members. She’s clear that patience is key to leveraging BNI to its full potential. “BNI is not a get-rich-quick scheme. We as a company didn’t get a single piece of business in year one, but we got a lot of support, and we loved everything about the system,” she adds. “It takes time, people need to know you, people need to like you, people need to trust you to open up. Give it the time that it needs, make the effort that you need to put in as well. Take time to learn, leverage the platform.”
As a Gold Club member with over 100 points in traffic lights, Simran’s inspiration is clear. “I think networking comes naturally to me. Connecting two people is a win-win which doesn’t take a lot of effort from your end. The satisfaction it gives you is priceless, you never know where that journey will take you.”
She ends the interview with some useful tips and advice for new members. “I would say come with a very open mind and be prepared to be a sponge and absorb and learn,” she notes. “Give it the time, because the system works. Trust the system and evaluate how the system can work for you.”
