Power Teams have become more and more popular in BNI UAE with members in complementary categories teaming up to fantastic results! Jay Patni and Nick Patel have utilized this fantastic tool leading them to great success. The President of BNI Champions, Nick Patel is in the business of selling gold. His journey with BNI started a little under two years ago when he came across BNI online™. “I wasn’t sure of what BNI was all about,” Nick said. “I went to the Champions chapter meeting and decided to join then and there”.
Jay Patni runs his families’ jewelry business and joined BNI nearly 11 months ago. “It’s been a very wonderful journey,” he adds. “Especially with Nick being a fantastic team member here.”
Powering Forward
When asked exactly how their Power Team is so successful Nick says, “Jay and I have the same segment, we complement each other’s business. Generally, we have a good arrangement, we’re able to communicate well with each other. Not only him and I, but also other members within our business communicate to make sure that if it’s possible we’ll do business together.”
Their camaraderie in BNI ensures good business for each other regularly. “This is a continuous thing,” Jay agrees. “It’s not something where we require people from other industries to influence our transactions. It’s a very in-the-market transaction that happens, it’s how our power team will grow.”
Nick and Jay have been topping the performance charts in their chapter, so what are their tips? For me I looked at the member traffic lights in my first month,” Jay says. “I was 631st ranked, so how do I get up? Then I looked through everything, it’s not just about the business there’s a lot of other things to focus on like one-to-ones, CEU points, etc. You need to do more one-to-ones, cross-country, cross-chapter so you can gain more experience about other peoples’ business and gain more referrals.”
Nick believes their power team has the potential to grow globally. “A good way to power up, even more, is to find people and do business in other chapters, across other regions and countries.”
Tools of the Trade
There are so many resources available in BNI, so what tools have they been using? “BNI Business Builder is very good,” Nick says. “It’s easy for you to track what’s going on.”
“BNI Connect is also a godsend. There aren’t many networking organizations that have the resources where you can just use your app and connect with somebody within your sector in any other part of the world.”
Jay uses Business Builder to listen to presentations and podcasts during his morning workouts. “Those Business Builders aren’t just about how to network, they streamline your process of networking by doing other things like time management, marketing strategies, and having the right mindset. You should listen to it every day as a routine,” he adds.
Closing Notes
As the current President of BNI Champions, what advice does Nick have for members thinking of taking up leadership roles? “Make yourself visible, do put yourself forward for roles. I always think you got to do more. Play the extra game, do things that are over and above what you’re required to do. The more you do, the more you get back—it goes with the same philosophy of Givers Gain.”
Zoom has been a real help for Jay. “We had a lot of Zoom Socials which has really helped in team building for everyone,” he smiles. “Recently, we were able to connect the more experienced members with the newer members, like me. That’s where the barriers are breaking. People are interacting more and understanding each others’ business.”
On a concluding note, Nick says he is looking forward to physical meetings soon. “Our Champions ethos is ‘Business with a Heart’. Most of our business has been done through socials, bonding, and other events. That’s how the relationships have been built. I’m looking forward to the next few months as we go back into the ‘normal’ BNI meetings and socials.”
