Catherine Lloyd gives a wry smile ahead of her next networking meeting.

“Before I joined, I wasn’t aware there were two 5.30s in the day,” she joked. “I was only used to the one.”

Ms Lloyd is chapter vice president of the Canterbury BNI, a networking group which meets every Friday morning at the Howfield Manor Hotel in Chartham Hatch while many bosses are still tucked up in bed.

Two decades ago, it was the first set up outside London by Business Network International, a business referral organisation which has 200,000 members worldwide, of which 12,500 are based in the UK and Ireland.

The aim is simple: to help other firms generate business.

Last year, members of the BNI made nearly 677,000 referrals to their colleagues across the UK and Ireland, worth £497 million.

The Canterbury group calculates it has passed on £12.5 million of business to its 47 members in the past five years.

It marks its 20th anniversary on June 24 and still has two founding members who attended its first meeting.

“I remember when I first walked in I thought it was incredible,” said Ms Lloyd.

“Even at unbelieveable-o-clock in the morning, there was an incredible atmosphere in the room, which is infectious.

“It was so cool walking into that room and feeling that energy. It is very structured but you can see the amount of business done between the members. I wanted a part of that.”

Being part of this lucrative conglomerate is not easy.

Meetings have a rigidly-followed structure and happen every week. Each begins
with an open networking session, then an admin period, followed by a 60-second presentation from each member about their business and the work they seek.

Then one member gives a 10-minute presentation. This is followed by another trip around the room to hear about referrals or opportunities and to thank others for referrals.

“It can be a bit like another job sometimes but it’s part of your marketing strategy,” said Ms Lloyd, who is a distributor for gas and electric supplier Utility Warehouse.

“Some people advertise, some do social media and BNI is another form of marketing strategy for a lot of people who gain business mainly through word of mouth.”

The critical factor behind BNI’s success is the focus on its mantra to “give and gain”, she said.

“The idea is we are all acting as an extended sales force for every single member in the room.

“When you are out and about, you are listening out for opportunities for other members.

“The idea is that by giving them business they will give you business. We give first of all and gain as a result.”

There are three chapters in Canterbury and 24 across Kent. Potential new members are invited to two meetings to see if they like it.

“Members also analyse the business of new firms to make sure it does not clash with any present members.

“You can’t have two painters,” said Ms Lloyd. “We ‘lock out’ the competition in each chapter.”

Barry Williams is one of two founding members still with the group.

He joined as a financial advisor and later launched his own business, Regency IFA in Dover, in 2001.

He said: “It is the best marketing you can do. It creates a steady flow of business but it’s up to the member to make the most of it.

“You can’t just expect to get business. You have got to understand how it works and focus on how you can support other members.

"Getting business is the primary aim but it is a support network in many other ways. You get to know people you can rely on to support your business. That’s invaluable.”

Canterbury BNI facts

• Canterbury BNI has passed on £12.5m of business in five years
• A place at BNI Canterbury is worth on average £60,000 per year for each member
• Canterbury members Mike Lilford of Price Lilford Surveyors and John Massey of JBM Electrical have passed on £2.7m and £1.7m of business respectively
• Canterbury member Peter Hodgson of decorator TLC has written a book about his many years networking in BNI, which has a foreword by the organisation’s founder Ivan Misner
• Approximately 50,000 breakfasts have been consumed since the start of the chapter