Questions, answered plainly

No. BNI Referral Desk is independent and unofficial. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Business Network International or any chapter. It does not speak for them, and it does not describe their rules. If your chapter has its own forms, terms or procedures, those come first. Use this desk for your own private notes and practice.

Owner-operators and professionals who get most of their work through word of mouth, especially in groups that meet every week and pass referrals between members. The tools are plain enough to use if you network in some other way, such as a local business breakfast or an informal circle of trades.

There is nothing to buy and nothing to sign up for. The pages are static files. There is no login because there is no server holding anything of yours.

Because a ledger is honest. It records what happened, one row at a time, in the order it happened. It does not rank you or promise anything. A referral business runs on goodwill, and a plain record of who helped whom, and whether anyone said thank you, is the cheapest way to keep your goodwill in good order.

In your own browser, on your own device, using the browser’s local storage. The pages make no network requests. Nothing you type is sent to the desk, to a server or to anyone else.

Local storage belongs to one browser on one device, so a new device starts empty. To move rows, export a CSV from the first device. You can open the file in any spreadsheet. The desk does not import files back in, so treat the export as your backup and your record. Your pitch can be moved by copying the script text.

Rows and pitch fields are removed along with the rest of the site data, and a private window forgets them when it closes. Export a CSV from the ledger now and then if the record matters to you.

Only someone who can use your browser profile on your device. If you share a computer, clear your rows when you are done, or use a private window. Remember too that your rows may mention other people; keep notes factual and kind.

Some privacy settings and private windows block local storage. The tools still work, but your work only lasts until you close the tab. Copy your script or export your CSV before you leave.

Words divided by your pace, times sixty. The starting pace of 130 words a minute is a guess you can change. Run the rehearsal on the pitch page: it times you reading aloud and can set the pace from that run. The estimate leaves out pauses, so give yourself a little air under the limit.

Write each box as if you were telling a friend. Use contractions. Cut any word you would not say aloud. Then read it out loud and change whatever makes you stumble. Also try the other opening styles; a problem-first open often sounds more natural than a name-first one.

Passed means the lead has been handed on. Contacted means the two people have spoken. Meeting set means a time is in the diary. Closed means the referral reached a result you are happy to record. Not a fit means it was not right, and you said so. These are the desk’s own labels; use the closest one and put the rest in the note.

Press Export CSV on the ledger page. Your browser saves a file with one line per row, which opens in any spreadsheet program. If a name or note begins with a character a spreadsheet might read as a formula, the export adds a leading mark so it opens as plain text.

Yes. The pitch page prints your script alone. The ledger prints its rows. The one-to-ones page prints your pinned cards and the agenda. Everything else is hidden from the printout.

Yes. Every control is a real button, field or link. The card deck responds to the left and right arrows, Enter or Space to turn a card over, S to shuffle and P to pin. Status changes and copy confirmations are announced politely. If an animation bothers you, set your device to reduce motion and the desk will hold still.

Yes. Once the files are on your device, the pages need no connection. They load no fonts, scripts or images from elsewhere.

There is no target here, and the ledger will never set one. Pass the ones that are real. One warm, specific introduction beats five hopeful names. If your group has its own expectations, follow them.

Say so quickly, kindly and with a reason. Thank the person who passed it. Stamp the row Not a fit and note why, so you can sharpen the ask you make next time.

It is better than all right. A specific ask is easier to act on, and people enjoy being able to help. Try it as a short phrase, such as “an owner who has just outgrown a spreadsheet”, and let the pitch builder place it at the end of your script.

Speed and specifics. Send it within a day or two. Say what happened because of the referral and what it meant to you. Mention the person by name when you tell the group. The thank-you tracker in the ledger keeps the list so none slips.