Podcast Summary: The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 928: Using LinkedIn to Grow Your Chapter
Host: Dr. Ivan Misner
Guest: Tom Etherington
Date: September 17, 2025

Overview

This episode centers on practical strategies for using LinkedIn to grow your BNI chapter. Dr. Ivan Misner hosts Tom Etherington—an online branding expert, content marketer, LinkedIn coach, and long-serving BNI ambassador from Sydney, Australia. Tom shares actionable methods for uncovering valuable visitor opportunities and referral partners hidden within your LinkedIn network, with a focus on maximizing impact during one-to-ones and power team meetings.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. LinkedIn as a Gold Mine for BNI Chapters

• [02:29] Tom emphasizes the untapped potential of LinkedIn, stating many members overlook opportunities within their existing networks, especially connections from years past.
  • Many members experience “visitor-invite fatigue” and miss out on inviting valuable contacts already connected with them on LinkedIn.
  • “There’s a lot of opportunity to invite people that they’ve probably forgotten about, maybe they’ve connected to five, ten years ago and they’re just sitting in their LinkedIn network.”
    — Tom Etherington [02:57]

2. Strategic Search Tactics on LinkedIn

• [04:10] Tom details how to leverage LinkedIn’s search and filter functions to identify useful connections:

  • Use the search bar to seek out desired professions (e.g., videographer).
  • Filter by first connections to identify those you know personally—and may have forgotten.
  • “It’s not an outreachy spammy message then, it’s really just a reconnection message to build that relationship again and potentially ask them along to visit the chapter.”
    — Tom Etherington [04:40]

• [04:50] He describes how to search “connections of” other members—a tactic for unlocking hidden networks through mutual contacts.

  • This helps facilitate warm introductions; even if a connection is weak, there's still familiarity.

3. Applying LinkedIn in Practice (Case Studies & Anecdotes)

• [06:42] Tom shares client examples, such as discovering ten ideal prospects already within a client’s network.

• He highlights that one-to-ones and power team meetings are ideal scenarios for collaborative LinkedIn searches.

  • “If you can sit around, everyone gets their laptops out and sits down… cast a net a bit wider and see who’s out there, who we’re already connected to.”
    — Tom Etherington [07:29]

• [07:45] Tom explains how these tactics led his chapter to host 80 visitors at a BNI day by strategically targeting empty seats.

4. Power Teams & One-to-One Sessions

• [07:29 – 08:43] Tom advocates for real-time LinkedIn network exploration during meetings:
  • Go through each other’s connections, spark ideas, and target the right professionals.
  • “Even if it’s not that person, it will get them thinking about other people that they know… and maybe it will spark some ideas there.”
    — Tom Etherington [07:49]

5. Turning Cold LinkedIn Pitches into Warm Invitations

• [09:01] Tom addresses inbound spam or pitches on LinkedIn and suggests reframing responses into BNI invitations.

  • Instead of dismissing a cold pitch, invite the sender to a networking breakfast—offering real value and possibly converting them into visitors.
  • “I always look at their profile and if… I send them a reply back and I say, ‘hey, that sounds like a great opportunity for people. I meet 50 business owners every Friday morning… Love to hear about your solution and you’ll get a chance to meet… Shall I send you a link to book?’”
    — Tom Etherington [09:12]

• [09:48] Ivan reinforces the effectiveness: “I’m here to tell you that that technique works, I’ve seen it work. And you tell them, bring 50 or more business cards with you. I look forward to meeting you.”

• [10:06] If recipients aren’t interested, they’ll likely stop spamming, creating a win-win scenario.

6. Using These Methods for Referral Partners and Clients

• [10:29] The same approach applies to discovering new clients and referral partners.
  • Tom stresses focusing on opening conversations and building relationships—“not looking to spam people.”
  • “Generally look for people that they can do business with and referral partners. Absolutely. It’s a fantastic way to find those and then like I say, start those conversations.”
    — Tom Etherington [10:44]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tom Etherington [02:57]:
  “There’s a lot of opportunity to invite people that they’ve probably forgotten about… maybe connected to five, ten years ago and they’re just sitting in their LinkedIn network.”

• Tom Etherington [04:40]:
  “It’s not an outreachy spammy message… it’s really just a reconnection message to build that relationship again and potentially ask them along to visit the chapter.”

• Tom Etherington [07:49]:
  “Even if it’s not that person, it will get them thinking about other people that they know in that you know, that they currently interact with and maybe it will spark some ideas there.”

• Tom Etherington [09:12]:
  “I always look at their profile and… send them a reply back…‘I meet 50 business owners every Friday morning for a networking breakfast at the Shangri La in Sydney. Love to hear about your solution… Shall I send you a link to book?’”

• Dr. Ivan Misner [09:48]:
  “I’m here to tell you that that technique works, I’ve seen it work. And you tell them, bring 50 or more business cards with you. I look forward to meeting you.”

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment / Topic | |---------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:29 | Unlocking LinkedIn’s "hidden networks" to invite forgotten contacts | | 04:10 | Step-by-step methods for LinkedIn searching/filtering | | 06:42 | Real-life examples and outcomes from using these techniques | | 07:29 | Collaborative approach in power teams and during one-to-ones | | 08:43 | Case study: 80 visitors event through targeted invites | | 09:01 | Turning inbound cold pitches into visitor invitations | | 10:29 | Leveraging LinkedIn for clients and referral partners | | 10:57 | Final advice: “Get active on it… especially in your one-to-ones.” |

Call to Action / Additional Resources

• [11:45] For more advice and access to Tom Etherington’s LinkedIn strategies for BNI members, visit: connectcontent.com.au/bni
  • Includes resources from podcasts 665, 706, and 928, and video walk-throughs.

Final Thought

Tom Etherington [10:57]:
“Get active on it, really give it a go, especially in your one-to-ones… There are those hidden networks that they can tap into as well.”

This episode is a rich resource for BNI members eager to systematically grow their chapters through intelligent LinkedIn usage—transforming cold outreach, forgotten connections, and team meetings into powerful opportunities for referrals and chapter growth.