IT’S RAINING REFERRALS FOR FIRM THAT SAID “NO” · IT’S RAINING REFERRALS FOR FIRM THAT SAID...

SPRING 2004

IT’S RAINING REFERRALSFOR FIRM THAT SAID “NO”

IT’S RAINING REFERRALSFOR FIRM THAT SAID “NO”

One meeting, 700 referralsSEE PAGE 2

SEE PAGE 15

Merseyside brings joy to KenyaSEE PAGE 5

Introducing the Silver SausageSEE PAGE 11

New York - Here we come!SEE PAGE 3

One meeting, 700 referralsSEE PAGE 2

Merseyside brings joy to KenyaSEE PAGE 5

Introducing the Silver SausageSEE PAGE 11

New York - Here we come!SEE PAGE 3

Meet Susan Godding, BNI’s new referralsupremo. While many chapters have memberswho regularly pass a dozen or more slips overthe breakfast table, down in the previouslyquiet Cotswold market town of Tetbury, they’restill reeling after Susan handed out almost 700referrals to lucky chapter colleagues at a singlemeeting!

Her actual morning’s work was 696 firmenquiries for the services of her TetburyChapter colleagues – enabling her colleaguesto proudly claim the title of ‘top (business)guns’ after seeing well over 700 referralspassed around the table at just one breakfast.

How did she do it? Susan runs a pictur-esque conference and events centre called theGreat Tythe Barn - a popular venue for wed-dings. She recently staged a Bridal Fair to pro-mote the venue, and saw its business potentialfor other members of her chapter who providewedding-related services.

She told SuccessNet: “The event attractedmany hundreds of people, and as they arrived

we asked them if they would be interested intalking to other suppliers who could helpmake their wedding day a memorable occa-sion. More than 200 couples were happy tosign our register, asking to be put in touch withmy fellow BNI members.

“When we planned the event, I was deter-mined to ensure that I would only offer refer-rals from people genuinely in the market forthe specific services offered by my chapter col-leagues, so we spent considerable time makingsure they represented solid referrals with a realprospect of becoming business.”

Four of her Tetbury Chapter colleaguesreceived the majority of her referrals deluge.The lucky quartet were florist Pete Latham,health and wellbeing consultant Roy Huggins,wedding-day memorabilia specialist Phil Batesand Greg Power, an independent financialadviser specialising in insurance cover for bigevents.

Susan, an original member of the year-oldchapter, took over as new Chapter Director this

month, and is keen to acknowl-edge that she has also receivedsome valuable businessthrough BNI colleagues. “Mostincoming referrals are going tobe substantial because they willinvolve us staging a majorevent, so it’s a case of qualitynot quantity, but I am veryhappy with our BNI involve-ment. It has opened a lot ofdoors.”

Contact Susan on 01666 502 475

2 SPRING 2004 SUCCESSNET

A r o u n d t h e c h a p t e r s

Stone has something to shout about

WOT-A-LOT-WE’VE-GOT! New Tetbury Chapter Director Susan Godding sets the standard by passing a staggering 696 business referrals at a single breakfast meeting.

SHOUTING IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS ? Well, almost! Members of Stone Chapterchose to announce their business milestone to the world region in Scotland

When Staffordshire’s StoneChapter recently passed its 1000threferral, it was a milestone worthshouting about – so memberspromptly threw open the windowsat their meeting venue, The StoneHouse Hotel, and bellowed theirnews to the world!

Chapter Director Dennis Connollysaid: “With membership on the up andweekly referrals nudging the 40 mark,we’re looking forward to hitting the sec-ond thousand more quickly.”

Not to be outdone, there was also

plenty of early morning cheer in theMidlands, as the early birds of KenilworthChapter caught their 4,000th ‘worm’ – areferral from Southam dentist Lis Cox tothe group’s car leasing specialist JerryFuller containing an order for a new car.

A bell was rung to herald the land-mark referral for a chapter renowned forits friendliness and lively proceedings, justone reason why Lis gives up her onlypotential lie-in of the week to attend. “Icome here on my day off because everyother day I have to leave too early forwork. Despite that, it really is worth it,”shecommented.

Telford Chapter’s Roy Broad is growingproof that eating a hearty breakfast canincrease your wealth as well as your waistline.A director of Telford-based Network PR and BNImember for three years, his networking skillsrecently earned him Gold Club membership –well worth the extra inch or two, he reckons.

“I know I could choose the healthy break-fast option, but I look forward to my cookedbreakfast every Friday. It puts me in the rightmood to exchange lots of business referralswith my colleagues. I’ve eaten well over 150bumper breakfasts since joining BNI but, if it’sadded a good few pounds to my frame, it’sadded far more to my business.!”

Other recent black badge recipientsinclude Diana Beaver (Cheltenham), KeithEvans (Conwy, Denbighshire), Eddie Gallagher(Alpha, Glasgow), Sid Grant (Glenrothes) andAndy Self from the Caterham (Surrey) Chapter.

One person, one meeting, 700 referrals!

Roy’s golden breakfast

NEVER MIND THE WAISTLINE, FEEL THE BUSINESS BREADTH! RoyBroad has plenty to smile about over his weekly breakfasts.

When you work in the highlands ofScotland, you expect to travel if you want busi-ness. But when furniture upholsterer andrepairer Fred Sutherland took a trip to theremote Outer Hebridean island of Lewis, evenhe was surprised by the outcome!

A member of BNI’s northernmost UK group,the Highland Chapter based in Inverness, Fredloaded up his ‘Saggy Bottoms’ company vanand boarded the Ullapool ferry for the longcrossing to Stornoway, where he parked out-side his customer’s house for just four hours.That was time enough however, to create a

flurry of phone calls back to his shop inInvergordon, near Inverness – all from islanderson Lewis wanting him to repair their furniture.

Fred said: “I was flabbergasted when I gotback home next day and my wife told me she’dreceived nine calls that afternoon from Lewis,especially since my old van didn’t even haveour phone number on it. Passers by who spot-ted my van must have gone to some trouble tolocate my business on the mainland. It justshows the power of the saggy bottom van!”

On Fred’s return to his Inverness Chapterthe following week (itself a 120-mile round

trip), fellow member AlistairStewart presented the 10-minute slot about his washroomproduct company, Nor-ChemSupplies and, by pure co-inci-dence asked the group:‘Can any-one give me any referrals in theHebrides for washroom and san-itary services?’

Quick-witted Fred describedhis recent trip to Lewis, toldAlistair that he was sure he couldhelp him and, to the group’samusement, suggested they joinforces to be known as the Saggy& Soggy Bottom Partners.

“Joking apart, we’re hoping it will lead tojoint collaboration,” said Fred. “Alistair’s prob-lem is that trying to supply his products to far-flung Scottish islands is time-consuming andexpensive, so we’re discussing a venture whereI may be able to help deliver to his island cus-tomers during my frequent trips.”

In fact, while taking a three-hour ferrycrossing to repair a sofa might seem an unlike-ly way to do business for many of us, for Fredit’s a way of life as he travels to Scotland’s dis-tant outposts, applying his traditional crafts-man’s skills to antique and valuable furniture incastles and stately homes for a distinguishedlist of clients. “I can’t stay chatting to you now,”he added.“I’m just off to catch the boat to Mull,and if I miss it, my customer will have to livewith her saggy bottom for another week.”

Hence the striking name of his businesswhich his wife Mo insisted they use, after Fredreturned from a job a few years ago anddescribed how he thought he’d upset an elder-ly female client by telling her:“It’s obvious whatthe problem is….you’ve got a saggy bottom.”No offence had been caused – but the remarkled to a name change, since when the businesshas not looked back.

You can contact Fred on 01349 854065and Alistair on 01667 462500.

SUCCESSNET SPRING 2004 3

N e w s

Fred sails to the rescue of ‘sagging’ Scottish islanders

NOTHING SAGGY ABOUT US! Saggy Bottom’s travelling upholsterer Fred Sutherlandpictured (right) with BNI Highland Chapter colleague, Soggy Bottom’s Alistair Stewart.

Look out, New York. Here we come –in the grandest possible style, aboardCunard’s magnificent new 150,000-tonflagship, the Queen Mary 2, as shemakes only her second Transatlanticvoyage to the Big Apple!

As SuccessNet went to press, the namesof 11 lucky BNI members were drawn for theweek-long trip of a lifetime – winners of thebiggest and best-ever prize awarded for suc-cess in the UK and Ireland chapter develop-ment drive which ended last month.

News of the regional draws spread quick-ly and, while everyone who qualified to gointo a draw naturally hoped to be a winner,there were unrestrained congratulations forthe victors who, with their partners, are nowpreparing for a taste of the high life on boardthe world’s newest, most luxurious liner.

As the £500-million QM2 slips anchors atSouthampton’s Ocean Terminal on May Dayand glides majestically down Southampton

Water, BNI’s luckiest 11 will settle into theirpremium balcony cabins and a champagnelifestyle for six glorious days and nights.

The fortunate individuals are: James Bell(Eardwulf, Carlisle), Lynn Darker (Kaizen,Sheffield), Val Gunning (West Mendip, Wells),Pete Jones (Brighton), Ian Macfarlane (Abbey,Paisley), Duncan Nield (Llandudno), ColinSadler (Falcons, Newcastle), Jeremy Taylor(Worthing), David Vizard (Enterprise,Watford), Lesley Woolhouse (Coventry), andKaren Wright (St. Georges, Whitstable).

In total, no less than 65 UK and Irish chap-

ters qualified for the draw by bringing in sixor more new members during the eight-week initiative, and four chapters in particularachieved outstanding results. Thanks largelyto a hugely successful visitors’ day in lateJanuary, Sheffield’s Steel City Chapterbecame the first group in the country to qual-ify, and finished by attracting a record 14 newmembers - as well as referring three furtherapplicants to neighbouring chapters!

Equally successful were members ofOswald Chapter in Durham, who also gained14 members, taking the group to its optimum40-strong capacity while, close behind werePaisley’s Abbey Chapter with 11 new faces andanother Sheffield chapter, Kaizen with 10. Theoutright regional winner by a considerablemargin was Sussex with eight qualifying chap-ters, while Durham & Cumbria, and Kent sawfive of their groups reach the draw.

National Director Gillian Lawson said: “ Ofcourse there will be disappointed memberswhose names weren’t on the winners list, butthey too are winners because, by helping togrow their chapters, they will all gain morebusiness.” (See Lawson’s Lore, page 4).

NEW YORK, HERE WE COME!


N e w s

It can some-times take time for a chapter to growto its optimum 40-strong member-ship, but Durham’s Oswald Chapterhas passed the target less than a yearafter its very first meeting took placein semi-darkness, quite literally!

Oswald’s inaugural breakfast session inMarch last year (conducted by candlelightafter a major power failure) attracted 40people - half of them visitors and, following

a hugely successful visitors’ day held at thebeginning of February this year when 11 ofthe 55 guests applied for membership, thegroup soared over the 40 threshold.

Chapter Director Bryan Hoare said: “Ourearly success is due to the leadership teambeing totally focused, setting clear goalsand getting all the members to sign up tothem. Last autumn we agreed our prioritywas to become 40-strong, and the fact thatwe have achieved this so quickly is a reflec-tion of the whole chapter’s commitment.”

It may have taken Shrewsbury Chapter four years toreach the same milestone, but that hardly matters to members who are nowfar more interested in the fact that, expanding their group from 30 to 40-strong as a result of a recent visitors’ day, has nearly doubled the volume ofreferrals generated each week.

Welcoming its newest members Angela Smallwood of Tophat Foods and Marg Fayle ofM & A Healthcare, Chapter Director Malcolm Taylor said: “Reaching 40 members is a realmilestone and is largely due to the success of our visitor event which attracted 65 guests,and resulted in 10 new members joining us.

Assistant Director Allison Timmins was so pleased with Shrewsbury’s success that shebaked a cake complete with candles to celebrate the arrival of the 40th new member.

A New Yearchange of venue was the catalyst forCheltenham Chapter’s revitalisationwhich has seen the group become thefirst in the region to reach the 40-member landmark just weeks aftermoving its breakfast meetings to thetown’s Thistle Hotel.

Chapter Director Caroline Bevan saystheir success is due to the group’s energylevels, and added: “We simply follow BNI’s

agenda, carry out the Givers Gain philoso-phy, and of course, we play some greatgames to keep us on our toes. It is workingvery well, because the chapter now regular-ly passes over 100 referrals each week andattracts very healthy numbers of visitors.They are always impressed, except whenthey realise they can’t join because theircategory slot is already filled!”

Catering member Ailsa Flemingprovided mini cakes for everyone to markthe occasion.

BNI Shrewsbury members celebrate their 40th! Pictured L to R; Keith Higgins, Angela Smallwood, Marg Fayle, Mark Jennings,Keith Winter, Chapter Director Malcolm Taylor, Keith Smith, Keri Jennings and Sarah Atherton, with Allison Timmins.

Three more hit 40 not outLawsons’ LoreGillian and Martin LawsonNational Directors of BNI, write:

From time to time during BNI’s remarkableseven year growth across the UK, Ireland andmore recently, mainland Europe, it has beenappropriate to comment on the organisation’sexpansion - not least as major milestones havebeen approached, and passed.

So it is again this month, as we recognise theresults of a very successful chapter develop-ment drive which has seen more than 1,000 newmembers embrace the Givers Gain philosophy,and watch with growing satisfaction, theincreasing number of chapters reaching theiroptimum 40-member capacity.

These achievements are important for tworeasons. Firstly they confirm that BNI is indis-putably, Europe’s leading business networkingorganisation, with many more members thanany other and, crucially, a growth rate that con-tinues to be the pride of its Founder and theenvy of would-be imitators.

Secondly, and even more pertinent, thesesuccesses provide the assurance that when amember joins BNI and embraces its objectives,he or she can look forward with some certaintyto improved business profitability, the acquisi-tion of new business and personal skills, andlasting friendships. Joining BNI is not a short-term business fix, but a long-term commitmentto mutual support for (and from) your chaptercolleagues, and the global BNI community.

In this issue of SuccessNet, we congratulatethe winners of 2004 chapter development drivewho will shortly participate in an unforgettablevoyage on the magnificent new Queen Mary 2.To the many qualifying chapters and memberswho were unsuccessful in the prize draw, we say:don’t be too disappointed, because everyonewho brought new faces into their chapters willbenefit directly. By adding just three, four or fiveextra members to your ranks, you have guaran-teed that your group will be more vibrant andsuccessful in the months ahead and that is thesurest route to boosting your vital referrals.

For a number of chapters, the developmentdrive has seen them reach their 40-memberwatershed and this too is the best possible newsfor existing members. It is a simple equation: thelarger your chapter, the greater are its dynamics,and the more successful are all its members.That can’t be a bad consolation prize, can it!?Well done to everyone who took part.

SHREWSBURY

DURHAM

CHELTENHAM


T h e p e r s o n a l t o u c h

Every morning at 6.30am, a curioustrail of 50 or more waif-like childrenwould leave their village mud huts onthe shores of the Indian Ocean to walkbarefoot in rags more than five miles tothe nearest makeshift schoolhouse.

When they arrived, there was no friendlyface to greet them, their entrance to the spar-tan classroom was barred, and anyone whomanaged to sneak past the security guard waspromptly ejected. Instead, they stood or sat allday long in the scorching heat, enviously look-ing at the lucky ones whose families hadscraped together enough money to give themthis simple education, praying it would one dayoffer a foothold to a better world, far beyondtheir present boundaries.

Welcome to Kikambala, an ordinary Kenyanvillage whose inhabitants’ daily struggle forsurvival far below the poverty line is a different,alien civilisation, worlds apart from westernculture. And so it might have remained, had itnot been for the initial curiosity, and then com-passion, of BNI Merseyside’s Assistant DirectorJohn Haynes whose first safari holiday toMombassa four years ago was to change hislife – and that of hundreds of Africans.

Last month John and his partner Lindamade their fourth return trip: a mercy missionto deliver funds, clothing, books and stationerydonated by members of nine Liverpool chap-ters, touched by John’s heartrending accountof the hardship faced by the young villagers.

“I’d mentioned the children’s plight to anumber of members and one of them, EagleChapter’s Alvin Connor gave up a month last

summer to raise funds by taking part in theworld’s toughest physical contest – The IronMan Challenge. Just days before I set off thistime, I realised others might wish to contribute.I only had time to talk to a few chapters, but theresponse was amazing. Everyone wanted tohelp, some by paying for the schooling of oneor more youngsters, others by donatingclothes, books and personal items,” said John.

When the couple arrived in Kenya, theypresented more than 500,000 schillings (over£4,000) to village chiefs, along with all theother gifts. “They were overcome with joy. Itimmediately met the full costs of a year’s edu-cation for 86 children - some of them 12-yearolds who had never set foot inside a classroom- and news spread so fast that by the timethey’d acquired their new uniforms, text books,shoes, satchels, and paid for their own personalwooden desks (all mandatory before theycould attend), we’d been visited by the HighCommissioner and the Chief of Police, andinterviewed on the national TV news.”

The generosity of Merseyside membersreceived such wide coverage that businessinterests in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, start-ed to visit the village, wanting to know aboutBNI and how they could join.“It’s early days, butwe discovered a surprising demand for BNI inKenya, and this could be the springboard tolaunching the first chapters there,” he said.

John’s mental snapshots of villagers’ lifemake for profound thought. Unable to placemost of the children in school, he set up a class-room on the beach and started teaching theeager youngsters. Dangling the reward of aplastic football (the village’s only ball had disin-

tegrated two years ago and the boys impro-vised using a bunch of rags) he asked them toreturn next day, to share their dreams aboutwhere they hoped to be in five years time.

“A group of a dozen told me they’d formedthemselves into an acrobatic team using theonly resources they had – themselves. Theywere desperate to show off their skills, and saidtheir dream was for local hotels to hire them asan entertainment act, hopefully giving themenough money to feed their families.”

But his most poignant memories involvedthe children’s response to simple generosity.He added: “On the first morning they wereallowed to attend school, I watched them leaveon their five-mile trek and could not under-stand why they were all proudly carrying boxesunder their arms. When they arrived, I foundout. None of them had owned a pair of shoesbefore and they didn’t want to spoil their newfootwear by wearing it on the long walk. Theyonly reluctantly did so when the teacher saidthey could not enter the school in bare feet.”

He added: “On our final day, we visited theschool. The children held up posters thankingBNI, and sang us ‘thank-you’ songs in Swahili.We only understood the references to ‘BNI’, butit was a moving experience. Seeing them sohappy to receive a whole year’s education forjust £50 each, it was impossible not to contrasttheir thirst for knowledge with the negativeattitude of so many youngsters back in the UK.

“These kids had no food, no running water,no electricity, and no roads or transport. Theyweren’t interested in any of the ‘luxury’ itemswe’d given them. All they wanted was thechance to learn, and the joy in their faces whenthey realised they would be able to go toschool for the first time, was a picture I wishedI could have shared with all my BNI colleagues.”

If you’d like to know why Liverpool’sCulture, Eagle, Echo, Lima, Midas, Omega,Phoenix, Premier and Scorpio chapters allrushed to help call John on 0151 292 3818.

Merseyside members bring joy to Kenya

THE PLAQUE THAT SAYS IT ALL: The Kenyans’ thanks to BNI Merseyside members.

THE SMILES SAY IT ALL: Beaming faces all round as these Kenyan youngsters look forward to attending school for the very first time -thanks to the compassion of John Haynes (pictured top centre with partner Linda), and the generosity of nine Merseyside chapters.

Nine chapters fund schooling for 100 kids


R e f e r r a l s : A l w a y s s u p r i s i n g

Stained glass designer Mark Orrwas so pleased with the Budweisermirror he had produced for BrianKelly, the owner of his local Papa BzBar in Kilmarnock, that he felt sure thelager giant would like to see similarworks of his glass art featured in theirother Scottish outlets.

However, reaching the right contact inthe huge Anheuser-Busch Corporationwould be no easy task – or so he thought. Infact, Mark needed only to enlist the help ofhis Kappa Chapter colleagues to land theperfect referral: a personal meeting withBudweiser’s local manager which has led to amajor regional contract and the potential forhis company, Davian Designs, to supplystained glass mirrors for hundreds ofBudweiser outlets throughout the UK.

Mark told SuccessNet: “I knew howimportant it was to be specific when askingfor referrals, so I asked my Chapter col-leagues to find me the name of the brewer’s

local representative. My dream was to supplysome of their local pubs, restaurants andhotels with our unique hand-crafted mirrors.

“Later the same day, fellow chaptermember Robert Morton of Stainbusters (UK)Ltd spotted a Budweiser van outside a localpub. As he was writing a note to leave on thewindscreen, the driver appeared and Robertasked him for the name and number of hissales boss.”

Following Robert’squick-thinking referral,Mark subsequentlyinvited Anheuser-Busch‘s Mark Violet, toinspect his work, andhis namesake was soimpressed with itsquality that he imme-diately commissionedDavian Designs to pro-duce mirrors andstained glass for alltheir outlets in Ayrshire,

Dumfries and Galloway.“Even better, he e-mailed his colleagues

throughout the UK, recommending them tolook at our products,” Mark added. “Thisopportunity is awesome. The contract willtake me all over Scotland and then, hopeful-ly, result in our mirrors appearing in theiroutlets throughout the UK. I have nevercome across such an effective organisationas BNI.“

Contact Mark on 01563 550 091

They say a good networker never stopslooking for opportunities, but CheltenhamChapter’s Sandra Clarke has just broughtnew meaning to the expression – by findinga referral for a chapter colleague while flaton her back giving birth to her first child!

A marketing and branding consultant,Sandra went into labour for a home deliv-ery, just as husband Mike was getting readyto leave for the chapter’s regular Friday

morning breakfast. “In the middle of mycontractions, I was talking to the midwifeabout the homeopathic products I wasusing to help me through labour.

“She expressed a lot of interest andwanted to know how it might help otherwomen, so I gave her the name of our chap-ter’s homeopath Trish Moroney and Mikepassed my referral to Trish at the followingweek’s meeting. She is now preparing atraining programme for my midwife and Ihope it will lead to some beneficial, long-term business. Using homeopathy was ahuge help to me throughout my pregnancyand even during the initial recovery phase. Itwould be marvellous if it could now helpother mums-to-be,” Sandra added.

Trish commented: “One of our productsis a homeopathic birthing pack and I com-plement this with a treatment programmetailored specifically to the requirements ofthe individual. Sandra wanted to work for aslong as possible throughout her pregnancy,so she was given products to make this eas-ier for her. But I never expected her to still beworking on BNI business right through herlabour!”

Contact Sandra on 01242 620 403.

It would never feature in any league of bigvalue referrals, nor would it even gain an hon-ourable mention, based on prestige or poten-tial, but for sheer originality….well, how manyother referrals has your chapter received toconstruct the ‘pole’ around which scantily-clad girls dance provocatively in a privatemembers’ club?

Even the sleepiest eyes shot open at arecent Lichfield Chapter meeting, when exhi-bitions manufacturer Wayne Ball was handedthe year’s most unusual referral – to build thepole for the trendy Forge Bar in Cannock.

Wayne, a director of Icon Exhibitions andDisplay of Great Wyrley, said: “Initially, all theywanted from us was a pole, but they were sopleased with the speed of our response, andthe standard of workmanship, that they thengave us the contract to do all of the bar’srefurbishment work.”

Chapter Director Peter Robinson said:“Even at 7.15 in the morning, the mention ofpole dancing is guaranteed to generate areaction. Every member managed to think of away to be of assistance to the bar concerned.”

Contact Wayne on 01922 413 336.

Mark’s ‘orr-some’ mirror image referral

Ultimate dedication from mum-to-be Pole-axed byrisqué referral?

REFLECTING ON SUCCESS? Stained glass designer Mark Orr (centre) pictured with Budweiserregional sales manager Mark Violet (right) and Kilmarnock bar owner Brian Kelly.

A LABOURED REFERRAL? Not a bit of it! Cheltenham’sSandra Clarke with husband Mike and baby Stella.

WHAT A VIEW! Severn View Chapter Director Julian Lewis (centre) highlights the value of BNI to Bristol businesses, flanked byNatasha Wheeler (left) from Dunkley & Co. and Sue Marshall from Crown Recruitment.


M a k i n g H e a d l i n e s

Passionate in Bristol...

Since the Chapter’s launch barely twoyears ago, its membership profile has come toinclude a healthy spectrum of local businesses– from individual entrepreneurs to internation-ally renowned organisations – a number ofwhich have gained extra contracts worth over£30,000 a year from their BNI colleagues.

“We all share a passion for success, no mat-ter what the shape or size of our businesses,”said Chapter Director Julian Lewis, regionaldirector for Konica Minolta Business Solutions.“St Valentine’s Day gave us the perfect vehiclefor drawing attention to our enviable figures,

so nobody minded standing in a field at seveno’ clock on a cold February morning for thebenefit of local newspaper photographers”.

To back up the event’s glamorous imagery,the media were given some impressive statis-tics of members’ success. “We are passionateabout match-making between local compa-nies, introducing businesses that can supplyand work with each other. With our recentpublicity, we’ve again shown how passionateand proactive we are about BNI,”Julian added.

Contact Julian on 01454 619 999.

Wantonly flaunting themselves in front of the Bristol media, Severn View Chapter’songoing courtship of fortune and fame continued relentlessly last Valentine’s Day.But, with good reason, because the group’s financial figures speak volumes about theirsuccess, and the fruits of their passion for networking are plain to see.

Meanwhile, across the Irish Sea, BNImembers have also been successfullyattracting the media’s attention.

The Cork Chapter was featured on TV3’snational evening news slot, including inter-views with two members - Tim O’Brien ofRenaissance Fine Coffees and PJ O’Leary of PJO’Driscoll and Sons, while Killarney Chapter’sJoanne O’Regan from JLT Tiles appeared withMort Murphy, Executive Director (Ireland SouthWest) in a feature on BNI’s increasing populari-ty among the Irish business community, whichwas given a superb seven-minute slot on AM,TV3’s big-audience breakfast programme.

Cork Chapter’s PR consultant NiamhShanahan of The Pepper Group, played a keyrole in achieving the coverage, in addition towhich her efforts also saw Irish trade publica-tions taking considerable interest, and severalpublishing substantial articles.

Contact Niamh on 00 353 21 463 0496.

...and in Cork!

Among the latest chapters launched in2004 are: Achievers (Wigan), Border Castles(Montgomery), Cheshire Oaks (Ellesmere Port),Harald (Stockton-on-Tees), Kilkenny, Lynx (WestManchester), Olaf (Barrow-in-Furness),Riverside (South West London), Sedgemoor(Somerset), Swadlincote (Derbyshire), Trueman(Bristol), Waterfront (Swansea), Wellington(Colindale), Wimborne (Dorset), Goldenkey(Leiden in The Netherlands), Lion (Berlin), andthe first chapter in Italy, Lainate (Milan).

Latest chapters

Bracknell’s ‘Biggles’ comes to the rescue!When you’ve got a new chapter to launch

in the depths of Hampshire at breakfast timeand you’re needed for a major TV interview atlunchtime in the middle of France, there’sonly one solution: call on your very own‘Biggles’ to get you there in the nick of time.

Helpfully, for BNI’s Home Counties WestExecutive Director Gavin Bain, the answer tohis travel crisis lay close at hand, since‘Biggles’ – or rather, pilot Mike Berry– is a member of the BracknellChapter, and had given Gavin anopen invitation to use the services ofhis CCF Couriers firm if ever he need-ed to move something quickly!

“When he learnt my TV inter-view in Versailles clashed with the

launch of our own Wimbourne Chapter, Mikewas only too pleased to help. He knew I couldnever get from Hampshire to Versailles intime, using scheduled flights,” said Gavin.

Immediately after Wimbourne’s breakfastlaunch, Gavin was driven to Bournemouth’sHerne Airport where Mike was waiting in hissingle-engine Piper Comanche plane, and

calmly announced gale-force winds over theChannel, so the ride would get “a bit lumpy.”

After a very bumpy flight, Mike toucheddown at a private airfield near Versailles –giving Gavin ample time to prepare for a suc-cessful TV session, and barely three hourslater they were airborne again on an equallyturbulent return flight, before a relieved

Gavin was back on terra firma.Mike said: “I was delighted to

help out, although I was a bit con-cerned about the adverse weatherconditions. But, despite the bouncyride, I think Gavin secretly enjoyedthe experience.”

Contact Mike Berryon 01344 307 007


In Brief

Profitable Fridays There’s nothing like

spelling out the value of yourBNI seat to stimulate member-ship applications from localbusinesses, as Cork City FridayChapter has discovered.

Members felt they wouldmake a greater impact on visi-tors if they could announcetheir Chapter’s own revenuetotals in addition to other sta-tistics at the weekly meetings,so everyone was asked to put afigure on their BNI-derivedincome for last year.Within twoweeks all 25 members hadresponded and the total was€600,000, an average of €24,000(just over £16,000) per member!

Chapter Director AnnePettit added: “We now have astrong focus for our goal set-ting, and aim to get close to, oreven pass the 1million markby the end of this year. Beingable to quote the total amountof business we’ve done overthe past year has given us anedge, and this shows in thequality of new membershipapplications we are receiving.“

Boost for NSPCC

All dressed up and raring togo! York Knavesmire Chapter’smembers had plenty to smileabout, after their Valentine’s Ballraised £5000 for the NSPCC.

They wanted to help thecharity because BNI colleagueJohn Inman is a fund-raiser forthe NSPCC, and his contactswith a wealth of high profilebusiness leaders in theYorkshire region have made animportant contribution to thechapter’s high referral levels.

John said:“Fund-raising is aprofession these days and thistype of event showed howenthusiastic members can be.”

Three enterprising members of the TallyHo Chapter in Finchley, have taken the BNInetworking ethos one step further by join-ing forces to form a ‘HUB’ company -Helping Urban Business Ltd – which afteronly a few months is making a significantimpact on the North London retail scene.

While continuing to run their own successfulfirms, knowledge broker Tracey Anthony-Winter,accountant Arnold de Vries and designer/copy-

writer Barry Lester have pooled their complemen-tary talents to develop a business partnership thatworks across all aspects of government fundedprojects, to create a catalyst for action in theregion’s business and community sectors.

HUB soon won its first contract, a research andcapacity building project for the London Boroughof Barnet to examine optimum solutions forimproving the retail environment, and customerexperience, in Golders Green – a thriving shoppingcentre threatened by the development of nearbyretail parks.

Barry told SuccessNet:“This particular project isbeing funded by the London DevelopmentAgency, and we hope it may be the forerunner tosimilar contracts for HUB in the coming months.Our key aim is to work with local organisations –and later individual businesses – to help promotetheir local economies and environments, with theassistance of government and European grantswhere appropriate. A great deal more could bedone to help local companies and we hope tomake a difference.”

One of HUB’s initiatives arising from its firstproject, is the formation of a business club forGolders Green firms and retailers which it is hopedwill provide a focus for ongoing partnership activi-ties to improve the area, in conjunction with thelocal authority and other business groups.

Anyone interested in learning more aboutHUB’s work should contact Tracey Anthony-Winter on 020 8959 0976, Barry Lester on 0208952 6544. or visit the website at:

www.helpingurbanbusiness.com

Mutual Help in Fife

BNI’s unique word-of-mouth marketing system can work for every chapter world-wide, providing members stick to its tried and tested systems. But, for an increasingnumber of chapters, while individual referrals remain their lifeblood, business synergiesbetween member companies are becoming the norm. Here, SuccessNet features severalnew joint business ventures that have stemmed from members pooling their expertise…

Proving that the sum of the parts can begreater than the whole, two small Fife recruitmentfirms have teamed up to become a greater force inthe region, following a chance visit of DunfermlineChapter’s Avril Dewar to nearby Kirkcaldy Chapter.

During her visit Avril, who runs Ross CampbellRecruitment in Dunfermline, was introduced to hercounterpart in the Kirkcaldy Chapter, JayneJohnson from Rally Recruitment, and the twoquickly realised they shared the same approach tobusiness, agreed there were possible synergies,and decided to maximise their combined potentialby establishing a new partnership, that would becomplementary to their separate businesses.

Rally @ Ross Campbell was duly launched, andAvril said: “I could not have started up a new divi-sion on my own, but when I met Jayne, we both feltthat by pooling our knowledge and resources,expansion would be the natural outcome.”

Contact Avril on 01383 736 163.

Tally Ho! We’ve built ourselves a HUB

THE FINCHLEY HUB: (from left to right) are Barry Lester, Tracey Anthony-Winter and Arnold De Vries


In Brief

Business quizzedover charity!

Members of the RochesterChapter in Kent have raisednearly £600 for a local charity, -Demelza House Children’sHospice – by organising asponsored general knowledgequiz.

Chapter Director IanMorgan handed over thecheque to Lynn Collier,Demelza’s area fund-raisingmanager, and commented:“With such a wide range oftrades and professions in ourchapter, our collective knowl-edge on all manner of subjectswas perfect for this kind ofevent. It was also a great way ofdemonstrating the power ofworking together.”

Lander’s teamboosts Blue Fish expansion

Blue Fish Promotions, one ofthe South West’s leading busi-ness promotions companies hasjust got bigger, thanks to itsmembership of BNI’s LanderChapter in St. Austell.

The company has appointedMarc Penn and Jon PaulPritchard to its managementteam following a period ofunprecedented success andfounder Matt Franks (picturedcentre with his new colleagues)praised BNI for playing a majorrole in its business growth. BlueFish provides local, regional andblue chip companies with a widerange of business and promo-tional items, including bespoke,high quality corporate gifts.

Member Collaboration is the Key

When Cork Chapter’s Niamh Shanahanintroduced Cork City Chapter’s Conor Hydeto an organic soup company over 12months ago, neither of them had any ideathat it would become such a healthy refer-ral, nor the start of a profitable workingrelationship between their two businesses.

Niamh had met Pat McGrath of OrganicHarvest some months earlier, but at that time shefelt her PR services were not going to be of anybenefit to the company until they enhanced theirproduct packaging and distribution systems.

Having recognised Conor’s strengths as a foodmarketing specialist, she persuaded Pat that itwould be a good idea to meet, and he was sooninvited to act as the company’s marketing director,with the brief to help develop new product lines.

His success enabled Niamh to offer new pro-posals to the company, and she is now deliveringgreat results on the PR and media side.

Contact Conor on +353 (0)21 485 9776 orNiamh on +353 (0)21 4630 496.

An exhibition showing the work of threetalented London BNI photographers hasbeen wowing audiences at Fulham’s WineGallery – thanks to the initiative of a fourth‘Capital’ member.

‘From the Slip to the Wall’ featured the creativeinspirations of Mark Thomas (Aldwych Chapter),Patrick Gorman (Sterling/Liverpool St) and CarlosDominguez (Victoria), pictured (right to left) withartist and curator, Chelsea Chapter’s PeteMountford (far left) who staged the exhibition withorganiser Jane Stothert (centre) from Art 3.

Pete said: “I got to know the photographersthrough BNI, and was so impressed by their talentthat I suggested they show their work together. Itmay seem odd for an artist to attend a businessclub, but all of us accept commissions and are inter-ested in creative interaction with businesses.”

You can contact Peter on 020 8546 3858 .If you’d like a glimpse of what you missed, go to:www.colourmount.com/wgshowphotobni

A dozen chapters from Nottinghamshire,Derbyshire and Lincolnshire recently staged aregional networking event with a difference – stag-ing it with the help of travel industry sponsors.

The idea came out of a discussion withinNottingham’s Trent Chapter to find new opportuni-ties for stimulating closer working relationships –and referral exchange – between BNI’s EastMidlands chapters, and travel specialist AndrewSoltysik from New Style Travel suggested theymake use of sponsorship offers from some of hisindustry contacts.

As a result, Trent Chapter ran the region’s first

multi-chapter networking event at Nottingham’sGateway Hotel, with sponsors Superbreaks, PlanetHolidays and Holiday Options sharing most of thecosts. Around 60 members from 12 chaptersattended, as well as two dozen guests.

“The response was very positive,” said Trent’sretiring Chapter Director David Ogden. “It was asuccessful first step towards developing a strongerBNI community in the East Midlands region. One ofour aims is to promote inter-chapter working on aregional basis, both to raise BNI’s profile within ourbusiness communities, and to grow our chapters.”

Contact David Ogden on 0115 982 0911.

Organic referral brings healthy business

Capital show from capital’s photographers

Sponsorship boosts East Midlands networking

ORGANIC TEAMWORK: Niamh and Conner


I t ’ s W r i t t e n i n t h e S t a r s

Like many others contemplating a business venture, pho-tographer Pam Ainsley made BNI membership one of her toppriorities as soon as she’d launched her new career.

Having received a Northern Arts Award for business development,Pam was finally able to turn what had been her long-term hobby into aprofessional venture, by opening Hopes and Dreams Photography justover 12 months ago. At the same time, she joined Middlesbrough’sEgbert Chapter and, such has been the support of fellow members thather business is already well on the path to stability and success.

She said: “I have been overwhelmed by the response from my BNI

colleagues who have helped find work for me. I’ve gained referrals fornew business in various parts of the UK and was recently given a delight-ful wedding assignment in Kent. Another referral enabled me to supplya selection of images to one of Middlesborough’s largest office develop-ments.”

Pam spent years training and studying before establishing her pho-tographic business but all her hard work is now paying dividends andhers is one of only three initiatives nominated for the region’s NewBusiness Awards, from scores of applications.

Contact Pam on 07947 174 551.

It’s hardly the most traditional way to cel-ebrate a birthday, but when Chester Chapterreached its fourth anniversary earlier this

year, members marked the occasion byhaving the group’s astrology chart drawn uptrained astrologer Anna Tyrrell.

Anna, who uses her skills to benefit busi-ness ventures as well as individuals, revealedthe Chapter’s fortunes after delivering one ofthe most unusual 10-minute presentationsher colleagues had seen.“A birth chart givesa very accurate character analysis and can beused for an event or a group as well as anindividual. It can also be used to predict thefuture – and happily the future looks goodfor BNI in Chester,” she said.

“It is likely that the group will jump in atthe deep end later this year – but whateverthis refers to, it is interesting that our chapteris a Capricorn – the Zodiac sign commonlyassociated with self-made business people.”

When she is not reading the stars, Annaturns her hand to other skills including heal-ing, counselling and stress management. “Iguess these are a little more mainstream but,having undertaken expert training inastrology, it is a serious subject that can helppeople in their businesses as well as theirpersonal lives,” she added.

Contact Anna on 01829 741885.

The future’s looking good for Chester!

How many BNI groups can boast agraphologist (handwriting analyst) in theirranks? Bedford Chapter’s Joyce Parkinson isan expert in identifying a person’s characterfrom a single piece of handwriting – so muchso that after demonstrating her skills byaccurately assessing some of her colleagues’hidden traits, initial scepticism has given wayto remarkable faith in her abilities.

Now, after just six months in BNI, herbusiness is taking off through the referralsshe receives each week. “Graphology can beequally useful in both business and personallife, and I’ve explained to my chapter thatany size of business can benefit from analysisof an individual’s handwriting.

“It can help determine whether some-one will fit in with the rest of the team, or theculture of the company, while as individuals

we can use graphology to help make impor-tant decisions such as which career path tofollow, ” Joyce told SuccessNet. “It is appliedto many areas of work such as personaldevelopment, relationship compatibility,counselling, health, detection of drugs andalcohol abuse and of course, by the police.”

A person’s handwriting is as unique astheir fingerprints. It is widely accepted thatpeople can be ‘read’ by their body languageand, in the same way, our handwriting is anexpressive and silent gesture. Graphology isa science and I follow precise rules to meas-ure movements such as size, slant and pres-sure, which allow me to construct an accu-rate profile of the individual. The skill is injudging what is applicable to build adetailed picture. It offers unique insight intotheir personality - often not obvious to theoutside world or even family and friends.”

Chapter colleague Martin Steele ofAurora Lighting who commissioned Joyce’sskills said: “Her analysis was superb, if a littleunnerving, My friends and family thought itwas a remarkable representation of me.”

Contact Joyce on 01234 347 086.

Watch your handwriting! It might give the game away.

They may never replace psy-chometric testing, tough inter-views or even the common CV,but two unusual professionalservices – reading your businessfortunes in the stars, andanalysing the character andpersonality of potential businesscolleagues – are now beingoffered to members in at leasttwo BNI chapters. SuccessNet hasbeen finding out more…

THE RIGHT IDEA? Writing analyst Joyce Parkinson says hernew business is growing nicely thanks to BNI.

SIGNS OF SUCCESS FOR CHESTER: Astrologer Anna Tyrrellhands her forecast to Chester’s Chapter Director Simon Yates

BNI makes Pam’s hopes and dreams come true


N e w s

Oldham & Little Aston bank their first millions

Polished performances win Silver Sausage

If members of Oldham Chapter start-ed 2004 with a bang – notching up thefirst £1 million worth of business doneover the past two years – they’re deter-mined to finish the year with evengreater impact!

The group introduced the white cardscheme nearly two years ago to track theamount of business passed between membersand the actual value of every referral, andMembership Co-ordinator David Whittinghamsaid: “It has worked very well, allowing usto know exactly what business our membersare generating.”

Chapter Director Siobhan Hunter added:“There is a terrific camaraderie in our groupand we achieved our goal of £1 million soonerthan expected. In February alone, we referrednearly £70,000 worth of new business, so if wekeep that up for the rest of the year wecould almost hit our second million in justtwelve months.”

Less than 100 miles down the M6, mem-bers of the Little Aston Chapter near SuttonColdfield have just reached the same majormilestone. During the last 12 months, theChapter’s current members, many of whom arerelative newcomers to BNI, passed more than900 referrals, representing just over £1 million-worth of new business, and with new referralsaveraging £70,000 a month, Chapter DirectorSuzanne Bridges says theirfuture is looking good.

The Little Astongroup’s success is the moreremarkable because overhalf its members are soletraders and micro busi-nesses, but many havecomplementary business-es such as interior design,carpet fitting and corpo-rate furnishings, and theChapter has also seen newjoint ventures created

between members – the latest of which is acollaboration between its mortgage adviserand the boss of a lettings agency, to helphomeowners raise collateral from their existingproperty to invest in the ‘buy to let’ market.

For more Oldham information, ContactSiobhan Hunter on 01484 844 235 and forLittle Aston updates, call 07966 045 974.

What do you do when a few mem-bers have lost their enthusiasm fordelivering sparkling 60-second presen-tations, and referrals have started todip? Why, you offer them the ultimateappetizer of course – a silver sausage ona silver fork!

That’s the tasty recipe delivered by WestMendip (Wells) Chapter’s leadership team, withthe aim of improving the impact of members’one-minute infomercials, and since its arrival afew weeks ago, it has proved a huge success.

Chapter Director Trevor Lever explainedhow something that began as a joke has nowbecome one of the most prized events in the

Chapter’s weekly programme. “At the time, thequality of breakfasts served at our meetingvenue left something to be desired, and thesausages in particular were not very impressiveso, in order to add fun and at the same timeimprove everyone’s one minute presentationswe introduced the Silver Sausage Award.

“I asked one of our members, JulianWittleton who is a metal fabricator, to designand produce a suitable trophy in the shape of afork with a silver sausage on it, another mem-ber Paul Dinsdale producing the plaque andThe White Hart Silver Sausage Award was born.We started awarding it each week to the mem-ber who gave the most improved one minute

infomercial and it instantly becamethe object of desire, with all mem-bers – even our most polished per-formers – trying hard to demon-strate improvements so they couldhold onto it for the week.

“The results have been aston-ishing as members strive to win thesausage. Not only has the standardof presentations improved hugely,but we are now doing more busi-ness as a direct result,” Trevoradded. “Initially we were worriedthat we might offend our hotel

venue, but no-one seems to mind.”

News of their ‘Big Banger’ Award hasspread quickly to neighbouring chapters inAvon and two groups have already askedJulian to produce comparable trophies fortheir use. He revealed: “I’m currently makinganother silver sausage – it’s actually stainlesssteel – for Bristol’s Grace Chapter, and I’ve hadone or two other enquiries.”

Trevor added: “Our 60-second presenta-tions are literally getting better and betterevery week and each winner gets to choosethe best performance the following week andto award the trophy. The humble sausage hasnever been so popular at The White Hart!”

Contact Trevor on 01749 840 689.FEELING PECKISH? West Mendip’s Ross Williams (pictured right) gets an extrasausage at her breakfast meeting - presented by Chapter Director Trevor Lever.

FEELING PECKISH? West Mendip’s Ross Williams (pictured right) gets an extra sausage at herbreakfast meeting - presented by Chapter Director Trevor Lever.

Networking has sometimes beendescribed as “a room full of enthusiasticbusiness people frantically trying to sell toan unsuspecting market”. Networking in itstruest form, however, is all about meetingnew people and building new relationships.

At the end of chapter meetings, I fre-quently hear members say:“Well, I must getback and do some work”, and then watch asthey rush out of the room, oblivious to thefact that they are leaving behind visitors,with whom they could have struck up last-ing acquaintances, leading no doubt toincreased business for all parties concerned.

A typical chapter will play host toaround 20 guests a month on average – giv-ing its members 240 new contacts a year.Ask yourself: How much would it cost intime and money to meet these businesspeople personally in any other way and,even if you could, how effective would thosemeetings be, without the structured andprofessional environment that your BNIchapter provides?

The truth is that we often throw awaythese opportunities to meet prospectivenew business contacts, despite acknowl-edging (by joining BNI) that networking canbe the most important activity in our work-ing week. Of course it is necessary to attendto the administration of our businesses, butpreoccupying ourselves with the paperworkcan, and often does, kill off a developingbusiness before it has had time to grow.

In the last 12 months there has been ahuge increase in bankruptcies and no doubtcosts have been blamed for this worryingtrend. However, the truth is that a lack ofnew customers will often have played itspart as well and, if we’re honest, a recurringreason for this is that a large percentage ofbusiness people are uncomfortable in situa-tions where they are faced with meetingpeople they do not know.

If you recognise this common humantrait, then learning the art of networking willgrow your business faster and more effec-tively than any other form of activity and

fortunately, help is at hand in the shape ofBNI. It offers you an ongoing, reliable andhugely cost-effective source of finding qual-ity new business referrals.

Much of what we learn at our weeklybreakfast meetings, through members’training workshops and reading books on‘word-of-mouth marketing’, prepares us fornetworking more confidently and effective-ly throughout the rest of the working weekand, if practised on a regular basis, it cantransform the way we conduct our business.

The more we practise the art of meetingnew people the easier it gets, the wider ourcontacts circle grows, and the more busi-ness we generate.

So when you are next tempted to raceout of the door as soon as your breakfastmeeting comes to an end - pause, and thinkwhat you may be about to lose. Make apoint of meeting every visitor in the room,before you leave. Obtain their business card,and even invite yourself to see where theywork, so that you can learn more about whatthey do. The time spent will bring rewardsfar and beyond that which you expect.

The opportunities are endless - butbeware. If you tell your fellow memberswhat you are up to, they may just start doingit as well. So keep this little tip to yourself!!!

Contact James on 01732 822 343


E d u c a t i o n & T r a i n i n g

Three keys to a Too many BNI members fail to recognise the importance and value

of visitors at their weekly breakfast meetings – quite probablybecause a high proportion are uncomfortable when faced with meet-ing people they don’t know, says James Cruickshank, ExecutiveDirector for BNI’s East Anglia region. Here he offers some timelyadvice about the resulting wasted opportunities.

C a m b r i d g e ’ sEmmanuel Chapter waslaunched just nine monthsago but is already one ofthe region’s most vibrantgroups. Here, ChapterDirector Geoff Bowen

shares his group’s recipe for success:With a good balance of members from both

large and small companies, the key to our growth isthe same now as it was at our launch. To create asuccessful chapter, you must first empower its indi-viduals with sufficient knowledge, skills and moti-vation, so that they know what is expected of them– and what they can expect from membership.

That’s why, as part of their learning curve, allour new members are required to attend an orien-tation evening, a presentation skills workshop anda referrals workshop, so they can learn how to con-tribute to the group they have joined. We knowthat success depends on our members’ ability toconsistently attract guests and pass good qualityreferrals.When you join a chapter, you make a com-mitment to these objectives.

Inevitably, some members perform better thanothers, so the effective management of the chapterrequires the leadership team and membershipcommittee to review each person’s performanceon a regular basis, providing ongoing feedback andcoaching where necessary. For example, a memberwho finds it hard to give referrals should be teamedup with colleagues who find it easy. Similarly, if heor she struggles to find suitable guests, team thatperson up with someone who doesn’t.

It is therefore important for the chapter to havea strategy in place so that any individual shortfallscan be identified and put right before the integrityof the group is affected. And as we’ve seen, thisparticularly applies to inviting guests, passing refer-rals and ensuring that absent members send a sub-stitute. It’s worth discussing these in more detail.

Inviting Guests:Attending a BNI workshop is the obvious start-

ing point, and of course, you should ask successfulchapter colleagues to coach you. It’s not difficult,once you adopt some simple rules. Running a vehi-cle rental company I find it easy to identifyprospects by their occupation and personality. I aska question such as: ‘How’s business? ’If they say: ‘Icould always do with more’ I then ask them:‘Are youserious about getting more business? I’m meetingwith some local business people on Thursday, sowhy not come along? Would you like to pass out 40business cards and tell them about your business?’

Don’t waste the week’s best opportunities


I n t h e D i r e c t o r ’ s C h a i r

By Philip Hopkins, Former ChapterDirector of Leeds NorthBeing a member of a successful chaptershould be good fun – and financiallyrewarding -even if you do have to get upat an ungodly hour at least once a week!

However, take away all the camaraderieand polite visitor comments, and we knowthe unspoken thought of every potentialrecruit is the same: ‘Will it work for me andhow much business will I get?’

There’s no simple answer because itdepends on how committed you are. Noone has ever sold a golden goose and, if youthink dozens of referrals will simply presentthemselves at the weekly meeting withoutany input on your part, then think again.

I have been in BNI for four years buthave not remained a member for benevo-lent reasons, nor simply because I enjoy theinteraction with like-minded colleagues.I’ve stayed because BNI has worked for me,and I have the figures to prove it!

In my first year of membership fromApril 2000 until the following March, BNIproduced £9,165.34 worth of new businessfor me but, as my understanding of thereferral system grew, so too did my BNIincome.The next year it rose by 391% (com-pared to year one) bringing in over £45,000and the following 12 months saw it rise afurther 6% to bring in an extra £48,000.

In the current year, I’ve averagedmonthly income of almost £3,400, so onceagain I expect to finish my financial yearwith over £40,000-worth of extra businessobtained through BNI referrals.

But anyone who thinks all this turnoversimply landed at my doorstep, doesn’tunderstand business - or BNI! There’s a tru-ism on this fair planet of ours that says you

get out of something what you put in. InYorkshire – roughly translated – it equatesto working your bo*****s off!

In the case of BNI membership, the ‘give’has involved my becoming ChapterDirector and then Membership Co-ordinator, while I’ve been my Chapter’sEducation Co-ordinator more times than Icare to remember, as well as a Visitor Host.

Throughout my four years in BNI, I haveintroduced a number of new members,consistently turned up on time for meet-ings and, hopefully, built up the respect ofthose around me. No, I’m not looking for abadge of honour - merely trying to illustratewhat the word ‘give’ means in BNI.

It means more than simply filling in areferral form or presenting your sixty-sec-ond slot each week. It’s about filling in yourreferral forms the night before, givingdetailed thought to your sixty secondsbefore you arrive for breakfast, listeningattentively to what your colleagues have tosay and what they want, and generallyadding value to the whole process.

BNI is a two way street and, in case it hasbecome a loop tape that you no longerhear, its philosophy is ‘Giver’s Gain”. Thatmeans you have to get stuck in!

How many of you reading this articlehave done nothing but turn up for yourweekly meeting? Have you ever takenresponsibility for a Chapter ‘job’, or are youmuted to silence every time someone callsfor a volunteer? Make the commitment,and remember, the grasping hand is neverfull; only the open hand that wants to give,can ever have goodies upon it!

One final thought! As I write this articleI am due to fly to Tunisia in just a couple ofhours. It therefore took some commitmenton my part to sit down and pen thesewords. That’s what I mean by ‘giving’. Now Ihope that someone will ‘take’ somethingfrom this missive – so that they can experi-ence the power and value of Giver’s Gain!

And my gain? Well, for starters, there’sthe £140,000 worth of business I havereceived through BNI in less than four years,but I’ve also vastly broadened my businessand social contact circles, acquired newbusiness skills and had my horizons liftedby associating with other enterprising andcommitted BNI colleagues.

Contact Phil on 0113 250 0071

Success – At what cost? stronger chapterMore often than not they’ll be interested, so fill

out an invitation card and give it to them. No fur-ther explanation is necessary. Your guest will haveplenty of opportunity to see if he or she likes BNI onthe day. Practice your ‘inviting’ skills and you’llsoon find it comes as second nature.

Referrals:Once again, the starting point for learning how tofind and pass good referrals should be your atten-dance at a BNI referrals workshops. Such sessionsare not just for new members; many come backtime and again, always picking up new ideas.

Make sure you always carry a business cardfolder containing all your chapter colleagues’ cardsand review this every week so you know who’s inthere! Quality referrals are the lifeblood of all chap-ters. Quite often I see referral slips being filled outduring the meeting in response to someone’s pres-entation that morning, which is fine if they’vesought a specific referral that morning which youcan provide. But don’t routinely leave your referralsuntil the meeting; think about them every day.

Identify ways to LINK your contacts with mem-bers of your group. You can easily find links formany of your colleagues’ businesses by gettingtogether and working out referral connections toeach other’s businesses during one-to-one meet-ings, which you should also use to look for indirectlinks in order to get yourself referrals.

Substitution:When any member is going to be absent, he or

she must find a substitute. Otherwise a meetingthat regularly numbers 40 can shrink dramaticallywithout warning. How would you feel if this werethe day you were presenting your 10-minute slot oryou had a guest attending whom you’d been tryingto entice along for six months. Absence withoutsubstitution is simply not on, and offenders mustbe made to understand why. Persistent offendersshow no commitment to their chapter, lower themorale for everyone and their actions jeopardisethe chapter’s entire success. In such cases, replacethem with someone who will be teachable andshow full commitment to the chapter’s success!

Follow these key points to keep your chapter ingood shape, with a vibrant leadership team anddedicated members. Regular mentoring of newmembers and help for those who need encourage-ment is essential to increase their understanding ofwhat makes a chapter successful.

Success breeds success! Don’t accept anythingthat falls short of this aspiration. Work on develop-ing the skills of your chapter continuously, toensure its long-term prosperity.

Contact Geoff Bowen on 01223 412 655.


T h e B i g D e c i s i o n

In the generally lucrative world ofindependent financial advisers, therewere few better performers than ChrisHughes. Despite his tender years, he’dbeen one of the Bradford & Bingley’stop IFAs for three years running, earn-ing almost £200,000 in his last year withthe company.

Sufficient for most people, you might think.But not for Chris – especially when he foundthat his real talent lay not in offering financialadvice, but in motivating those around him tomaximise their own business potential. “Thestrange thing is that I’d always felt pulled inthat direction, but it wasn’t until I’d used myskills to help some IFA colleagues, that I knew Iwas in the wrong job,” he told SuccessNet.

“They’d asked me to show them how toimprove their business potential by workingon their inter-personal qualities. When they allcame back and told me how much better theywere performing and how I’d helped boosttheir earnings dramatically, I told myself that ifI could do it for them, I could be doing it forothers too – and find it more rewarding.”

By a stroke of good fortune, Chris hap-pened to be standing near a cashier inBradford & Bingley’s Carlisle branch when acustomer mentioned the arrival of a new busi-ness networking organisation in the town,called BNI. “It struck me that if I wanted toembark on a new career as a motivational

speaker, I couldn’t find a more appropriatebusiness organisation to join.

“When I told BNI that I was an IFA, they toldme:‘Sorry, but our IFA chair is taken.’ I said I did-n’t want to join as an IFA, but as a motivationalspeaker, and that’s how my new career waslaunched, as a founder member of the EdwinChapter. It took me a few weeks to build up thetrust of my colleagues and explain exactly howthey could use my skills - but since then, Ihaven’t looked back,” he said.

Something of an understatement. Throughhis chapter colleagues, Chris has tied up big-contracts with corporate businesses rangingfrom Barclays to BT and major local authorities,and he has numerous personal clients includ-ing top athletes and captains of industry. “Witha single exception, all of my first year’s businesshas come directly from BNI referrals, and eventhe exception came via a BNI contact.”

While his new venture has not yet quiteprovided the same income stream he previ-ously enjoyed, he’s certain it won’t be longcoming. “It was a bit of a risk giving up a well-paid job, but after only 12 months of workingfor myself, I’m on course to better my income.More importantly, I’m doing something I love.”

Thanks to BNI, I’m able to put my skills togood use, my business is growing and I’venever felt more fulfilled.There’s no limit to whatI can achieve.” Not bad for someone who onlycelebrated his 25th birthday a few weeks ago!

Contact Chris on 01228 540 347.

Chris gives up £200,000 a year to join BNI!

Members of Norwich City Chapter have an extra challengethese days: how to knock their colleague Kailesh Devlukia off hisperch as the group’s top referral giver.

Every month since last September, computer training specialistKailesh has been presented with a chapter certificate for passingthe highest number of referrals each month – averaging 22 in eachfour week period, and even when he took a holiday in February hestill emerged top referral dog – causing particular embarrassmentto his fellow members.

One of them, copywriter Trevor Gray said:“Over this period sev-eral members have mounted a challenge by coming along to ameeting with six or seven referrals, but Kailesh is a stayer and ulti-mately nobody has been able to equal his record of 134 referrals injust six months.”

Kailesh puts much of his success down to his job, running TribalTraining, a Microsoft Office computer training company, providingcourses tailored to each client’s specific needs. “When I’m in theclassroom, I leave my BNI business card holder out front with a big

sticker on it, saying ‘Read Me’. I alsoask if anybody needs any of theservices offered by my colleague’sbusinesses,” he explained.

“Nine times out of ten some-body will say they need the servicesof one or more of my BNI col-leagues, so I then say: ‘OK - here’stheir card; I’ll get them to give you acall.’ My card book goes every-where with me, and it’s just a mat-ter of keeping my eyes and ears open.”

A member of the Norwich group for two years, Kailesh has alsoshown his commitment to BNI by becoming a BNI Ambassador forNorfolk, attending at least one other chapter breakfast each week inaddition to his own.

You can contact Kailesh on 07813 696 572.

Referral King Kailesh holds onto his crown

NETWORKING KING: Kailesh Devlukia withsome of his notable networker awards

HIGHLY MOTIVATED: Carlisle member Chris Hughes says thatgiving up his £200,000 IFA job was the best thing he’s done!


T h e B i g D e c i s i o n

That was back in late 1996 when he decid-ed not to accept the invitation and missed thechance to join BNI’s very first UK chapter inHarrow, now called Chapter One. Instead hecarried on running his solo IFA business, withhis dreams of growth and expansion remain-ing just that.

But lady luck was to strike him twice. Twoyears later, by which time BNI had already con-solidated its reputation as a dynamic business-winner with over 100 UK chapters, the IFA seatin the Harrow Chapter became unexpectedly

vacant and Arwyn wasagain invited along.“Thistime I was determinednot to make the samemistake, especially whenI found two other finan-cial advisers had alsobeen invited. As soon asit ended, I filled in myapplication and was fortunately accepted intothe Harrow chapter,” he recalled.

Just how fortunate he was, can be seen

from some simple statistics about his businesswhich has been transformed in little more thanfour years into one of North-West London’sbusiest independent financial consultancies,employing three senior IFAs and 10 staff! Andhe is happy to acknowledge it’s all happenedbecause he joined BNI.

“Hard work alone would not have beenenough, but thanks to all the referrals I havereceived from chapter colleagues, I’ve had nooption but to continually expand, recruitingmore and more staff – not through the localjob centre or adverts in situations vacantcolumns, but from trusted contacts developedwithin my chapter,” he said.

Arwyn’s business, Fiscal Perspectives is nowa limited company, recently relocated in newand larger premises. He added:“Our expansionis directly attributable to my chapter col-leagues. Quality referrals are like gold dust inmy industry, yet BNI is a gold mine of excellentbusiness leads. I can say with certainty that mybusiness would not be close to where it istoday, had I not joined BNI.”

The personal benefits of membership weredemonstrated to Arwyn soon after he joined.“Ideveloped a form of cancer that needed sur-gery, but despite my being quite ill and new toBNI, the chapter supported me in many differ-ent ways.” In return, he has played a key role inthe Chapter’s continued success, holding sev-eral posts including that of chapter director.

His one regret is that he did not join BNIsooner. “If only I had attended that inauguralmeeting, my company would be two years fur-ther ahead in its growth. My advice to all smallbusinesses is simple: ‘If you want to think big,then join BNI. Most businesses cannot fail tobenefit from membership,” he added.

Contact Arwyn on 0870 794 2090.

Although few of their grievingclients may notice it, there is an item of‘jewellery’ that funeral directors Callumand Sandy Robertson always wear, evenwhen dressed in sombre morning suitsto perform funeral services: you’veguessed – their BNI badges.

Brothers Callum and Sandy are among avery small number of professional funeraldirectors in BNI and, since Callum first joinedFife’s Kirkcaldy Chapter just over three yearsago he, and more recently Sandy, have beenable to take the mystique out of their business,gradually making their chapter colleaguesmore ‘relaxed’ in talking about death.

“We always try to make our presentationsinteresting, choosing an aspect of the businessthat people find difficult to discuss, and thentaking away the mystery. You need a strongsense of humour in our business, and I hopewe’ve been able to convey this to colleagues,”said Callum. “It’s not hard to talk about ourwork when you love it as much as we do.”

If the level of new business the brothershave attracted through BNI is anything to goby, they’ve certainly got their message across!Callum added: “We’ve been surprised at howwell the business has grown since I joined BNI.We weren’t sure it would be right for our line ofwork, but the more insight we’ve been able togive our colleagues, the more referrals we’vehad. Nothing depends more on word-of-mouth referrals than the funeral business.”

Such has been their business growth thatSandy has now taken over their Kirkcaldy

Chapter seat, enabling Callum to expand thebusiness into nearby Dunfermline where hisfirst priority was to join the town’s BNI chapter.

Between them, the brothers have over 25years in the business and both are qualifiedembalmers, as well as being expert hairstylistsand make up artists. “People don’t have anyunderstanding of how much is involved in pro-viding a funeral service. I think we’ve opened afew people’s eyes and minds,” said Callum.

Since joining BNI, Callum and Sandy alwaysproudly wear their BNI badges, no matterwhere they are asked to perform funeralservices.

“You’ll even find us wearing them while weplay golf or go fishing. The only exception iswhen we water-ski!” he added. Contact theRobertsons on 01592 595 000.

Bonanza for man who said ‘No’

Dead caring in Fife

EVERY ONE A WINNER! Harrow IFA Arwyn Bailey (top centre) and some of his winning teammark their success in a symbolic snow storm of referral slips.

THE CARING APPROACH: Callum Robertson (left) with hisbrother Sandy.

When independent financial adviser Arwyn Bailey was invit-ed to the first-ever BNI meeting in Britain, he was dissuaded bybusiness colleagues who said it would never work. And, as aone-man business, he saw no immediate benefit to justify eventhe modest cost of joining the embryonic organisation.


T h e L a s t W o r d

SuccessNet is published quarterly and distributedfree of charge by BNI to all members. We are delightedthat with each successive edition, we receive more andmore of your emails, letters and calls, asking us to includeyour news or picture item in the newsletter.

However, the advent of electronic mail is causing usa real headache, because more than half the emails wereceive don’t contain any contact details, other than thesender’s email address. Since not everyone checks theiremail accounts frequently, this leads to considerabledelays and extra work in following up your submissions.

If you want your item to be considered for inclusionin SuccessNet, make sure you include your phone num-bers (office and mobile) and your address! But note that,faced with up to 200 editorial contributions per issue, wecannot squeeze all of them into our 16-page publication.Some stories may be held over for a later edition, but itmeans some of your contributions may never see thelight of day. Please don’t be deterred from sending in yournews and views because we DO want to hear from you.

Executive Editor: Gillian Lawson, BNI National Director

Editor: Malcolm Grosvenor, WriteAngle Communications,New House, Palmer Crescent, Kingston Upon Thames,KT1 2QT. Tel: 020 8541 0600. Fax: 020 8546 1611.Email: [email protected]

Artwork and Production: Damon Segal, Action GraphicInternational. Tel: 020 8385 5050. Email: [email protected]

Printed by: Tony Batkin, Alpine Press. Tel: 01923 269777.Copyright © BNI 2004. All rights reserved.

You & SuccessNet

Hull snapper gets Royal dinner date – and a commission

Quick thinking by his regional directorrecently landed an unusual referral for pho-tographer Tony Isbitt, a member of BromleyChapter in Kent, and saved the day for theorganisers of a prestigious national event.

Shortly before Crown Prince Dr Otto vonHabsburg, the last uncrowned prince of Austria,was due to deliver the Leslie Prince Memorial lec-ture on the future of Europe to The Royal College ofPhysicians earlier this year, Harold Steuer, RegionalDirector for London South East, who had been invit-ed to attend, casually enquired if a photographerhad been booked for the event.

“I knew that the ambassadors of several coun-

tries would be attending and photographs seemedto be essential, but it tuned out that this had beencompletely overlooked and I was asked if I knew anygood photographer. I immediately thought of TonyIsbitt and put him in touch with the event organiser,who gratefully booked his services,” said Harold.

The results so pleased the Royal College thatthey promptly re-engaged Tony and asked him toquote for other forthcoming events.“It was a referralout of the blue, and quite unusual – but best of all, itlooks as if it will result in regular business,” said Tonywho was a member of BNI’s Sevenoaks group for 18months before joining his home town chapter.

Unusually, Tony came to photography relativelylate - having had a varied career as along distance lorry driver and a quali-fied radio and TV engineer. He startedhis current business 20 years ago andqualified as a Master Photographer afew years later, specialising in bothconventional and digital photography,where his existing knowledge of elec-tronics is now being put to good use inthe ‘new’ world of digital imaging.

Contact Tony on 020 8460 5710.

It’s not every day you get asked todine with royalty – let alone gain a pres-tigious commission from the sameevent, but that was the recent good for-tune of Hull Friday Chapter photogra-pher, Debbie Wilkinson.

Having been invited to attend The Prince’sTrust Yorkshire & Humber Charity Dinner at theHull City’s KC Stadium, Debbie not onlyenjoyed the privilege of dining with the Prince,but was also commissioned by the Trust to beits exclusive photographer for the occasion –an honour that had special significance for her.

In the early 1990s when Debbie had juststarted out in business, it was The Prince’s Trustthat gave her the business help and support

she needed to become a successfulphotographer. Over the interveningyears, Debbie has retained strong linkswith The Trust and earned herself anenviable local reputation for exciting,creative images.

She said: “The dinner raised over£45,000 to help the work of The Trust,which is aiming to raise £5million overthe next five years to further its excel-lent record of achievement in theYorkshire and Humberside region.

Debbie mingled with prominentbusiness leaders and celebrities to cre-ate a lasting and impressive photo-graphic record of the evening’s funand enthusiasm.

ROYAL SNAPPER: Bromley’s Tony Isbitt preparesfor his princely assignment.

ROYAL CONNECTIONS IN HULL: Photographer Debbie Wilkinson (left) putsherself in front of the camera for once, to meet Prince Charles.

…while Tony snaps up a Crown Prince in London!

IT’S RAINING REFERRALS FOR FIRM THAT SAID “NO” · IT’S RAINING REFERRALS FOR FIRM THAT SAID...

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