In this issue

• BNI encourages prompt paymentsee page 2

• BN-Eyes give Christineher business insightsee page 4

• BNI Membership leadsto major MBO

see page 3

• Who’s in front? Why,BNI, of coursesee back page

• Good business mannersmeans more business!see page 11

• Greenock takes to the hillssee page 13

Europe – here we come!Six years after taking Britain

by storm, BNI has marched intomainland Europe, launching its

first five chapters in Germany, theNetherlands and Switzerland, and

attracting unprecedented interestfrom their local business communities.

Three of the five chapters were launched atthe end of last month – one of them in the

German capital where 164 members and visitorsgave BNI a noisy and rapturous welcome at

Berlin’s Intercontinental Hotel, setting the scenefor the group’s rapid growth. And, in the southern

city of Stuttgart, 114 visitors and core group mem-bers gave their new chapter a lively start.

Berlin’s Regional Director Tom Jaeger toldSuccessNet: “We have got off to the best possiblestart.The launch was a superbly impressive event in aprestige venue and it undoubtedly made a bigimpression on our visitors.”

He added:“We felt proud to be flying the BNI flagat the launch, where our professionalism and enthusi-asm stood out, and the quality of our referrals made abig impact. It was a perfect start and will lead us to alot of success in the coming months. We already haveother core groups being developed in the city and I’msure it will not take long to establish BNI’s reputationin Germany.”

Stuttgart’s Regional Director Gunther Verlegerwas equally optimistic. He said: “Even before ourlaunch, the group had passed referrals worth at least€40,000 and we added to this significantly on theday. It was especially pleasing to generate such a

great atmosphere and high energy levels. I am sureBNI will work very well here.”

Meanwhile, it was the same picture in theNetherlands. After launching the new HaeciniaChapter in Alphen (just south of Amsterdam) with 120people in attendance, Regional Director Jos Esserstold SuccessNet: “We knew the event would be wellsupported because, even before launch day, we had astrong core group of 20 people.

“Our first chapter has only been running sinceJuly, but it is very reassuring to find BNI becomingestablished so quickly in West Holland business cir-cles. I am confident we will achieve our target of 20chapters in just over a year’s time, mainly located inthe Netherlands’ key business triangle betweenAmsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam,” he added.

The location of the Netherlands’ first chapter –Merquess in The Hague – has attracted a significantnumber of business consultants, including IT, HR,training, call centre and communications specialists,but Jos Essers said the Alphen Chapter and other coregroups now being developed, had a more traditionalmix of trades and professions.“The business commu-nity is already taking notice of us, and I am sure thenext 12 months will see BNI become a major force.”

Judging by the success of BNI’s first Swiss chapter– at Sevelen (near Liechtenstein)– he is likely to beright. Launched at the end of May, Sevelen has alreadyreached 37 members.

Preparations are also being made to launch BNI inSpain, France, Italy and Austria.

For more information about BNI in Europe, visitour website at www.bni-europe.com

AUTUMN 2003

BIG IN BERLIN! More than 160 members and visitors took part in thelaunch of the first Berlin chapter at the Intercontinental Hotel.

STANDING ROOM ONLY: Energy levels ran high at the recent launch ofBNI’s new Stuttgart Chapter attended by well over 100 people.

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Prompt payment is key for all membersBNI is urging its 10,000-plus mem-

bers in the UK and Ireland to ensurethey pay promptly for the services theyhave received – whether from chaptercolleagues or third parties.

The reminder, from National DirectorMartin Lawson, comes as an increasing num-ber of UK companies report that bad debt istheir single biggest problem in everyday busi-ness life, and debt chasing is the least reward-ing of their business activities.

He said: “Good business practices benefiteveryone – buyers and sellers – and, in promot-ing these principles to our members, we havealways recognised that prompt payment forgoods and services received is a vital element.

“I believe the majority of BNI membersalready pursue good business practice, but itseems timely to encourage every member thatpaying their bills within the agreed term isimportant not only to their suppliers, but alsoto the success of their own business. Thosewho ignore such principles will find it is only a

matter of time before suppliers and clientstake their custom elsewhere, and whenthat happens, any business will suffer.”

To reinforce the message, BNI has put itsweight behind a novel scheme to promoteprompt payment of all business invoices, byjoining The Prompt Payer Partnership whichrequires member companies to pay all theirbills within a short, specific period – rangingfrom just one to a maximum of 45 days.

In return for a binding promise to honourtheir agreed payment terms and an annual feelinked to the size of business turnover, membercompanies are licensed to advertise their rat-ing and carry the appropriate PP logo on alltheir stationery and marketing materials. TheBNI National Office and several BNI franchiseesaround the country have already signed upand they are in good company. Among PP’sfirst 50 members are commercial giants likeZurich Insurance Group and BarterCard, andthere is substantial interest from other majornational institutions.

BNI National Director Martin Lawson saidjoining the PP scheme made an importantstatement for BNI. “We hold ourselves up as abeacon of business excellence and spend mostof our time training and educating our mem-bers to acquire more skills and greater profes-sionalism. So naturally, we were keen to sign upto something which shows the business worldthat BNI ‘walks the talk’ and follows the highbusiness standards we set for our own mem-bers. I am sure the scheme will promote trust-worthiness, efficiency, honesty and credibility –and everyone in business respects these values.”

For more information about the PromptPayer recognition scheme call Peter Jenkins on0845 069 7000 or visit its website at:www.promptpayer.com

BNI ‘marches’ on across UKAnother three months gone, and

another 30 new chapters launched!That’s our continued success as BNIconsolidates its presence in the fewremaining parts of the UK where it is yetto become a key part of the localbusiness community.

The late summer and early autumn saw BNIstrengthen its position in the North East withthe opening of four new chapters - Armstrongin Swalwell, Northumbria, Collingwood(Newcastle-upon-Tyne), Hadrian at Hexhamand Osric (Hartlepool),while the arrival of theRed Wulf Chapter in Kendal, Cumbria is a mile-stone in linking BNI’s stronghold territories inLancashire and southern Scotland.

Meanwhile, another of BNI’s new regions -South Wales - saw two new groups open atBridgend, (the Bevan Chapter) and in Cardiff(Quinnell Chapter), while we continued toexpand along the North Wales coastline withthe launch of the Llandudno group.

And, if further proof were needed thatwherever BNI goes we’re greeted with smiles,take a look at the photo (above right) of thenew Marches Chapter leadership team - takenjust before the launch of Shropshire’s latestchapter at seven in the morning!

Happily, BNI’s traditional early start

did not determore than70 businessguests whoconverged onthe newlyopened LionQuays venuealongside thep i c t u r e s q u eL l a n g o l l e nCanal nearO s w e s t r y ,eager to learnhow joining thenew group could help grow their businesses.The new Chapter meets on Wednesday morn-ings at the Lord Moreton Hotel, Gledrid, Chirk.

Other new chapters launched during thesummer include Aylsham (Kenton Park), Bicester,Black Pear (Kidderminster), Bradman (Bristol),Emmanuel (Cambridge), Central (Nottingham),Craven Tuesday (Leeds), Culture (Liverpool),George Eliot (Nuneaton), Hadlee (Bristol), Heart ofSussex (Haywards Heath), Business Class(Heathrow), Hermes (Lancaster), Holmes Chapel(Cheshire), Hutton (Bristol), Ilkley CraiglandsThursday (Leeds), Long Eaton (Trent), North Staffs(Stoke), Trailblazers (Glasgow), Tetbury(Gloucestershire) and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.

MARCHING ON: Members of the new Marches Chapter pictured left to right; Stephanie White, Andrew Hall,Ted Hewitt-Symonds (Chapter Director), Allison Timmins, Tracy Pound and Malcolm Banks

Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Chapter - the 100thchapter in Britain and Ireland when it waslaunched – recently celebrated its fourthanniversary by rewarding one of itsfive remaining founder members, quantitysurveyor Andrew O’Kelly with his third majorreferral worth €150,000.

Having netted fees amounting to €450,000from just three referrals Andrew quipped:“That’swhy I still get up early every Friday morning!”

100th marks 4thwith huge 3rd

SUCCESSNET AUTUMN 2003 3

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Major MBO follows BNI membershipThe first-ever management buy-out

from the UK’s fastest growing chain ofprinting stores has just taken place inNewcastle Upon Tyne - and its three newdirectors are happy to admit it mightnever have happened without BNI.

With just over 60 outlets, Printing.com ismaking major inroads into the ‘on-demand’print market which, it is estimated, is nowworth more than £1 billion a year. The decisionto allow the Newcastle trio to buy-out theirthriving business represents a major develop-ment in its expansion philosophy.

Heading the buy-out was the store’s gener-al manager David Wootton (a founder memberof Newcastle Falcons Chapter) who hasbecome managing director, while the newSales Director Mark Moore (from the city’sCollingwood Chapter) and Creative DirectorNeil Robinson fill the other Board positions.

Mark told SuccessNet: “I know that variousmembers claim their business success couldnever have been achieved without being partof BNI, but in our case it is absolutely true. It hastaught us so much and introduced us to somany other business professionals whose helphas been invaluable in our MBO negotiations.

“This has been a very exciting few monthsfor us, but I am quite sure that had we not

joined BNIwhen we did,we would notbe standinghere today,owing our ownmajor printingbusiness withthe potentialfor hugegrowth overthe next fewyears. We reliedon so manyother BNI mem-bers for advice,practical helpand services,and really, theyhave made it happen for us,” he said.

In particular, Mark said the financial adviceof the Falcons Chapter’s RMT Accountancy firmhad played a vital part in making the MBO sosuccessful, while another Falcons member,David Streather from Lloyds Bank hadarranged the all-important funding, andCollingwood’s IFA Terry Harvey had providedinvaluable advice on the team’s personalfinances. “We also used a variety of other mem-bers’ services – from photography to cost man-

agement – so it was a genuine BNI team effort.”David Wootton said:“Our priority is now to

expand quickly from being one printing storeto territory mode.We are already in discussionswith several prospective bolt-on companies.We are very excited about the future. Our goalis to build the store to a £750,000 business overthe next two years, and BNI will have played asubstantial role in our success.”

Contact Mark, David or Neil on 0191 261 8700or visit their website at www.Printing.com

STANDING PROUD: Newcastle’s new management team outside their city centre store. From left to right Mark Moore, David Wootton, Neil Robinson

Members of Cannock Chapter have justcelebrated their first birthday in style - toastingtheir 1,000th referral passed in 12 months!

Louise de Waal, Membership Co-ordinatorsaid: “We are delighted to have reached thisfirst milestone. It has certainly proved thepower of Givers Gain which we practice everyweek at our Chase Golf Club venue.”

As part of Cannock’s current membershipdrive, the Chapter would like to hear fromflorists, graphic designers, IT consultants,builders, plumbers and electricians who wantthe opportunity to expand their business.

Contact Louise on 01902 731 848

1000 up at Cannock

WebRing now even better business valueAlready attracting an average of 5,000

‘visits’ a month, BNI’s year-old WebRing hasbeen given some exciting new features,making it even better value for chapters totap into its unique business services.

The Internet-based WebRing has creat-ed a borderless BNI web community, open-ing up national and international network-ing opportunities by enabling members toinstantly communicate with colleagues inany UK, Irish, European or US chapter, aswell as pass eReferrals™ across regions oreven country borders, and obtain latestdetails about the members, businesses andleadership teams of any other chapter.

Among the latest WebRing develop-ments are the addition of a weekly ChatRoom, and the facility for individual mem-bers to create their own 60-secondinfomercial to accompany written detailsof their company’s products or services.,enabling prospective clients to not only

read about a member’s business, but watcha video clip promoting the company.

Another useful new feature is the addi-tion of an “Email my Chapter” button,allowing members to email all their chap-ter colleagues simultaneously or select rel-evant individuals, such as the leadershipteam or the membership committee.

Many of the WebRing’s original fea-tures have also been enhanced to providefaster and easier access to its facilities.

National Director Gillian Lawson urgedUK and Irish chapters which have not yetjoined the WebRing to do so quickly. Shesaid:“Nearly 100 chapters are enjoying themany extra business benefits it offers, butthe WebRing will only achieve its maxi-mum potential when the majority of ourchapters have subscribed, making it easyto do business with any BNI member.”

You can register your chapter’s sub-scription now at www.BNIWebRing.com

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Members of Aberdeen’s BravoChapter have been working overtimeto network with a very special new-comer – Christine Ferreyra.

Christine is believed to be one of onlythree blind members in BNI, and one of theproblems she experiences at meetings isnot being able to see or find the membersshe wants to talk to and network with.

“However, my chapter colleagues havebeen wonderful,” said Christine.“They makesure I’m not left on my own and they’requick to respond and find people for me ifthere’s someone specific I need to talk to.”

Her accountant Alan Moir introducedChristine to BNI in May, onlymonths after she arrived inBritain from Argentina. “I leftSouth America with my familybecause we were not happywith the political situation, anddecided to make a new life inBritain where we had dualnationality,” she explained.

“We had no experience ofthe business world. I had beenworking in computer sciencewith the Argentine Governmentand in university research, so wehad a lot to learn and manyproblems to deal with. A fran-chise seemed a good idea so weinvested in Cartridge World, re-filling printer cartridges andselling consumables.”

Christine and her husbandopened their shop in Aberdeenlast December and set aboutmarketing their services. “Wehad no idea that networkingorganisations like BNI even existed, but thenAlan described the concept and it seemedright for us. My husband Ricardo and I wentalong to Bravo Chapter and we decided Ishould join, since I spoke better English!”

Being blind entitled Christine to intro-duce her golden Labrador guide dog‘Sweep’ as BNI’s first canine member, and hemade his chapter debut on Christine’s sec-ond visit, and hasn’t missed a meeting since.“He’s a firm favourite with members,”Christine added. “He gets a lot of fuss andattention, though to his disappointment,he’s not allowed to eat breakfast with us!”

Christine has adapted to the Britishbusiness world remarkably well and has

found very few things that she is unable tocope with. “Most of my work is computer-based. I’ve got a very reliable system – JAWS(Job Access With Speech) – enabling mycomputer to talk me through every move -and you don’t need to see, to touch-type.”

Her ten-minute presentation is dueshortly, but even that is being made easierfor Chrstine. “My colleagues have been giv-ing me lots of ideas and they’ve said theywill be happy to assist me on the day. Moreimportantly, BNI has helped us in every areaof our business development and, beingnew to the UK, that has proved invaluable.”

Christine can be contacted on01224 633 111 or 07739 082 487

PERFECT PARTNERS: Christine and her labrador Sweep make the ideal BNI partnership

BN-Eyes give Christine business insight

Another half dozen members havejoined the exclusive Gold Club in the pastfew weeks, following their success in attract-ing new members to their respective chap-ters. They are: Bill Philips (Zeus Chapter inClayton-le-Moors, and Lancashire’s firstblack badge recipient), Hugh Green (AlbaChapter in Glasgow), Geoff Marsom (Sutton,Surrey), Michelle Moore (Potteries, Staffs),Eddie Strengiel (Bailgate, Lincoln) and JimYoung from Abbey Chapter in Paisley.

Another six jointhe Gold Club

Lawsons’ LoreGillian and Martin Lawson,National Directors of BNI, write:

Concluding our worldwide theme for2003 :“BNI – More than a meeting”, the topicsfor October, November and December areReliability, Relationships and Results. Onpage 10 these key issues are addressed inmore detail, but we might reflect on the fol-lowing perspectives:

Reliability: Just as the proof of a pud-ding lies in the eating, so the key to receivingmore referrals from any fellow member lies inhow well the last referral that you were givenwas carried out. Unless you are known to beutterly reliable, others will not risk their repu-tations to refer you to their business contacts.In this context they need to be able to rely onyou promptly to follow up the referral theyhave given you, just as much as being able torely on you to do the job professionally andon time for the price quoted.

Relationships: The key to getting oth-ers to refer serious business to you, lies in yourability to build good relationships with yourfellow members. The more business youwould like to have from your chapter, themore time you need to invest in building theall-important relationships, that will in time,lead to people starting to like you. When theystart to like you, they will start to trust you,and when they trust you they will be happy torefer you. The keys to building such relation-ships are, firstly, giving as much help to othersas possible, and secondly, spending as muchtime as possible on a one-to-one basis withthem, so that you each gain deeper insightsinto each others’ skills and target clients.

Results: It will not surprise you to learnthat the results you are looking for from BNIwill flow from a combination of all the ele-ments of the BNI system that we have beendiscussing as part of the BNI 2003 theme inthese pages during the year. Referring backto the past three issues of SuccessNet, youwill find ideas about Planning, Referrals,Teamwork, System, Experience, Opportunity,Professionalism, Knowledge, and Resources,which all demonstrate that BNI is truly “Morethan a Meeting”! In short, the surest formulafor successful results in BNI is to follow theproven methods of the BNI system. We wishall BNI members all the results they deserve.

Martin & Gillian

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They say imitation is the sincerestform of flattery. So, when it came topromoting their new directoryenquiries service to colleagues inBirmingham’s Victoria Chapter,TelecomIT ‘s directors Richard Bridgeand Craig Busst knew exactly what todo: parody a certain high profile TVadvertising campaign featuring a dif-ferent directory enquiries number!

To publicise TelecomIT’s directoryenquiries number, which will be competingwith the industry giants, Richard (wearing118) and Craig (that’s him in the 102 vest),ran around the Chapter’s meeting roomshouting their carefully prepared scriptwhile delivering clear messages about theirnew service – not least how it was cheaper

than most better known directory services.Craig, a member of Victoria Chapter and

Richard (from Shirley Chapter) knew that ofall the new de-regulated directory enquirynumbers available, one in particular hadcaptured the public’s imagination throughits clever advertising campaign. “We don’thave a fraction of their budget to promoteour 118102 number, but we hoped theywouldn’t mind if we parodied theirs. It gaveus a strong presentation,” said Richard.

Phillippa Hart, Chapter Director said:“This was the most innovative presentationI have ever seen. The 10-minute slot shouldcaptivate members as well as educate themto feel confident in recommending yourproducts. Craig and Richard achieved thisand no-one will forget TelecomIT in a hurry.”

You can contact Craig on 08704 111 102

Five years of successful net-working deserves an extra specialcelebration - and you can rely onBNI members to do it in style!

So it was out with the usual bacon,eggs and coffee and in with cakes andchampagne at Stanmore and CheltenhamChapters, where members of bothgroups marked their fifth anniversary.

At Stanmore, members ate theirbirthday breakfast around a hugemountain of referral slips to symbolise

the passing of 15,000 referrals duringtheir first five years and, to make suremembers did not grow hungry, catererAnne Hoad wheeled out a huge cakecrowned by a colourful BNI logo.

Special five-year ribbons were pre-sented to five of the chapter’s foundermembers – flooring consultant PhilBerg, solicitor Jeremy Garson, account-ant Andrew Rhodes, IFA Paul Rodker andIT trainer Steve Schogger.

Meanwhile, not to be outshone inthe party stakes, Cheltenham Chapter’scaterer Ailsa Fleming, presented her col-leagues with a grand birthday cake tocelebrate their Founders Day, and five-year ribbons were presented to fouroriginal Chapter members - financialadviser Richard Levinge, Diana Beaver(NLP Master Practitioner/Trainer), AnthonyPilkington (BookCheck Accountancy) andproperty consultant Roy Smith.

As a Personal Organiser, Helen Larkinhas found that her business, ‘Your Time’,doesn’t lend itself to conventional market-ing or Yellow Pages advertising – but fortu-nately BNI’s word of mouth marketing ispaying dividends!

A member of Brooklands Sale Chapter inSouth Manchester, Helen says that her businesscovers a multitude of services making it difficult totie to traditional advertising sectors. She said:“Basically, if a customer wants something organis-ing, I’ll do it for them. That could be anything fromshopping or changing library books to arranging ahouse-warming party with a budget of £100,000,which was one of my recent high-profile projects.

“But when it comes to advertising my services, Iwouldn’t have a clue which category to choose, andequally people wouldn’t know where to look for myservices. So I was very pleased to find BNI, which isthe perfect word-of-mouth vehicle for my work.”

Helen’s BNI colleagues have also helped herconsolidate business by going that extra mile toplease her clients. She explained: “One of my cus-tomers asked me to arrange an £11,000 holiday inBarbados, incorporating flights on Concorde, butdespite my extensive contacts, I was just drawingblanks. Then, while acting as a substitute at theAltrincham Chapter, I met Ron Hollis of Salmo Traveland in no time he had found the ideal holiday.

“My customer was so pleased that I now have aclient for life. It proves BNI is the perfect marketingmedium for my kind of business,” Helen added.

Helen can be contacted on 07764 171 117.

STANDING (AND SITTING) PRETTY: Members of Cheltenham Chapter (photo above) and Stanmore chapter (below)celebrate five successful years of BNI business

BNI.........Got Their Number!

Helen’s Yellow Pages? Champagne celebration for two

6 AUTUMN 2003 SUCCESSNET

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With more and more members finding themselves generatinglarge amounts of business for their clients by passing on the busi-ness cards of appropriate chapter colleagues, BNI has developedthe perfect vehicle to ensure that no such referral opportunities areever wasted!

BNI has commissioned Peter Phillips, a member of the UxbridgeChapter to produce and market an official BNI business card displayboard to members.

Each display has slots to accommodate up to 40 business cards andthe aim is for individual members to place the cards of all chaptercolleagues on their board, and display it in the foyer or reception area oftheir business premises.

Peter said:“By making an attractive business card display available atlow cost to members, we hope they will fill up their board withcolleagues’ cards and display it in their reception areas.

“Each display carries the BNI logo and a simple explanation, andprovides the ideal basis for introducing your customers to BNI, and theservices of all your chapter colleagues.”

The business card display measures three feet by two feet andcomes with fixings for easy wall mounting. It costs £19.95 includingpacking and postage.

To order your copy or obtain further information, e-mail PeterPhillips at peter@phillipspp.com or call him on 07831 513 798

MOPPING UP: Robert Loomes (left) receives his trophy as the UK’s top carpet cleaner

Here’s my card(s)-all 40 of them!

Bournemouth push boat out for anniversary

Harrow’s Robert Loomes has justbeen voted the country’s top carpet andupholstery cleaner, and he says his busi-ness success is all due to BNI

Robert, a member of Harrow’s Chapter One,beat 130 major SafeClean franchisees, to benamed UK Franchisee of the Year 2003.

“I won the award largely for the increase inmy turnover and for my commitment to quali-ty customer service,” said Robert. “But onething is certain, I could not have made my busi-ness such a big success without being in BNI.

“Through BNI I have learnt so many newbusiness skills and developed my personalskills - like public speaking - so much, that mybusiness confidence has just grown andgrown, and this has enabled me to become thetop performing SafeClean operator in the UK.I really do owe BNI everything for this award.”

You can contact Robert on 07958 914 543

Robert mops up

ALL SHIP SHAPE: Members of Bournemouth and Poole chapters prepare for their evening celebratory cruise.Photo courtesy of Noel White, Rowan White Photographic.

Members of two South Coast chapterswere all at sea recently – and thoroughlysoaked up every moment! That’s becausetheir evening trip around Poole Bay was a trib-ute to Bournemouth Chapter’s secondanniversary after Chapter Director SueHayward had decided such an importantevent should be celebrated in style.

With the help of fellow members SusanCailes and Caroline Swatton, Sue (picturedfront second right) arranged the evening tripalong the Dorset coast, culminating with aspectacular fireworks display on Poole Quayand, in true BNI networking spirit, they alsoinvited the local group of Women InManagement and members of neighbouring

Poole Chapter to join in their celebrations.“BNI has been absolutely phenomenal

both for my business and my personal growth”,said Sue.“I’m extremely proud to be a memberof such a vibrant chapter and our secondanniversary event was a truly fitting occasion.”

If further evidience were needed ofBournemouth’s camaraderie, it can be foundin “My Ode to the colourful world of BNI”penned and submitted to SuccessNet by one ofits members, Sharon Littlefair. Sadly Sharon, at16 verses long we don’t have space to repro-duce it here – but we enjoyed reading it!

For information about BNI’s activities inBournemouth, call Sue Hayward on 07973951 139 or Susan Cailes on 01202 536 424

SUCCESSNET AUTUMN 2003 7

B N I - W e ’ l l M e e t A n y w h e r e !

SO-FA SO GOOD: Rick Mackay (top right) with chapter collegues Stephen Fradley(top) Sandra Lawson and Phil Gelling

Breakfast at Rick’sWhen the time came for Rick

Mackay’s 10-minute presentation, heknew exactly what to do to make histalk a memorable one for his colleaguesin Edinburgh’s Pentlands Chapter.

As merchandise director of the city’s well-known family furnishing business, Richard FMackay, the solution was obvious: he’d per-suade the whole Chapter to stage its weeklymeeting in his own stylish furniture store.

After all, everything he needed was onhand - from huge boardroom tables and carv-er chairs, to comfortable sofas – and even wait-ress trolleys! And fellow member ChrisChirnside, who runs well-known catering com-

pany Arts and Media, was only too happy toadd the finishing touches, cooking up amouth-watering Mexican breakfast featuringspicy meat and scrambled egg with salmon.

Rick told SuccessNet: “It was a great suc-cess, and it proved a fantastic way to put mymessage across. Everyone enjoyed the changeand it created a real buzz.The icing on the cakewas that I received several referrals.”

Meanwhile, Rick also gained strong sup-port from his BNI colleagues for his sponsoredhead shave and 14,000 feet charity skydive inaid of two Glasgow schools for children withlearning difficulties.

Rick can be contacted on 0131 313 8700

Car park meeting is alarming success!Members of the Milton Keynes Chapter

proved recently that not even fire fighterscould distract them from energetic earlymorning networking.

Fire alarms are a regular occur-rence at the Chapter’s breakfastvenue – the Harben HouseConference Centre in NewportPagnell – and, while most are of nocause for concern, one particularlytroublesome alarm during the latesummer resulted in members beingevacuated to continue their meetingin the conference centre car park!

“Despite the obvious disruption

we managed to carry on the important busi-ness of creating referrals,” said Judi Whiting,the Chapter’s wordsmith. “It was quite enter-taining to watch members perform their 60-

second promotional slots outdoors, but mostof them managed to find a connectionbetween their business and the unusualvenue. It resulted in some interesting referrals

being passed as members discoveredtheir colleagues had greater talentsthan they’d previously recognised.”

Typical was John McGuire, a char-tered surveyor who found himselfright at home. Pointing out overflow-ing drains around the car park, hewarned members about the hazardsof ignoring blocked and damagedpipework – just one of the many areasin which he specialises!

BNI membership can take you tosome strange and fascinating places– but no chapter meeting can surelyhave ever been held in a forge?

Proving that BNI truly does cover all sec-tors of business and industry, North Walesblacksmith Peter Cade recently created a‘first’ by extending his 10-minute breakfastpresentation to a demonstration of his tal-ents in the local forge – inviting all hisDeeside Chapter colleagues along to aworking lunch.

He said: “It’s not easy to talk about mywork at a breakfast meeting so I decided tosupplement my ten-minute slot with a livedemonstration. I put on some food, invited

members to come and see me at work, andasked them to make a donation to theNightingale House Hospice in Wrexham.They learned a lot more, so I reckon it was avery good idea.”

A blacksmith for 43 years, Peter works

mainly for customers across North Wales,the North West and Yorkshire. Amongst hisprestigious contracts he has restored themain gates for some of our finest statelycountry homes. He is now honing his skillsas a bladesmith to make ornamentalswords, having discovered a big demandfor them in some of the grand houseswhere he has worked.

Chapter colleague Tracy North who wasone of a dozen members to take up Peter’sinvitation said: “Few people get the chanceto visit a blacksmith’s forge and see a realcraftsman at work, but it was fascinating.Wenow have a very clear picture of what hedoes and the referrals he would like to get.

Contact Peter Cade on 01244 571 009

Deeside members visit blacksmith’s forge

ATTEN-SHUN!: Members of Milton Keynes Chapter fall in line for their unusual networking session in a local carpark

8 AUTUMN 2003 SUCCESSNET

In Brief

Moortown raisemore for charity

Hats off to the members ofLeeds Moortown Chapter whohave raised almost £5,000 for theNSPCC by staging a very success-ful charity casino evening.

Organised entirely by mem-bers who provided the venue,the catering, sponsorship andsome valuable raffle prizes, theevent was sponsored by MinsterJaguar, Air Unlimited, LeedsGraphic Press, Gary CaplanSolicitors, Smurfit Packaging andRoses Caterers, and participantsenjoyed excellent food followedby Roulette & Black Jack.

Tetbury makesright impression

Gloucestershire exhibitionand display services specialistJohn Wright made the bestpossible impression for hisbusiness even before the newTetbury Chapter was launched– providing corporate graphicpanels and signage for thegroup’s inaugural visitors’ day.

Andy Platts, Tetbury’s firstChapter Director said:“The dis-play impressed more than 50guests. We may be based in aquiet Cotswold market town,but the launch raised a hugeamount of local interest.”

For information about theTetbury group contact AndyPlatts on 01666 502067. Fordetails of John Wright’s displayservices, call 01666 504 534.

To the point!We are grateful to Bryony

Bartlett, a visitor at the launchof Wisbech Chapter for the fol-lowing verse which she used todescribe the benefits of BNImembership:

He who whispers down a well,About the goods he has to sell,Won't make half so many dollars,As he who climbs a tree and hollers!

Delightfully succinct, Bryony.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY (BNI) FRIENDS…

Alison Vella was perfectly happy with herresidential lettings agency which she had runsuccessfully for more than ten years - then shejoined BNI and everything changed!

Vella Associates was based in Alison’s home in theSuffolk village of Great Cornard, Sudbury, where shecould run the business while caring for her two youngchildren.“It was a successful venture,” said Alison,“but Ihad neither the confidence nor the inclination to takeit that stage further which would have meant creatinga presence on the High Street. That represented justtoo great a risk for me.”

Then a friend, Andrew Gentle who is a member ofBNI’s Sudbury Chapter, suggested Alison might like togo along to a BNI meeting.“I reluctantly agreed. He did-

Why would four members from neigh-bouring Worcestershire chapters get togeth-er in a Black Country church hall, wearingArtful Dodger and Fagin hats, armed withswords and a keyboard?

Step forward Kidderminster Chapter’s PR mem-ber, Louise Jew of LTA Communications, whoarranged the unlikely event to promote a successfulassignment by the town’s Black Pear Chapter mem-ber Philip Cooper after his company - CrossguardTrade-Mark and Copyright Attorneys - had advisedtwo writers of musicals on how to copyright theirnew works.

Louise was referred to Philip by fellow member,solicitor Gareth Thompson and briefed to produce apress release describing how Philip had been able tohelp the writers – fellow Black Pear member TimCutler and local journalist John Nash – protect their

two musicals, The Story of Ebenezer Scrooge andFagin’s Tale.

She came up with the idea of a photo shoot toaccompany the press release, and wanted some-thing that would illustrate the musicals’ Dickensiantheme. After locating the venue and finding theprops, she commissioned chapter colleague , pho-tographer Chris Bridgewater to take the photos.

“It was a little strange when Tim, Philip, Chris andmyself all met in this rather gloomy church hall,”saidLouise, “but the hats, keyboard and a sword createdsome great shots which were used in several ofour regional papers. It’s a great example ofhow BNI members can work together to makethings happen.”

Meanwhile Tim, who writes scripts and music inhis spare time, has appealed for any members whoknow a professional theatrical producer to contacthim on 01384 443 044.

Louise can be contacted on 07974 102 381

THAT’S THE SPIRIT: Alison Vella (centre) with some chapter collegues who ha

Graeme Duncan never really appreci-ated the full power of BNI until he quit hisjob as a cabling consultant with NTL inScotland at the start of this year.

“I’ve been a member of Aberdeen AlphaChapter since its launch nearly 18 months ago,but although I received some referrals for NTL,the results were quite modest until I set up myown company, Xtreme Business Solutions Ltd.But from that moment onwards, the referralshave really flowed,” said Graeme.

Xtreme specialises in designing andinstalling fibre optic solutions and voice anddata cabling for computers and telephones.Graeme added: “The business I’ve receivedthrough BNI has been staggering. Within a fort-night I had a referral to help install cabling for660 computer outlets in Scottish Water’s newheadquarters - worth £25,000 - and other ordersworth over £40,000 quickly followed.”

He added: “I’m sure one reason for the sud-den change was simply that members wantedto support to my new venture. Thanks to themmy business has continued to grow, and I’venow been invited to join other members inpitching for a major contract.”

Graeme was also one of the finalists in thisyear’s Enterprise North-East Scotland Award forthe best small business up to £1/2 millionturnover. “I didn’t win, but it was great publicityfor my business,” he said.

Contact Graeme on 07739 132852

Hats off to Louise...

....Alison lets BNI eAlpha goes to X-tremes

SUCCESSNET AUTUMN 2003 9

In BriefMuswell Hill

makes its mark The new Muswell Hill

Chapter, which meets everyThursday at The VillageRestaurant, is rapidly makingits mark on the North Londonbusiness scene, attracting over150 visitors in its first six months.

Chapter Director AnthonyKlein said: “Our launch waswidely featured in the localpress. We’re here to stay, andintend to make a big impact on

the local business community.”

Kaizen succeedsat Sheffield

Sheffield Succeeds Chaptermembers have renamed them-selves 'Kaizen' which, we arereliably informed, is Japanesefor “improvement”, and a well-known business philosophy ofcontinuously improving busi-

ness practices.

Giving it awayin Chesterfield

Chesterfield’s busy InspiresChapter recently joined thetown’s Business Link group togive away money. BusinessLink is marketing a new projectcalled 'Valuable Skills' whichgives grants to local businesspeople to train employees.

If you feel your businessmight benefit, contact LucieAndrews on 01246 207 207 or077761 981 785.

Jeremy’s 24 not out!They must be putting something

in the tea at Watford’s EnterpriseChapter, such is the volume of refer-rals passed between members, thelatest of whom, Unity telecoms spe-cialist Jeremy Harbour, has just hand-ed out 24 referrals at one meeting!

In fact there’s an even betterexplanation: the Chapter is trialling anew one-to-one technique wheretwo individual members (who trusteach other implicitly) meet to gothrough their respective client listsand then telephone every client whotheir BNI colleague thinks he or shecould do business with!

n’t tell me what to expect – and I’m sure he knew thatif he’d mentioned the ‘60 second slot,’ wild horseswouldn’t have got me there! But once I’d got over thatbit, I really enjoyed it and found it made me think morelike a businesswoman. Against all my prior intentions, Idecided to join.”

Alison soon found her feet with BNI and gainedconfidence in public speaking and presentations.“Then a friend of mine in the Chapter suggested that Ishould think about expansion and renting offices onthe High Street. This time the idea appealed to meimmensely, because I’d quickly grown in confidencethrough BNI. Within six weeks, I had sorted out premis-es in a great location and I haven’t looked back.

“The business has really taken off thanks to BNI –and inevitably fellow mem-

bers helped make thetransition from my hometo High Street so mucheasier than I thought pos-sible, not least Steve Gateswho sorted out all myoffice equipment, PhilRoper who handled all myprinting and new corpo-rate identity, and AlanHavelock who handled allthe electrics,” she added.

Contact Alison on01787 373 658

IT’S HATS OF TO BNI: (from back to front) Tim Cutler, Philip Cooperand John Nash.

ve spurred her on to greater success

expand her estate!

A chance introduction to BNI has led Irishentrepreneur Alvin Cooney to achieve his topbusiness ambition in record time: breakinginto the UK health and beauty market.

Alvin’s Dun Laoghaire-based company -Alvin Connor Natural Balance – already enjoyedcommercial success throughout Ireland, whereits range of beauty products was a big seller, butuntil he discovered BNI, he had been uncertainhow to gain a foothold in the lucrative UK market.

“I’d never heard of BNI until I happened topurchase some land from a chap called RoySmith who said he belonged to the CheltenhamChapter. When I mentioned my UK expansionplans, Roy insisted I should meet some of his BNIcolleagues whom he thought had the expertiseto give Natural Balance a high profile launch inBritain.” And that’s exactly what followed.

Alvin was first introduced to the Chapter’sJames McGlashan of Autoroute who impressedhim by travelling to Alvin’s Merseyside base just24 hours after Roy had contacted him. “I wasamazed. Things don’t normally happen that fastin the business world, but as a result, James wasable to help me organise UK distribution.”

James then recommended another mem-ber, Sandra Clarke of Smadar Strategies to han-dle product branding, and in turn she brought inanother colleague Angie Petkovic, ManagingDirector of APT, to handle the marketing.

“I couldn’t believe how quickly it all hap-pened and how efficient BNI members were. Iwas so impressed I began to look for a chapter tojoin in Liverpool and was delighted to become afounder member and then first Chapter Directorof the new Eagle Chapter,” said Alvin.

Members of Eagle Chapter soon becameinvolved in the UK launch, with Arthur Blake of257 Limited producing the design work for newtooling, and hair stylist Steven Hamill stockingthe entire range of Natural Balance products inhis salon.

Alvin can be contacted on 07866 438032

...Alvin finds anatural niche in BNI

PLENTY TO SMILE ABOUT: Alvin’s business has taken off since hejoined BNI

10 AUTUMN 2003 SUCCESSNET

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

BNI-MORE THAN A MEETING!

Concluding our interpretation of BNI’s international theme for the year, “BNI –

More than a Meeting”, we review the final three of the 12 crucial keys of membership,

each designed to help everyone get the most out of their business networking.

In this article, Hugh Lee discusses the importance of Reliability, Beverley

Blandford and Marian Way suggest methods you can use to build Relationships,

both in your chapter and at networking events, while one of BNI’s newest executive

directors, Iain Whyte addresses the crucial task of getting the right Results.

Reliability:By Hugh Lee, Executive Directorfor Scotland West

Why do some members receive substantial refer-rals fairly quickly, whilst others just ‘tick along’?

There is a world full of business opportunities,yet members often fail to access them, receiving onlyoccasional ‘first-party’referrals from their chapter col-leagues. So how can they break out of that spiral?

Much of it has to do with a failure to understanda fundamental principle of the BNI system – what wecall the ‘Confidence Bar’. For example, members findit easy to give referrals to printers but even thesereferrals diminish as we learn not to pass repeat busi-ness. The point here is that asking a printer to pro-duce your own business cards is hardly likely toendanger your personal reputation.

Members who have attended BNI workshops onthe subject will realise that there is a minimum levelof confidence, below which your fellow chaptermembers will not endanger their personal reputa-tion by recommending you to their outside contacts.

Rather than criticise your colleagues for not giv-ing you access to their contacts, you must first adoptattitudes and behaviourisms that will inspire them todo so. So how can we prove our reliability and over-come that confidence bar?

First, adhere to the BNI code of ethics – it isn’tthere for window dressing. Second, treat your chap-ter like your best client. Would you miss, or turn uplate for, a meeting with your best client, interruptthem whilst they were speaking, or appear disinter-ested in what they have to say?

Third, ‘walk the talk’ of Givers Gain. We join BNIfor one reason – to gain business – but the way wegain business is by learning how to give business.Fourth, educate your chapter colleagues throughwell-prepared and rehearsed 60-second (and 10minute) presentations. Share with them your goalsand target clients, rather than merely tell them whatyou do. Show them how you add value.

Last, but by no means least, ask yourself if yourlevel of service is likely to inspire confidence, encour-aging people to refer to you as totally ‘Reliable’.

Building Relationships:By Beverley Blandford, Executive Directorfor Home Counties West and Marian Way,Fareham Chapter

Most of us, irrespective of our trade or profession, thinkthat our business skills are at least reasonable. But, althoughwe may feel relatively successful, how much better could webe, if we concentrated on building stronger and lasting rela-tionships with our business colleagues – inside and outsideBNI? While we each have different attributes that can beapplied to forging better relationships, the following point-ers offer some basic, common guidance we can all follow:1. Organise your contacts:• Update your card file so you can always hand a card to

those interested in a colleague’s services.• Use contact management software.• Note personal information: remembering details is an

effective way to cement a casual introduction.2. Follow up:• Good and prompt follow up is essential. Hours spent at

networking events can be wasted if you don’t follow upyou new contacts effectively.

• Keep in regular contact, stay in peoples’ minds.• Invite new contacts to other networking events.3. Share information:• Sending cuttings from newspapers or magazines or links

to websites that someone else may find useful, is a goodway of staying in touch.

• Learn all you can about your contacts’ businesses.• When someone you know mentions a need, tap into your

pool of expertise and resources and offer help quickly.• Sharing is a fundamental principle in networking.4. Show you care:• Saying thank you – preferably in writing – is an effective

way to build strong business relationships.• Recognise birthdays, bereavements etc by sending a

card. Most people don’t, so it will set you apart.5. Be patient:• Arranging a one-on-one meeting and then going home

saying “I never got anything out of it”, means you wentwith the wrong expectation.

• Take time to visit your BNI colleagues’ work places. Get tounderstand their working environment.

BNI Membership:The ResultsBy Iain Whyte, Executive Director forScotland South & East.

BNI exists for its members to increase their business bynetworking, and priming their chapter sales force with thenecessary information to help achieve this. While it is easy tomeasure BNI’s success by the number of referrals a memberreceives, there are a number of other major results thatmembers can expect to achieve – benefits that are not meas-ured or collated by chapters, but are real all the same.

Perhaps the most obvious is the improved confidencethat BNI generates. As a new member, it can be dauntinghaving to make a speech in front of thirty or more strangersbut, as the weeks go by, the task becomes easier and with theright preparation, something to look forward to.

This newfound confidence is then transferred to ourpersonal and business lives. That wedding speech suddenlyseems so much easier; the pitch to the bank or prospectiveclients becomes a dream instead of a nightmare. The confi-dence we gain through regular public speaking allows us topresent ourselves more effectively in other areas of our life.

Going hand in hand with increased self-confidence isincreased professionalism. Knowing we have only sixty sec-onds to impart the week’s targets, and remind our BNI ‘salesforce’ of the services we offer, forces us to be more focused.

Similarly, the networking sessions before and after ourmeetings remind us of the need to use the opportunitiespresented to us. How often do you see new members hidingin the corner for their first few meetings? Then they start toemerge and their networking skills improve. These new skillscarry the member forward in his or her business life, bringinga greater focus and desire for success into all their dealings.

Being a member of a large BNI ‘sales team’ also gives usexperience in teamwork. The “Givers Gain”philosophy equal-ly applies outside our chapters, allowing us to develop betterworking relationships with business partners, staff andclients, while also giving us a sound basis for our social circles.

While these results are subjective and not easily meas-ured, long standing members will readily tell you that theyhave seen one or more of these results in every member theywatch come through the system. BNI means better businessand self-improvement in a weekly dose.

SUCCESSNET AUTUMN 2003 11

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

Most of us continuously hone ourselling and marketing skills. We go onsales training courses, product knowl-edge courses, listening skills courses,professional development courses – ifyou can think of it, somebody some-where is putting on a training courseto teach it! But how many of us givemuch thought to our manners andetiquette when we are dealing withother business professionals orpotential clients?

Here are a 10 points to keep inmind when building quality relation-ships with other BNI members, staff,clients and potential clients.

1. Use common courtesies:Thank people (including your staff ) for theirefforts; compliment people at every oppor-tunity you can; respond to invitations, even ifyou are saying ‘no’; never embarrass otherpeople; treat everyone respectfully, regard-less of whether you like them or not.

2. Defer to clients, guests, and those more senior:

Many people in senior positions haveworked long and hard to get where they are.They have earned and expect to get respectfrom those who are still climbing the ladder.Many older people grew up in a more restric-tive and formal business environment thanthe one you take for granted today. By defer-ring to their seniority, you will stand out fromyour competitors, and these older peoplewill feel more comfortable dealing with you.

3. Schedule time with others:In today’s fast paced business environment,we tend not to do things unless we absolute-ly have to. Take time to spend a little timewith your business associates even thoughyou don’t have to. An unexpected lunch ordrinks invitation sends a powerful messageto somebody that you care.

4. Get people’s names right:How did you feel the last time somebodypronounced your name wrong or worse stillcalled you by the wrong name? The mes-sage this sends is: ‘you are not important tome, I could not even be bothered to remem-ber who you are’. There is one thing above allelse that people like to hear, and that is theirown name! Imagine how good (and impor-

tant) you would feel if everywhere you went,from the butcher to the petrol station atten-dant, you were greeted by name.

5. Develop gracious hosting skills:When people come to see you, treat themlike royalty, and they will remember youfavourably. How did it make you feel whenyou walked into an office and somebodytook your coat from you and hung it up or,when you went into someone’s office for anappointment, and they walked around theirdesk to shake hands with you, and pulledyour chair a little closer to their desk?

6. Observe and practice appropriate behaviour when you are a guest or visitor:

Show the same courtesies and respect toyour host that they are showing to you. Ifyour host makes you feel a little special, dothe same for them. Show them that extra bitof warmth in return, and you will be amazedat how easy it is to get along well with them.

7. Polish your table manners and dining skills:

If you want to be successful, you need to lookand act the part. Good table manners arepart of the skill set of successful people. Ifyou are unsure in this situation, and don’tknow which fork to pick up first, there aremany books available to help you with this.

8. Apply good telephone skills:For most of us, the telephone is often the

first contact that we have with a person. Firstimpressions are lasting, and therefore veryimportant. How do you sound on the

phone? This is something that is easy topractice. One noted motivational train-er says that if you want to make an out-standing impression on the phone, youhave got to look the part at the sametime. If you are going to make that vital-ly important call, wear your best suit ordress, brush your hair, and look goodbefore you dial the number. Then put amirror behind the phone, and makeyourself smile while you are talking; ifyou look good and feel good aboutyourself, this will project in your voice tothe person on the other end of the line!

9. Apply all of your best interpersonal skills at meetings:When you are in front of more than one

person, it is doubly important that yourbusiness manners are flawless. Think abouthow you will interact with people of differentseniority at a meeting, so that when youneed to address somebody, you will knowwhether to call them Bob, Mr Wilson, or Sir.There is usually a best way to interact withsomebody, and if you get it wrong, both youand they will feel uncomfortable.

10. Polish your conversation skills:If you want people to feel relaxed and com-fortable with you, you need to be a goodconversationalist. For most of us, the begin-ning of a conversation is the difficult part. Ifyou are often at a loss for words when youmeet someone, memorise a few key conver-sation starters, such as: ‘Are you from aroundhere?’;“What do you do for a living?’ or ‘Whatdo you like most about being a …(their pro-fession)…?’. A simple question like that getsthem talking, and then just follow the goldenrule – the best conversationalists listen a lotmore than they talk! Good business manners reflect a deferenceto rank, status, position or hierarchy. Theyalso put both genders on an equal footing,which makes for good business sense. Adoptthem, and see the difference!

Steve Lawson was one of BNI’s founders inCanada eight years ago, and he remainsExecutive Director for a thriving region onthe outskirts of Toronto, Ontario. In recentyears he has divided his time betweenCanada and Europe, where he is responsi-ble for training BNI directors in Europe.

By Steve Lawson,European Training Director

Good business manners mean more business!

12 AUTUMN 2003 SUCCESSNET

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

I Know – it will be a success!BNI’s hoteliers and restaurateurs across the

country are being offered the chance to adver-tise free of charge on a new web-site likely tobecome a major nationwide reference source.

The invitation comes from web-site spe-cialist, Marcus Simmons, a member of Preston’sOlympus Chapter whose new company, IKnow-UK recently launched its first regionalwebsite, ‘I Know-Yorkshire’, featuring hotelsand tourist attractions across the region.

The company was the product of a BNImeeting between Marcus and Sharif Khan ofUnity Business Software, a member of theneighbouring Zeus chapter. “I met Sharif at hischapter a year ago, and at that time my com-

pany, ‘I Make Websites’, was busy working on atourist website for Blackpool,” said Marcus.“Sharif was the perfect partner to help usdevelop the site which turned out to be ahuge success. During August alone, it attractedover 30,000 visitors and our subscribers tookover £500,000-worth of booking enquiries. Asa result of this success, we set up I Know-UK.”

Naturally, Marcus involved severalOlympus colleagues with the Yorkshire web-site launch, including Keeley Southworth fromPR agency MTJ Associates , Linda Crabtree ofSignarama and photographer Nick Robinson.

If you want to put the website to the testcontact Marcus on 01282 683 123

Few members can resist the temptationof a full English breakfast on BNI mornings,but in Gateshead, Ridley Chapter membersMarc Gordon and Paul Corrigan have suc-cessfully trained their taste buds to give it amiss for the past few weeks – thanks toChapter colleague Paul Titmuss!

Paul, a consultant with Lighterlife, hasput the duo on a strict diet which meanstheir sacrificing the traditional sausage,bacon and eggs for a mouth-watering pack-et of powder and a couple of litres of water.

“The diet is aimed at people who wantto lose a lot of weight very quickly,”explained Marc, a computer consultant, “soit seemed perfect for the Chapter’s electri-cian Paul Corrigan and myself who were

keen to lose at least three stone each. In lessthan two months I reached my target of los-ing three stone, and my colleague did evenbetter, losing nearly four stone.”

Paul Titmuss, who had recently pur-chased a Lighterlife franchise, had beenstruggling to get his message across to fel-low members, but that suddenly changedonce he’d found colleagues willing to act asguinea pigs – especially when the duo pro-ceeded to lose so much weight so quickly!

“The fantastic thing about it was that ourcolleagues could see for themselves theeffects of Paul’s programme,” said Marc.“I feel a whole lot better these days - and Paulcouldn’t have had a better testimonial!”

Contact Paul Titmuss on: 0191 422 6317

Seeing is believing

GOOD LOSERS! Paul Corrigan (left) and Marc Gordon (right)show off their new slim line figures with therapist Paul Titmuss

TOURISIM TRIUMPH: Marcus Simmons is set to make it big withhis new website

Lichfield Trio proves three into one does go!Three members of Lichfield Chapter

who work in related fields, have pooledtheir talents to net a long-term contract!

Jonathan Booker, Keith Stendall andRichard Brett are all IT professionals in relatedbut not competing businesses. Through BNI

they have created a cycle of workfor each other, as well as workingvery successfully as a cohesivebusiness team.

“One of my customers, theOffice Express Group Ltd which isinvolved in selling office supplies,was preparing to franchise itsorganisation,” said Richard. “I wasalready running and maintainingtheir computer network andsupplying their hardware require-

ments but their software was outdated and nolonger met their needs, so I recommendedKeith’s services and he provided a perfectsolution to replace their existing systems.”

Jonathan was then brought in to advise ontheir Internet development and strategy, andthe trio is now involved in an ongoing contractworth £25,000 in its first year. “Working withother companies has enabled us not only toshare ideas and information but also worktogether very well as a team. BNI is provingvery successful for us,” said Jonathan.

Contact Jonathan on 0121 753 4753, Richardon 0121 605 6736 and Keith on 01543 677600

TERRIFIC TRIO: From left to right Jonathan Booker, Richard Brett, Keith Stendall arecelebrating an increasingly profitable partnership through the Lichfield Chapter

SUCCESSNET AUTUMN 2003 13

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

Perfect harmony in Hampstead“I’d like to teach BNI to sing, in

perfect harmony….” A tall order?Not for West Hampstead Chapter’ssinging coach Helen Astrid who hashad so many referrals from col-leagues that she’s just staged aunique “thank you” concert featuringher BNI protégés.

Some 24 newly trained singers,including Helen’s chapter colleaguesWendy Jackson and Alan Johnson,took part in last month’s concert at StMichael & All Angels Church, WestHampstead, staged as a tribute toBNI members who have dramaticallyboosted Helen’s business.

She said: “Since at least 70% of

my new business comes through thechapter, I wanted to do somethingthat all my BNI colleagues could ben-efit from and enjoy. Everyone whoperformed was either a BNI memberor had been referred to me throughthe chapter. Joining BNI has beenfantastic for me.”

When she’s not directing con-certs, Helen gives one-to-one tuitionand runs singing workshops foradults and children through hercompany, Harmony Works. She is alsorenowned for singing her waythrough many a 60-second infomer-cial, to her colleagues’ delight.

Contact Helen on: 07710 245 904

Well, it does take all sorts to create BNI’suniquely colourful membership! So per-haps we shouldn’t be too surprised to hearthat some of our Scottish members havebeen participating in rather unusualoutdoor pursuits – from defusing a ‘bomb’to herding blindfolded colleagues into ahillside sheep pen!

These were just two of the curious butrewarding activities undertaken by mem-bers of Greenock’s James Watt Chapter aspart of an outdoor team-building eventorganised by chapter colleague AlisonMinton of Business Training Services.

“We all had a brilliant time,” said Fiona

Marr, Business Development Director forThomas Auld & Sons Bakers. “Taking theevents seriously was a task in itself as weapplied our skills to ‘everyday’ problemssuch as walking uphill round an obstaclecourse on make-shift skis. I had a job tokeep my face straight, but all the tasks had aserious element and we were constantlyanalysed and evaluated.”

The event certainly paid dividends instrengthening their resolve, as a recent visi-tors’ day proved – when the chapter’s 26members attracted over 50 visitors – sever-al of whom are now joining BNI.

Contact Fiona on 01475 725 288

Greenock team takes to the hills

HILLSIDE ADVENTURE: Members of Greenock celebrate a successful day of team building

IN TUNE FOR BNI: From left to right are Helen Astrid and Micky James (back),Samantha Miller, Sally Gardener and Geoff Stilwell

Steven brings golden touch to Midas!Liverpool’s Midas Chapter can at last

live up to its name, now that jewellerSteven Jones has become its undisputed‘gold’ member.

Steven enjoys a reputation as a designwizard and had shown various jewellerycreations to chapter colleagues, but herecently surprised everyone by producinga solid gold copy of the BNI members’badge, to bring an added sparkle to his 60-second infomercial slot.

He joined Midas Chapter only a fewmonths ago, yet he earned a standing ova-tion from colleagues at only his secondmeeting when he delivered a powerful 10-

minute presentation showing how hemade a gold wedding ring.

“Wedding rings are very special,” hesaid. “After all you can’t get married with-out one, and it’s nice for couples to be ableto share the moment they are created.That’s why I always invite my customersalong to my workshop, to watch theirtreasured rings being made.”

Fellow member John Porter certainlyagrees. He recently got married and bothhe and his bride are the proud owners of amatching pair of Steven’s gold bands!

Contact Steven on 0151 236 0177 THE MIDAS TOUCH: Stephen Jones creating a solid gold copy of the BNI’s members badges

When charismatic Kilburngarage boss Dave Saundersdied suddenly earlier this year,he left a huge void in the WestHampstead Chapter – and morethan 2,000 anxious customerswondering who would care fortheir cars in future.

Having started his MotortoneGarage 22 years earlier, Dave wasrenowned for his firm’s engineer-ing craftsmanship across NorthLondon and, since helping tolaunch the West HampsteadChapter five years ago, he hadbecome one of BNI’s best knownadvocates – a totally committedmember who “walked the talk”and gained gold club member-ship within months.

But, as his colleagues ruedtheir loss, Dave’s life partner LizSollars and his daughter EmmaSaunders pluckily announcedthey would pick up the Motortone

mantle, as well as taking overDave’s chapter membership – adecision which set the whole BNILondon North Central communi-ty rooting for their success. And,barely six months after Dave’suntimely death, Motortone isback in top gear!

“He had always been a teamplayer and because his entirefamily and team of mechanicsmaintain his strong principles, thebusiness is continuing fromstrength to strength. As well asmyself and Emma, our twin 18year old sons – Joe and Jake – arealso involved in what is a truefamily-run business,” said Liz.

She said that Dave’s total com-mitment to BNI made all the dif-ference. “He put a lot of time intoit, going all over the place visitingchapters, but it was worth theeffort. At one time 70% of ourtrade came through BNI referrals.

“He was a true champion of‘Givers Gain’ and very few visitorsto his Kilburn garage left withoutDave seeing how he could addvalue to their visit by referringthem on to his chapter colleagues.I think there will be many BNI

members who are relieved that hismemory hook,“Care for your Car -You provide the car, we’ll providethe care” still rings out every weekin West Hampstead,” she added.Contact Liz Sollars or Emma Saundersat Motortone on 0800 0345 101

Jane Tyler freely admits she’s had hermoneys worth out of BNI, but she reckons byfar the best thing she has got from her mem-bership to date is a new Finance Director forher growing computer company!

Managing Director of RedBlack Software,Jane joined York’s Thursday Chapter just overtwo years ago, where she was introduced tofounder member, chartered accountant TerryDoyle, a partner with Clive Owen & Co.

“At that time I was finding our financialadministration quite a struggle,” said Jane.“Terry very kindly offered me some informaladvice, which proved so useful we decided to

appoint him as our company accountant. As aresult of his continued support and excellentadvice, we found ourselves in a much strongerposition so, earlier this year I invited him tobecome our Financial Director and I wasdelighted when he accepted!”

There’s just one downside for Jane: she hasto share Terry’s financial skills with ThirdDivision York City Football Club – his life-longpassion. “The club recently went through hardtimes,” explained Jane. “They brought in Terryas Financial Director and things are lookingbetter now. He’s even asked me to sort out adatabase of supporters for marketing purpos-es, so it’s nice to know I can help him this time!”

Jane can be contacted on 01904 561530and Terry on 01904 784400

Four Liverpool members have teamedup to supply business support servicesunder a Government scheme which willsave Merseyside companies 40% on the costof almost any development project.

Ed Horwich (from Pacificstream.com), TedBrightmore (Optima Resources), Joe Taylor(Health & Safety Management) and SteveDickson (The Development Company) are alllongstanding members of Liverpool’s Delta

and Oscar Chapters who together have formed‘Business 2010’ which has been given accredi-tation to deliver Government funding throughBusiness Link helping local firms expand.

“The main reason we were able to launchthis joint venture with confidence in such ashort space of time is because we have beenmeeting each other at chapter breakfasts weekin week out for the past couple of years, so weknow and trust each other very well,” said Ed.

“Not only can we offer Merseyside clients anincredible range of support services, but wehave also been able to bring our respective dis-ciplines together to make our own businessconsortium work very successfully.”

Almost any development project is likely toqualify for financial and consultancy supportunder one of the categories available fromBusiness 2010. Anyone interested should visitwww.business2010.co.uk for contact details.

14 AUTUMN 2003 SUCCESSNET

B N I i n b u s i n e s s

LIFE AFTER DEATH: Motortone is back in top gear thanks to Liz Sollars and her daughter EmmaSaunders, pictured outside the Kilburn garage. Photo courtesy of Tom Langford, Camden Chapter

A TOP SIGNING? Terry Doyle has made a big impact since histransfer to RedBlack Software

Dave’s gone – but his business motors on…

Jane ‘steals’ Terry from York City FC

Merseyside quartet delivers business funding

SUCCESSNET AUTUMN 2003 15

I t ’ s a f a m i l y a f f a i r

Designer Damon Segal has a simple for-mula for business success: join as many BNIchapters as possible!

His newly relocated one-stop studio inRuislip is represented in three Home Countieschapters, and Damon knows it is so good forbusiness that he’s even got his father-in-law,commercial mortgage broker Ramon Lipton, tobecome a member of his own Enterprise(Watford) Chapter

As boss of the modest but rapidly expand-ing Action Graphic International in Ruislip,Damon insists that any new member of staff hetakes on must be prepared to join another BNIchapter because, as he told SuccessNet, “I getalmost two thirds of all our new businessthrough BNI referrals from highly satisfiedmembers, and I reckon that every new chapterwe join is worth around £50,000 a year.”

Since Damon was introduced to BNI nearlysix years ago by osteopath Phil Aarons (who

last month became part of the family when hemarried Damon’s wife’s sister), he hasn’t lookedback. Right from the start he ensured that hiswork colleagues belonged to other chapters.Currently, his senior designer Marc Schneider isin the Stanmore Chapter and relative newcom-er Charlotte Pawley has joined the new HighWycombe Chapter.

“When we recruit any new member of staff,one of the key qualities we look for is theirpotential to get on well in a BNI chapter,because our business is now so heavilyinvolved with the organisation. In the last cou-ple of months alone, some 20 out of 30 poten-tial new clients have been referred to usthrough different chapters, involving quotesfor £80,000 worth of work.

“In the past year we’ve gained contractsthrough BNI valued at around £150,000, so youcan see why I’m keen to get into more chap-ters,”said Damon, two of whose recent projects

have been the creation of BNI’s new corporateidentity for Europe, and the development ofthe increasingly significant BNI WebRing™.

That would be justification enough for any-one to value their membership, but Damonsays the personal friendships he has madethrough different chapters are equally impor-tant. “I’ve made some very good friends, so afair bit of the family’s social life now revolvesaround BNI colleagues.”

There’s a third good reason why BNI retainsits prominence in the Segal family’s everydaylives – its endless source of quality suppliers.

“Whatever we need, whether it’s for mybusiness, for the home or the family, I alwaysturn first to my contacts book and find a BNImember to provide the products or services,and I’ve never been disappointed yet. Theresults have always been excellent,” addedDamon, as he surveyed AGI’s plush new studios– designed, built, furnished and equippedentirely by his chapter colleagues, naturally!

For further information, contactDamon Segal on 020 8385 5050

Until 12 months ago, Hereford-based Beaverpark Limited was a smallfamily-run stationery, office equipmentand furniture company supplying amainly rural community.

Then, last October, director Paul Merrimanwas introduced to BNI and today, barely a yearlater, the company has spread across threecounties, opened up a second depot and isrepresented in three different BNI chapters!

“Our progress has been quite dramatic,”said Paul.“The business had been operating forabout eight years when I first heard about BNI,but we were largely confined to supplying cus-tomers in Herefordshire whose agriculturalnature rather limited any expansion.”

He added:“As soon as I joined the HerefordChapter last November, I knew it would give ussignificant new opportunities, and I discussed

our growth potential with my wife Jackie anddaughter Kirsty. Within a month, Kirsty hadjoined the Cheltenham Chapter as a result ofwhich we now have a new depot there and avery strong customer base in Gloucestershire.It has been a very good move for us.”

Then in June this year, the family decidedto break into neighbouring Worcestershire, soJackie took Paul’s seat in the Hereford group,while he joined the Worcester Chapter. Jackietold SuccessNet: “Being able to join other BNIchapters was a key factor in deciding toexpand into new territory.

“I don’t think we would have had the confi-dence to move into two new counties so quick-ly, without knowing we had a great source oflocal referrals from our new chapter colleagues– and it has worked very well. After less than 12months we get at least 10% of all new business

through BNI and this figure is increasing everymonth. The support we’ve received has beentremendous and great value for a small familybusiness in a tough industry.”

You can contact Paul, Jackie and KirstyMerriman on 01432 270 700

EXPANDING NICELY: AGI boss Damon Segal (centre) with some of his team in the plush new Ruislip offices

TRIPLE SUCCESS: Jackie Merriman (seated) with husband Pauland daughter Kirsty. Photo courtesy of Oliver Swann

...and, it’s the same story in Hereford, Cheltenham and Worcester

Keeping it in the family in Ruislip...

SUCCESSNET AUTUMN 2003 16

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: successnet@write-angle.co.uk

Artwork and Production: Damon Segal, Action GraphicInternational. Tel: 020 8385 5050. Email: design@agi.co.uk

Printed by: Tony Batkin, Alpine Press. Tel: 01923 269777.Copyright © BNI 2003. All rights reserved.

You & SuccessNet

SuccessNet has reported on someunusual 10-minute presentations inthe past but, what’s this – half nakedmembers served up for breakfast?

Happily Christine Gladen’s professional-ism meant that her hands-on demonstra-tion of reflexology and holistic massagetherapy was all done in the best possibletaste – with a little help from chaptercolleague Phil Connelly of the appropriatelynamed Flexible Catering Company whovolunteered his body for the duration,

proving just how supple he is!The moment was captured on camera

by Elmbridge’s creative designer MarionBore who then invited colleagues to providecaptions for her picture (see right).

“Most of the entries were unprintable,”said Marion, “but we eventually gave theprize to photographer Alan Knox.” His win-ning caption? ‘Never mind funny hand-shakes. Wait til you see how Elmbridge BNIinducts a new member!’

Contact Christine on 01932 840 149

(Un)dress rehearsal at Elmbridge

Brains not brawn row BNI to victory Trio create newbuyers’ market

Members of the Harlequin Chapter arepictured celebrating an unlikely victory -having beaten teams of ‘professional’ rowersto win the Thames Dragon Boat Races, part ofthe annual week-long Twickenham Festival.

In scorching heat over two days, chapter

members swapped their businesssuits for lycra sportswear and tookon all-comers, including semi-pro-fessional teams from local rowingclubs, to win the contest, beating EelPie Island in a close-fought final.

“This was no mean feat consid-ering the Eel Pie team was packedwith expert rowers and the Island ishome to Twickenham Rowing Club -

so it was a genuine case of teamworkbeating athleticism,” said Gavin Miller,

Chapter Director and Captain of its Pond Piratesteam.“None of us had any idea we could win, butthe group showed fantastic spirit and communi-cation to beat some very fit teams.“

Contact Gavin Miller on 020 8255 3238

Most of us have experienced thepainful and frustrating process of bid-ding for a dream home, only to lose it atthe last hurdle. But now a trio of mem-bers from Sheffield’s Kaizen Chapterbelieve they have found the answer togazumping and all the distress it causes.

Nick Todd, Peter Hill and Ray Drainvillehave created what seems to be a uniqueweb-based estate agency, ‘LiveOffer’,through which potential buyers can makeoffers for homes online, cutting through allthe waiting time and uncertainty of theusual process and speeding up the mostdifficult stage of buying a home in the UK.

“Buyers can browse through our onlineproperty brochure and then contact us toarrange to view the property,” explainedNick, of chartered surveyors Ellis, Willis andBeckett (EWB). “Once a person has decidedto make an offer, he or she can enter asecure area of the website to compare theiroffer to those of other bidders. Althoughoffers are made anonymously, it is possibleto identify which offers are made by thesame bidder, so you can assess how seriousthe competition is.”

Contact Nick on 0114 272 9667

Photo courtesy of MazBoz Studios