NEW YORK ON THE QM2

WINTER 2004

WIN A DREAM VOYAGE TONEW YORK ON THE QM2

WIN A DREAM VOYAGE TONEW YORK ON THE QM2

INSIDE...25 not out forgold club Ray

SEE PAGE 4

Members scrum downwith sporting elite

SEE PAGE 14

‘Top’ town is BNI’sbest performer

SEE PAGE 13

Sticking to the rulespays dividends

SEE PAGE 11

Norwich’s perfectpresentation

SEE PAGE 15

Sail in luxury onboard the newest,fastest, largestocean liner in the world

Balcony stateroom cabins reserved forwinning members

SEE PAGE 3

2 WINTER 2004 SUCCESSNET

N e w s

BNI mourns the loss of Ron Hain

Although Ron had been an executivedirector for less than three years, he hadmade a substantial impression on his fellowdirectors, to the extent that he was chosento be the opening keynote speaker at theBNI 2002 International Conference inHollywood when, dressed in kilt and fullScottish regalia, he delivered a memorableworkshop that is still a topic of conversationmore than a year later.

Having graduated from AberdeenUniversity, Ron became marketing managerfor Nike, before creating his own successfulPR and marketing business, Prism, based inMilnathort, Kinross. A polished and highlyrespected marketing professional, Ronjoined BNI some five years ago as a memberof the Dunfermline Chapter in Fife where,from the outset, it was obvious his intellect,motivation and energy would see him takeon ever-greater challenges.

In 2000 he became regional director forScotland North and, in less than three years,

grew his region to be one of the mostvibrant in the UK, so it was no surprise whenhe was invited to host BNI’s EuropeanConference at his beloved St. Andrews BayGolf Resort last year.

Gillian and Martin Lawson, BNI’s UKnational directors described Ron as a gen-uinely remarkable man, with many personaland business qualities. “He was a high-octane performer and very knowledgeable,yet he was also humble – a great familyman, and in business, a role model for BNImembers,” they said.

“He had high business standards andexpected the same of those around him, buthe was always ready to offer advice andpractical help. He packed a huge amountinto his life, not least his passion for sportand his favourite pastime, golf, and fewcould match him for his commitment andenthusiasm in motivating others. He wasalways working, always trying to boost hisBNI members and he never said ‘no’ to those

who sought his help. Whatever the problemor the need, Ron was always there with theright solution.”

A number of Ron’s closest friends andcolleagues, attended the family funeral serv-ice just before Christmas, paying theirrespects to a man who, by common consent,was one of the organisation’s leading lights.

Gillian added: “Above all else, Ron wasthe best possible example of BNI’s giversgain philosophy. He was a genuine free-giv-ing spirit, always ready and willing to helpother people. Within BNI, it was the norm tosee Ron give up his own time to travel hun-dreds – and sometimes thousands of miles –to help fellow directors deal with issues inother regions.

“He had nothing to gain personally frommaking such major commitments, buthe did it just the same. It is sadly ironic,but entirely typical of the man that, justfive days before he suffered his stroke, hewas on the west coast of America, helpingto boost BNI’s development in Seattle,Washington, and working with BNI mem-bers to maximise their business potential.

“Wherever he went, he was respectedand admired, such was the impact he madeon people. He touched so many, and he willbe greatly missed.”

As SuccessNet went to press, planswere being finalised for the stagingof a ‘Celebration of Ron Hain’s Life’ to takeplace at his beloved St. Andrews Bay GolfResort on Saturday, 24th January. AllBNI directors and members who knew Ronare invited and further details will becirculated during January.

RON HAIN: “He will be greatly missed by everyone in BNI”

ENJOYING THE OPEN AIR: Ron pictured last year in his region in Scotland

It is with huge sadness that SuccessNet reports the sudden death ofScotland North Executive Director Ron Hain – one of the organisation’s best-loved directors.

Ron died in hospital at the age of 48 just three weeks before Christmas,after suffering a major stroke. He leaves a widow Sue and four children, but isalso mourned by his extended ‘family’ of BNI directors worldwide and the 400members in his region’s 16 chapters, to many of whom he was a mentor, per-sonal adviser, friend and father figure.

SUCCESSNET WINTER 2004 3

N e w s

ARE YOU READY TO EXPERIENCE THE LIFE OF LUXURY?

Sponsor one or more new membersbetween 26th January and 19th March and, ifyour chapter recruits six or more new membersduring that eight-week period, your name willgo into the draw to select the lucky partici-pants who will be heading for New York aboardthe £500 million QM2, just two weeks after shemakes her inaugural transatlantic crossing.

Sounds too good to be true? You’d betterbelieve it. For every six qualifying chapters (seeprize draw rules (left), one happy BNI memberand partner will be embarking on the QM2 atSouthampton on Saturday, 1st May, ready toindulge in nearly a week of pure luxury as thegrandest liner ever built makes only hersecond voyage to the Big Apple.

The new Chapter Building Drive has beendesigned to give the most successful sponsorsthe best chance of winning. This is because,once a chapter has qualified by signing up sixor more newcomers during the two-monthperiod, members receive one entry in the drawfor each individual they have sponsored. So themore new members anyone bringsinto their chapter, the more chanceshe or she has to gain a QM2 place.

Gillian Lawson, BNI NationalDirector said:“We have allocated onepremium balcony cabin to every sixqualifying chapters*, which meansthat a member who sponsors a sin-gle new member could have a 1-in-36chance of winning a place, while ifthe same individual brought in threenew members, he or she could have-

up to a 1-in-12 chance to head off to New York.”Once the liner has docked in Manhattan on

Friday morning, 7th May, winners have thechoice of flying back to the UK the same day, orstaying on indefinitely in New York to take insome of the Big Apple’s countless attractions.Naturally, the cost of return flights is includedin the prize, but winners who decide to remainin New York, stay on at their own expense.

Gillian added: “This is the best prize everoffered to BNI members anywhere in the world,but even those who don’t win will gain, becausewe know that larger chapters means more busi-ness generated for each of their members.”

RESERVE YOUR QM2 DATES IN YOUR DIARY NOW: Winners will travel to New York from the 1st to the 7th May 2004 inclusive

PRIZE DRAW RULES:The following simple rules must befollowed to enter the prize draw:1. The Chapter Development Drive starts on Monday

26th January and ends on Friday 19th March 2004.

Only applications dated between these dates will

be eligible, and the date on the new member’s

application form will be deemed their official

joining date.

2. The sponsor’s name must be clearly shown on

each new member’s application form, which must

be submitted to the Chapter’s local BNI Director no

later than Friday 26th March 2004 to qualify for the

prize draw.

3. Any BNI member who sponsors a new member

during the qualifying period will go into the draw,

provided his or her Chapter has qualified by bring-

ing in six or more new members during the same

period. If a Chapter does not achieve this target,

individual sponsors will not be eligible for the draw.

4. A member of a qualifying chapter will receive one

entry to the draw for each new member sponsored

into his or her own chapter between the qualifying

dates. One winner will be chosen from every six*

qualifying chapters.

5. All prizes are for two people (i.e. the BNI member

and partner) and must be taken on the specified

voyage, departing on Saturday 1st May 2004 from

Southampton. The prizes are non-transferable.

6. Winning tickets will be drawn in the week com-

mencing Monday 29th March, and winners will be

notified no later than Friday 2nd April. If any noti-

fied winner is unable to paticipate in the voyage on

1st May 2004, an alternative winner will be drawn

from the other qualifying sponsors in their chapter.

* In the event that more chapters qualify than

there are cabins available, the ratio will be

adjusted slightly.

The prize does not include:• Transport to Southampton docks

• Transport from London (Heathrow) or

Manchester airports.

• Bar bills, gratuities to crew members and

discretionary spending on board QM2.

• Transfer from New York to Kennedy airport

UNLESS you are returning on the day the ship

arrives in New York.

VOYAGE OF FANTASYAs a prize winner you will:• Sail on the world’s greatest liner, making

only its second voyage fromSouthampton to New York.

• Spend five full days and six magicalnights on your transatlantic voyage,enjoying unrivalled luxury, five-star cui-sine and a galaxy of social, cultural,sporting and nightlife activities.

• Have the option to stay for one or morenights in the Big Apple (at your ownexpense), taking in top attractions.

• Fly back to Manchester or London on adate to suit you.

Everything about Cunard’s new QM2 flagship is represented by superlatives:• A length nearly 150 feet greater (at 1,132 feet) than the Eiffel Tower is tall.• A height of 236 feet – which is more than the length of Cunard’s first ship, Britannia.• A passenger complement of 2,600 and a crew of 1,250.• Gas turbine & diesel electric engines developing 157,000 horsepower – equivalent to

more than 300 of the most powerful Ferraris (the 575 Maranello) ever built.• 14 decks of amenities including 5 swimming pools, 14 bars, 10 restaurants, a health spa

resort and planetarium, the largest ballroom at sea, and 300 works of art worth over £3m.

The new QM2 awaits winners of 2004 Chapter Building DriveImagine gliding majestically past the Statue of Liberty into Manhattan on board

the world’s newest, largest and most luxurious ocean liner, after spending five daysand six nights of opulent living as you sail across the Atlantic on Cunard’s spectacu-lar new flagship – the 150,000-ton Queen Mary 2. That is the magnificent May Dayprize awaiting you and your partner, if you are one of the winners of BNI’s 2004Chapter Building Drive which swings into action this month.

THE QM2 – SIMPLY THE BEST!


N e w s

While most of us haveswapped our careers for alife of leisure long before wereach 70, Peter Heims stillworks a seven day week atthe tender age of 74, and isproud of his reputation asBritain’s oldest practicingprivate detective.

And, as if that’s not challengeenough – he’s also one of BNI’smost entertaining members,quite literally, regaling his col-leagues in Leatherhead Chapterwith countless stories of a life-time spent tackling espionage,counterfeiting, fraudsters, andassorted bad guys!

Peter is one of BNI’s true characters.A former paratrooper, he was too short to jointhe police force when he was demobbed,“so Ichose the next best thing and became a pri-vate investigator, but even that wasn’t easy. Itouted my skills around many private investi-gation firms before I found one that wouldgive me a chance. Within two years, I’d boughtout the company,” he said.

The rest of Peter’s life has an almost fic-tional air about it. Over a period of more than50 years, there is little he hasn’t seen or done– from countering industrial espionage andinvestigating fraud and other crimes aroundthe world, to tracing elusive debtors andmissing persons. And, having reached the pin-nacle of his profession (he is a past presidentof all his professional bodies, author of bookson counter-espionage and an expert speakerat international forums), Peter is now indemand as a colourful after-dinner speaker.

These days, while he focuses on less ener-getic projects closer to home, primarily debtcollection and tracing missing persons, heintends to continue working full time until heno longer enjoys what he does.“But how canI not enjoy it? It’s just like real life cops androbbers. I am the good guy and all thosedebtors and fraudsters are the bad guys. I stillget a buzz out of catching them.”

While he has all the work he can handleeven without BNI, Peter is delighted with hismembership. “I was always in my Cobhamoffice by seven in the morning, so now once aweek I stop by my Chapter for breakfast onthe way to work. At the start, my BNI col-leagues didn’t know how they were going tofind me referrals but almost everyone in busi-ness encounters bad debts, so now I get plen-ty of those referrals. In turn I keep my chapterchums happy with my referrals and silly stories.”

Contact Peter Heims on 01932 864822

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: Leatherhead’s Peter Heim’s has caught morevillains than anyone else.

BNI’s oldest private detective?Lawsons’ LoreGillian and Martin LawsonNational Directors of BNI, write:

The start of a new year is traditionally atime for all of us as business people to reflecton the past 12 months, both in terms of ourachievements and progress against the goalsthat we set for our businesses twelve monthsago. We hope that all BNI members can lookback on 2003 with satisfaction in this respect.

It is also a time for setting new goals forourselves, our businesses and our chapters.With more and more chapters passing verysignificantly increased amounts of businessas they grow above 30 members, it should bethe goal of every chapter to achieve their fullpotential as soon as possible – so why notshoot for 40 in 2004?

To encourage every chapter to do so weare promoting what will undoubtedly be ourmost successful Chapter Building Drive ever,with the most coveted prize for winners thatwe have ever offered – a balcony cabin fortwo on the world’s newest, largest and mostluxurious liner, the Queen Mary 2 as shemakes only her second transatlantic voyageto New York, with return by air.

The odds of winning are stacked in everymember’s favour, with a winner chosen fromevery six qualifying chapters! But much moreimportantly, every chapter that enters theDrive will be a winner – as more members ina chapter means more business for everyone.

So it makes sense for every chapter to setambitious goals for the year and to use theChapter Building Drive to kick-start theirprogress towards meeting those goals.

Good luck to you all!

It’s quite an achievement when any mem-ber is awarded his or her black badge for intro-ducing six new members to BNI, but Ashford(Kent) Chapter’s Ray Johnson has passed thatmilestone more than four times over!

Insurance consultant Ray has introducedno fewer than 25 new faces to BNI in just fiveyears, and SuccessNet wonders how manyother members - if any - can beat his total.

Ray joined BNI’s Folkestone Chapter in1998 and was twice its Chapter Director, bring-ing in 20 new members over a four year peri-od.“Sadly, despite my best efforts that chapterwas disbanded so I joined the new Ashford

Chapter just over a year ago, since when I’veintroduced five new members,” said Ray. “It’snot difficult to get guests along to the meet-ings. The secret is being aware of every oppor-tunity that arises to invite people.“

SuccessNet has also learned of seven otherblack badge recipients in the past few weeks.They are Chris Barbour (Bolton Chapter), RoyBroad (Telford Chapter), Alan Brown(Knavesmire Chapter, York), Rory Buchanan(Newry Chapter, Northern Ireland); AnneOgilivie-Wheeler (Poole Chapter), KimSharman (Andover Chapter), and DavidWalker( Glasgow’s Phoenix Chapter).

WHAT A LOT HE GOT: Ray Johnson (centre) has plenty to smileabout after receiving his Gold Club membership for recruiting25 members to BNI.

Ray’s 25-not-out tops Gold Club charts


N e w s

Meet banker Graham Rogers, whowas named as BNI’s 10,000th UKmember as SuccessNet went to pressjust before Christmas.

The Business Development Manager forNatWest Bank based in High Wycombe,Graham had no idea that he was about tofeature in the annals of BNI’s history whenhe applied to join the town’s new SwanChapter a few weeks earlier, only being toldof his membership milestone after his appli-cation was accepted.

Not that there was ever any doubt aboutGraham’s suitability for BNI – because he’dpreviously been a committed and highlyproductive member of BNI’s very first UKchapter in Harrow, reluctantly forced torelinquish his seat when the Bank trans-ferred him to High Wycombe last May.

“Having experienced the benefits of BNImembership for several years, I was obvious-ly very disappointed when I had to give upmy chair at Harrow Chapter to someoneelse, so it was great news when I learned that

a new group was being developed in HighWycombe. I applied to join immediately.

“The organisation has been very goodfor many of my NatWest and Royal Bank ofScotland colleagues around the UK and I amdelighted to be back in the BNI family.Discovering I was the 10,000th member ofBNI in the UK has made a happy occasioneven more pleasant,” said Graham.

Martin Lawson, BNI’s National Directorsaid: “When we introduced the concept ofgiver’s gain to British business exactly sevenyears ago, we believed it would be as wellreceived here as it had been in NorthAmerica, where it is now 20 years old. Whatwe did not know is that BNI would grow farmore quickly in the UK and Ireland than ithas in a dozen other countries around theworld, and that is very gratifying.”

He said that recent research carried outamong North West chapters had confirmedthat the average annual value of BNI mem-bership in well-established chapters was£26,000 while even in newer chapters with astable membership, a typical member’s seataround his chapter’s breakfast table wasworth over £20,000. “Of course, for manymembers, the rewards are substantiallygreater but even these figures show BNI’svalue – before we even considering thehuge impact BNI makes in terms of the busi-ness, educational and personal develop-ment training resources it offers to everymember.”

You can contact Graham Rogers on07909 894191

Sussex has become the first BNI regionin the UK to attract more than 500 mem-bers. From the launch of its first chapter atEastbourne in May 1998, local business hastaken to BNI’s givers gain philosophy like aduck to water, with the result that there arenow 21 chapters in East and West Sussexwith an average of 24 members per chapter.

A key factor in BNI’s continuing south coastgrowth is that in Sussex no BNI group is allowed tofall by the wayside, even if it has lost its direction.“We have learnt that there is nothing we cannotput right,” said Executive Director Andrew Hall.“If achapter follows BNI’s procedures, it cannot fail, sowe know that if any group starts to struggle, it mustbe because we have stopped doing things the rightway. With some usually simple adjustments, wesoon put the chapter back on course again.”

Lest anyone doubts the Sussex way of revitalis-ing a group that has temporarily lost its way,Andrew points to the recent experience ofBrighton’s Albion Chapter.“For a number of reasons– personality clashes and slack adherence to proce-dures – the group slumped to an all-time low.Working closely together as a team, and havingrenewed its commitment to BNI procedures, theChapter quickly regenerated itself and is today oneof the largest, most vibrant in the region – so muchso, that it recently received the coveted FoundersAward for outstanding performance from Dr IvanMisner,” he said.

Looking ahead to BNI’s next five yearsin Sussex, Andrew said there was no rea-son why the number of chapters couldnot be doubled. “We will open newgroups wherever there is a demand, andthis usually follows our development ofa successful chapter, when would-bemembers find themselves ‘locked out’bythe one-trade, one-member rule.

“You can bet it won’t be long beforemore chapters are up and running intowns like Hailsham and East Grinsteadwhere we have no BNI representation.”

And Graham makes it 10,000!

Sussex’s 500 members

BRILLIANT BRIGHTON: Members of Brighton Albion Chapter celebrate a dra-matic revival to full capacity.

MAKING HISTORY: NatWest Business Development Manager, Graham Rogers (centre) with Martin Levison, BNI RegionalDirector (left) and Martin Bugg, NatWest Regional Business Manager after becoming BNI’s 10,000th UK member.


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

John makes a smart move!When you work in Oxford -

a city not noted for makingjourneys easy – you need tothink smart. And, if you’re a BNImember, you also know how tomaximise every opportunity topromote your business.

So, when John Rayment ofAccounting By Computer, invested in a Smart carto get him around, he enlisted the help of severalBNI colleagues in Oxford Chapter to ensure hisbusiness would also be noticed while he was onthe move!

“I travel about a lot and always need to park

in tight spaces, so a Smart Car seemed the way togo, especially when I knew I could call on BNImembers to provide me with a colourfullydesigned vehicle that would be noticed andhopefully attract more business,” he said.

Five BNI colleagues helped put the resulting‘mobile advertisement’ on the road! Laurie Grayarranged the contract hire, Peter Lawrence, theManaging Director of Oxford Designers &Illustrators created the signs which were pro-duced by Malcolm Ware’s Sign-A-Rama, JamesHawkins photographed the ‘unveiling’ andAntony David of Spriggs David Marketingarranged local press publicity.

John can be contacted on: 01280 848637

Members solve Yeovil ‘murder’Members of the Yeovil and Wells Chapters

got together recently for a spooky ‘whodunnit’night at Yeovil’s Ash House Country Hotel, lis-tening in ‘horror’ as clues were unfolded toreveal a cold-blooded murder had been com-mitted while they’d been eating dinner!

“We decided a murder-mystery eveningwould make an interesting chapter get-togeth-er,” said Rob Smith, who organised the event.“The ‘suspects’ were all professional actors, andprovided us with great entertainment.”

Life Coach Jude Glide had obviously trainedher table in the art of crime detection, sincethey were awarded the bottle of champagne forbeing first to guess who committed the crime!

Try as they might, Tom Harrison’scolleagues couldn’t persuade him tojoin their Liverpool BNI chapter. Heloved his bed too much and refused toface those early morning starts!

So when one of his clients, IndigoChapter Director Richard Spencer, finallypersuaded him to grasp the nettle and giveit a go, fellow members didn’t even bat aneyelid when he turned up to one of his firstmeetings in pyjamas and a dressing gown!

“It’s true I hate getting up so early to goto the meetings,” admitted Tom, a Liverpoolinsurance broker.“That’s why BNI colleaguesKarl Hamell and Chris Tratt, who work in mybranch, never managed to get me alongdespite very persistent efforts.“

“When Richard finally pushed me into it,I must have been one of the most reluctantguests ever to attend a BNI breakfast meet-ing. But, he was right because, once I wasthere I liked it so much I had little hesitationin joining,” Tom added. “I’d never been onefor very early starts, but from the moment Isaw how much business is done throughBNI, my bed seemed a bit less important.”

In fact, Tom’s appearance in pyjamas anddressing gown shortly after joining theIndigo Chapter had nothing to do with himover-sleeping. “The pyjamas were actuallyintended to emphasise the advantages ofdoing business with my company, AjaxInsurance, and making my memory hook‘you can sleep at night with Ajax’more mem-orable! I hope it made a good impression.”

One of BNI’s oldest UK chaptersreached a major milestone at the end oflast year when its 10,000th referral waspassed across the table.

Northwood Chapter was only thesecond BNI group to be launched in theUK, just 24 hours after the opening ofHarrow Chapter in December 1996.

Michael Baxter, a maintenance con-sultant passed the landmark referral tosolicitor Howard Smith for some resi-dential conveyance contracts. “It wasn’tthe biggest referral I’ve ever had fromBNI,” commented Howard, “but it wascertainly a major event in our chapter’shistory and we’re now looking forwardto the next 10,000!”

Howard can be contacted on:0208 864 0722

Tom’s great at night-working

Northwood’smilestone referral

PYJAMA GAME? No, it’s just Liverpool Indigo’s insurancebroker Tom Harrison making a memorable impression.

TEAM EFFORT: John Rayment (second left) taking delivery of his Smart car,watched by chapter colleagues

I’M YOUR NEW DOOR HOST: Well, for one night at least, as Yeoviland Wells members have murder on their minds.



Members cotton onto Donna’s virtual servicesVirtual secretary Donna Cotton is finding that her services are

becoming virtually indispensable – even though she hasn’t evermet many of the customers referred to her by her BNI colleagues.

A member of Stone Chapter in Staffordshire, Donna is delighted with theresponse from her chapter and happy to admit that while she is looking formore clients from all over the UK, she doesn’t get to meet the majority of them!

“We provide a professional telephone answering service for our customerswhen they are out and about, using their own company name, “ said Donna,who runs DD services from Stoke-on-Trent. “They simply transfer their numberto my service when their office is unattended, and thanks to some clever elec-tronics, my staff can then answer their calls. It’s far more efficient and user-friendly than waiting for a dodgy answering machine message.“

She added:“It must be pretty unusual in BNI for a member to win new busi-ness without meeting the clients, but because we provide a simple and effec-tive service nationwide, my customers are happy to enjoy the benefits to theirbusinesses without necessarily coming face to face with us.”

Donna says it’s a virtual certainty she can help most small to medium sizedbusinesses. For a chat with the real Donna, call her on 01782 824411

Members of Stirling Chapter have noexcuses if they fail to make the most oftheir 10 minute presentations and 60-second infomercials, thanks to the pres-ence in their midst of Gillian McNeish,one of the few freelance writers in BNI.

Finding herself unable to continue workingas a medical secretary following an accident,Gillian decided to use her writing skills to setup her own company, Wordz, specialising inspeeches and presentations. Once in business,her first priority was to join BNI in the hope thatit would increase her business – and, after 18months, she’s not been disappointed.

“I didn’t really expect much from BNI,” saidGillian,“but I was pleasantly surprised. After lis-tening to some of my new colleagues’ presen-tations, it was clear that quite a few were hav-ing difficulty putting their messages acrosseffectively. There was often too much wafflingand at the end of the 10 minutes we some-times weren’t any the wiser about what theirbusinesses involved, or how we could help.

“So I started offering a combined speech-writing and speechmaking service for them,firstly giving them the right words and thenshowing them how to make more memorablepresentations. It has turned out to be a hugesuccess,” she added. “Presentations in theChapter are now of a much higher standardand more than a few colleagues say that theirconfidence has increased dramatically.”

Gillian McNeish can be contacted on01259 725226

Say it with WordzStafford sings for its education!Stafford Chapter members have

found themselves regularly exercisingtheir vocal chords at weekly meetings,ever since Jonathon Mosley introduceda new style of education programme!

As Education Co-ordinator, Jonathandecided it was time to liven up the weeklyeducation slot so he designed a ‘wheel ofknowledge’, with each segment revealing dif-ferent aspects of BNI training. But there was acatch: to get the wheel spinning: members hadto sing a Jonathan-composed ditty!

“I wanted to make the education slot funbut it needed a serious note, so I designed thewheel of knowledge and got my colleaguessinging, and then followed up with a topic thatwould hit home. I also produced an adventcalendar – with each date offering a differentbusiness education theme – and before weidentified the topic, my colleagues had to singa variation of ‘The 12 days of Christmas’ classic.I don’t think some of them have forgiven me!”

Jonathan can be contacted on 01785

227 227

Gone to the dogs!Members of North Bristol based Severn

View Chapter are pictured outsideSwindon’s Greyhound Stadium, after going

to the dogs in their quest to make evenmore money. Tracy Graham, MembershipCo-ordinator said: “Bringing members

together informally and buildingbusiness relationships in arelaxed atmosphere is importantfor the group’s continuing suc-cess. Our night at the dog’s was agreat excuse to have fun together,even though some of us lostmore money than we won!”

The event was organised bychapter members HeatherParsons and Christy Tollast fromthe PR & event managementcompany, eventframework.

GROWING FAST: thanks to all her colleagues’ referrals – but Stone Chapter’s Donna Cottonrarely meets her new customers!


In Brief

A wild bit of BNIco-operation!

When Stone Chapter mem-ber Emma Hall (picturedbelow, left) needed to empow-er her 220-strong UK-wideAloe Vera products team, sheturned to colleague, businesscoach Tony Burgess of ARCTraining to deliver the goods.

A third chapter colleague,Marie Von Wurzbach of theStaffordshire Wildlife Trustcame up with an inspiring ruralvenue, and the event photog-raphy was handled by anotherStone member, John Fisher.

Emma can be contactedon 01785 286140

Hull memberswell con-tent!

More than 80 membersand guests from three Hullchapters have pitched togeth-er under canvas to raise £1,300for children’s charity, KIDS.

The ‘Event in a Tent’ wasorganised by Helen Downsfrom the Hull Friday Chapter,who seized an eleventh houroffer to use a large marquee ata local pub.“ I had a lot of helpfrom members of the city’sTuesday and Wednesday chap-ters and we soon provided asinger, a disco, laid on a meal,an auction and dancing,” saidHelen, pictured below.

The money raised will gotowards providing a nurseryfor mothers of children withlearning difficulties.

Call Helen on 01482 219561

THE THINGS YOU

When you want to draw attention to BNI’sstyle of networking, lounge around on thebreakfast table wearing your best silk pyja-mas. It works – as Kidderminster ChapterDirector Louise Jew and her colleagues havejust proved!

Wanting to issue a unique “wake up” call to busi-nesses in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershireand raise BNI’s profile, members of the Chapter’sleadership team arrived for a routine pre-Christmasmeeting in their pyjamas - arousing much merrimentamong colleagues and considerable interest in thelocal business community.

“We knew it would provide an unusual photo-shoot opportunity and thanks to our Chapter pho-tographer Chris Bridgewater, the resulting pressrelease and photographs gained good coverage inour local weekly paper, the Kidderminster Shuttle,and in the regional Express & Star evening newspa-per,” said Louise.

“We challenged local businesses to wake up tothe benefits of getting up at the crack of dawn andattending BNI breakfasts, where they would find fel-low members acting as an extended sales force forthem, and it certainly had an impact.”

“The press coverage led directly to extra visitorsthe following week, with several others phoning andemailing for further information, which we hope willlead to even more visitors over the coming weeks.

LOUNGING AROUND – but for a good, purpose, is Kidderminster BNI Chapter DDawn Lloyd, Visitor Host Richard Brown, Secretary/Treasurer Nick Webb, and E

Want to do busi

If you thought some BNI colleagues couldlook pretty ghastly at 6.45 in the morning, youshould have seen members of London’sIslington Chapter when they decided to becomeghouls and skeletons, witches and wizards forthe night – staging a belated Halloween net-working and chapter building party. Around 30guests were wooed during the ghoulish celebra-tions and despite the ghastly appearance ofsome members, organiser Joanne Silversteinwas confident the event would lead to theChapter gaining several new, more human faces.

FRIGHTENING? Hardly! Two of Islington’s least scary witches smilefor the camera

Town Crier makes markBNI Rochester member Steve Root thinks he’s

found the perfect substitute. When overseas busi-ness recently forced him to miss a chapter meeting,he was determined not to let his colourful 60-secondinfomercials skip even a week, so he paid the localTown Crier to take his place at the breakfast table!

Steve said: “I get more referrals by ensuring mypresentation is the most memorable of the morningand I always know when I’ve delivered a good onebecause people will talk about it, often months later.

“I’d been looking at the possibility of bringing inthe Town Crier for a couple of years, but this was thefirst time I’d had had a reason not to be at my chap-ter meeting. Ken Tappenden, our Town Crier wasdelighted when I invited him to take my place.”

Steve’s reputation for memorable presentationsled to his receiving a ‘notable networker’ badge fromDr Ivan Misner, after BNI’s Founder witnessed one ofhis 60-second deliveries during a visit to the Chapter.

You can contact Steve Root on 01227 751130

Witch chapterwas that?


In Brief

Bethan getshigh-MINDed…

North Wales beauticianBethan Jones has been aim-ing high recently, scalingthe heights of both her‘local’ Snowdon and Peru’srather more fearsomeMachu Picchu - all for a veryworthwhile cause. With thehelp of fellow members ofRossett Chapter nearWrexham and Prestatyn’sMostyn Chapter, she hasraised over £3,500 for men-tal health charity, MIND.

“Phil Cox from theMostyn group helped meorganise a sponsored fancydress walk up Snowdona few months ago, andGraeme Allsop, my chapter’scaterer, supplied lunch forus to eat at the top,”she said.

“Then members of mychapter sponsored me totake part in a 5-day trekacross the Andes in Peru. Itwas a wonderful experi-ence,” Bethan added.

…and Andrewscales heights

Meanwhile, BournemouthChapter’s Andrew Beard isused to scaling the heightsas an accomplished moun-taineer, but when he recent-ly tackled the 14,000 feetGran Paradiso in the Alps,he had more than the usualincentive to reach the top.

Sponsored by his chaptercolleagues, Andrew was raisingmoney for the Tenovus CancerCharity’s £1million DiamondAppeal to double the capacityof cancer services at the RoyalBournemouth Hospital.

Andrew is a BusinessDevelopment Manager for FirstCapital Finance and joined BNIjust six months ago, but he’salready delighted with hismembership. “It is proving tobe good for business,” he said.

Contact Andrew on 01202 512233

WILL DO TO GET YOUR CHAPTER NOTICED!

And of course, our choice of bed-time attire led to avery lively meeting,” she added.

For further information contact Louise Jewon 01384 872776 or 07974 102381

Director Louise Jew (front) with (from left) Membership Co-ordinatorEducation Co-ordinator Loretta Digger.

iness with us?

Pudsy puts Egbert on TV

Cannock’s ‘Angels’ hammer message homeBewildered passers by stared in amaze-

ment as this intrepid BNI trio, calling them-selves ‘Cannock’s Angels’ took to thetown’s streets a few weeks ago, brandish-ing spanners, hammers, saws and chisels!

In a hands-on bid, quite literally, to attractmore craftsmen and tradespeople into the

Cannock chapter, members Bryn Jones, PhilBradford and Maureen Crumblehome, (picturedbelow), armed themselves with the tools of theirsought-after trades and toured the town centre’sstreets in search of prospective colleagues.

“We’ve got a healthy chapter membershipfrom all the usual professions but not a single-tradesman,” said Bryn.“There’s a high demand for

electricians, builders, plumbers and decora-tors but no-one to receive all the referrals wewant to hand out! So we decided to ‘grasp themetal’ and go out and get them, by doing amail-shot to selected trades in Cannock andthen by accosting passers-by!”

Cannock’s imminent Visitors’ Day will beproof of their success, although they havealready received a good response from theirmail-shot as well as coverage of their streettactics in the local press!

Contact Bryn on 01785 612184

Members of Middlesborough’s Egbert Chapter, look-ing resplendent in plastic bowler hats, found themselveson TV after raising £650 for the recent BBC Children inNeed Appeal. Pictured below handing their cheque toPudsy, the Appeal’s mascot are (from left to right):Treasurer Neil Hodgson, Pam Ainsley, Regional DirectorTony Sillers, Sue Dixon, Membership Co-ordinator JulieNattrass and Chapter Director Ian Moreton. Holding thecheque are Sarah and James Nattrass aged 5 and 8.

The money came from a members’ auction held dur-ing one of their breakfast meetings which, together with‘fines’ for using selected forbidden words during their 60-second slots, did the business – providing an entertain-ing and profitable way of helping the Appeal.

Anyone interested in joining Egbert Chapter iswelcome to contact Ian on 07711 689333


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

Optimising the BNI Opportunity

Do you want a successful Chapter?Do you want plenty of referral business?Of course you do, but how do weachieve these goals?

I am often asked: ‘What sort of businessdoes well in BNI’? The truth is that all business-es offering a service or product can do well,since success, or the lack of it, is more down tothe individual’s attitude rather than the serviceor product they offer.

There are three key points that I believehelp members to optimise the BNI opportunity.As an individual the most important thing is tobe an ACE! That is to say, you need to comewith the right Attitude, have Commitment tothe process and have bags of Enthusiasm.

The right attitude means greeting all ofyour fellow members with warmth and sinceri-ty every time you meet. It means listening tothem and finding out what it is that they arelooking for. It means making the effort to edu-cate them as to what business you want.

Having commitment means arriving ontime, being there weekly, and sending a substi-tute if you can’t! It means keeping appoint-ments and doing ‘one to ones’ with fellowmembers, and providing the best service orproduct without fail to them and to their con-tacts. In other words, you must honour thereferrals you get. It means coming to the train-ing workshops and perhaps most of all, askingwhat you can do for your fellow members. Youwill get referrals if you take this approach.

Being enthusiastic is vital – by the bucket-ful! If you can’t be enthusiastic about what youdo, how can you expect your BNI colleagues tobe enthusiastic and remember what you do?And how can you find referrals for them, if youdon’t share their enthusiasm? A sale is notabout the transfer of products or services fromone person to another, but the transfer of enthu-siasm for the product or service from oneto another!

So, what else can you do to optimise theBNI opportunity? Two obvious answers areyour 60-second infomercials and the 10 minutepresentation. One thing many people fail to dois to be specific about what they are looking for.Everyone wants MORE business and MORE cus-tomers, but you need to name the companiesyou would like to work for, and better still,name people within those companies youwant to speak to. Being specific really works!

BNI’s philosophy is ‘Givers Gain’, for which Irecently read a great description. It said: ‘(Thisethos means) pursuing business for your fellowmembers with the same gusto as you would pur-sue business for yourself’. So leave behind yourold attitudes of guarding your contacts, andshare them. Referrals are all around you but,before joining BNI you had no reason to takeadvantage. Now you do! You know that if yougive, a fellow member will give back to you.

So much for optimising the opportunitiesas an individual. But what can you do as achapter, as a team? In my book, ‘Team’ standsfor:

Together Everyone Achieves More.

As with all organisations, the challenge is toget everyone moving in the same direction atthe same time! One of the biggest differencescan be made by members collectively settingtargets for their chapter.There is no better goalthan having a full chapter – that is, 40 members– because throughout BNI it has been proventhat larger chapters do disproportionatelymore business than the smaller ones. So, whilea chapter of 20 people might expect to passaround 70 referrals a month, a 40-strong groupwill pass up to 400 referrals in the same time!

To achieve this full chapter, it is essentialnot only to invite visitors every week, but alsoto follow up their visits with courtesy phonecalls to thank them for coming and ask if theyhave any questions.The chapters who are mostsuccessful in converting visitors to members,all have very good follow up procedures. Doesyour chapter? If not, introduce a follow-up sys-tem as a chapter code.

Finally, as a group, you need to identifythose categories missing from your chapter,and invite individuals or businesses to fill thembecause then, every member of the group willreceive direct benefits. In doing so, rememberthat potential guests may not be able to comethe first week you invite them, but they willturn up eventually. A ‘no thanks’ is actually aholding action, meaning the timing is not rightor something is preventing the invitee fromattending at that time. So, invite them again ina few weeks or months.

BNI offers a structure and discipline toword-of-mouth marketing which makes thegiving and receiving of quality referrals a reallikelihood. Members who really work at devel-oping their skills and contacts within BNI - bothas individuals and collectively, really are ‘opti-mising the BNI opportunity’.

‘Being veryenthusiastic is

crucial’says Tony Sillars

By Tony Sillars, Executive Director forDurham and Cumbria

‘The right attitudemeans greeting all ofyour fellow memberswith warmth & sincerityevery time you meet. ’


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

Reyna gets new lease of life with BNI!

Says Jeff Matthews,Director of LeedsArmouries ThursdayChapter

Nearly two years ago,the Armouries ThursdayChapter in Leeds was one

of the first BNI groups in theUK to reach 40 members. Today the “fullhouse”signs are up again as the group headstowards its self-imposed limit of 45 but, inbetween times, our crown slipped as mem-bers started to leave, and others were askedto improve their efforts – a message that wasnot always appreciated.

I’d like to think the Chapter’s successfulregeneration is the direct result of some spe-cific and perhaps innovative steps that itsleadership team has taken in recent months,together with our determination to stickfirmly to BNI’s rules and procedures, resistingthe temptation to interpret them as we

might have wanted.Having gone through a necessary shake-

up earlier this year when we asked all mem-bers to review their commitment to BNI, andredouble their efforts to make our chapterthe best in Yorkshire, we addressed what weregarded as the greatest single weakness:that of nurturing new members through aneffective learning process, helping them tobecome happy and effective, rather thanseeing them wither and eventually drop out.

To co-ordinate this programme of sup-port for new members, we turned to one ofthe Chapter’s longest serving and mostcapable members Jim Vincent who hasmade a huge success of his new mentoringrole, showing newcomers how to find – aswell as receive – referrals, how to win theconfidence of their chapter colleagues, andgenerally get the most from their member-ship as quickly as possible. Because he is alsoour Training Co-ordinator, Jim ensures thatall newcomers participate in BNI’s new mem-ber training sessions, but most important, heis always there to provide help and advicewhenever it is needed.

At the same time, we recognised thatnew and experienced members alike need-ed ongoing business education to get thebest from BNI, so we made sure that our edu-cation slot was seen as the most importantpart of the weekly agenda. Under the guid-ance of our Educational Co-ordinator ErikaRitchie, we generate plenty of good ideas formembers by positioning the significance ofBNI procedures, and then looking at specificissues such as how to improve third partyreferrals, quality presentations and developrelationships through one-to-ones.

Of course, before Jim or Erika could fulfil

their roles, it was crucial to bring in newmembers, which meant we had to ensureour meetings attracted a steady stream ofvisitors and that a significant number ofthese would want to join the chapter. Wedecided the role of visitor host was so impor-tant that we appointed four members as vis-itor hosts, dividing the functions betweenthem and giving one host – Tony Pratt – spe-cific responsibility for ‘de-briefing’ all our vis-itors at the end of each meeting.

His job is to find out whether meetingshave met the expectations of visitors, answertheir questions and make sure they leavewith a very positive feeling about BNI. Thefact that since I became Chapter Directorthree months ago, at least half of all our visi-tors have become members shows just howwell he performs this task.

There is one other reason for our resur-gence: we stick to BNI’s tried and trusted pro-cedures. Every member of the leadershipteam knows his or her duties and, becausethey have been well trained, they carry themout in exemplary fashion. Similarly, we main-tain a good discipline and members whooccasionally stray out of line are reminded oftheir obligations. It rarely causes difficulty,but we would rather lose and replace some-one who is not committed, than risk damag-ing the group’s collective motivation.

The result is a highly focused group whocome together each week to do goodbusiness, and who achieve good levels ofbusiness because things run smoothly. Ifsomething isn’t working properly we knowimmediately how to fix it – and so far, theresults are very satisfactory.

Jeff Matthews is the Regional BusinessRelationship and Sales Manager forAbbey in Yorkshire. He can be contactedon 01924 865573 or 07899 064328

Sticking to the rules brings lasting rewards

STANDING TALL: Members of the highly successfulArmouries Thursday Chapter in Leeds show their strength inmaintaining full capacity

Bristol entrepreneur, Reyna Knight is livingproof that you’re never too old to start up anew business venture, especially when there’sBNI to spice it up!

Sixty-seven year old Reyna, a member ofBristol’s Hadlee Chapter, recently embarked ona new business venture marketing ForeverLiving Products, after disposing of her trainingand sugar-craft businesses because the regula-tions governing them became too demanding.

“While I was on the training course for mynew business, I heard about BNI from a col-

league who was in the process of joining, so Idecided to find out more about the organisa-tion. I went to a meeting and became afounder member of the new Hadlee Chapter.At first I was dubious about finding referralsbut in practice it hasn’t been a problem and itgives me a real boost when I can pass on busi-ness to others.”

Reyna is so enjoying her new lease of busi-ness life that she had a special T-shirt printedto celebrate her 67th birthday with chaptercolleagues. Contact Reyna on 01275 849997

They may still be relatively new to the BNIways of successful breakfast meetings, but theDutch Alphen aan den Rijn Haecinia Chapterwill take some beating when it comes to theoriginality of its door prizes – which reachednew highs just before Christmas when a reallive crowing rooster with particularly healthylungs was passed across the table!

The expression on recipient HenkSchiermeier’s face suggests that his initial reac-tion was “What on earth am I to do with this?”and he could be forgiven for thinking heshould have perhaps waited a week beforepassing on his referrals – but he quicklyregained composure to welcome the gift fromcolleague André Troost of Troost BusinessTheater at the end of André’s 10-minute pres-entation.

“André kept us all hanging on his everyword with a fascinating account of his busi-ness, with every second of his performancemasterfully used to maximum effect. It was an

inspiring lesson for everyone, and I guess itshould have come as no great surprise that heshould crown it with an inspired door prize,”said Henk.

“We all wondered what was going on whenAndré walked to the door and grabbed some-thing from behind it. There was a great deal oflaughter and a standing ovation when he pre-sented me with a very lively, lustily crowingrooster in a beautiful cage,” he added.

André told SuccessNet: “My gesture sym-bolised the fact that you have to do somethingnoticeable to be remembered, but it also per-fectly fitted my memory hook, which is “Youhave to crow to be heard!”

More mirth followed as Henk left thebreakfast meeting clutching his business cardholder in one hand and the tirelessly crowingrooster in the other, but the bird’s bemusedrecipient was to have the last laugh.

After taking the rooster to a local farmwhere it was happily introduced to its 34 newwives, Henk kept the rooster’s fate a secretfrom his chapter colleagues.

The following week he delivered André ashort testimonial - “There is no better fowlerthan Troost Business Theater” before handinghim the seemingly empty cage. On the cagefloor was a plate containing a few feathers anda couple of chicken bones. gnawed clean. “Oneday I’ll tell André what happened, but not justyet!” he said.

What do a fake James Bond and areal live rooster have in common?

You may well wonder – but bothwere given recently as great examplesof imaginative door prizes…

When commercial investigator CharlieRobertson walked through the door to his veryfirst meeting of the Glasgow’s Evolution chap-ter he could never have expected to be walk-ing out an hour and a half later with a life-sizedPierce Brosnan!

He received the unusual cardboard cut-outof the latest James Bond actor as a door prizefrom Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage advisorJames Frew who, it seems, is fanatical aboutJames Bond. “I was quite surprised when they

announced that I had won something on myfirst day in BNI, and expected a small wrappedgift of some sort. I was staggered when Jamesproduced Pierce Brosnan, but he was rightwhen he said it made an unusual prize!”

“What he couldn’t have known is just whata boost it would be to my business. Pierce’sgun-touting cut-out has guarded my officeever since that day, and he has proved anamazing entree for me to talk about BNI withmy clients,” said Charlie. In fact, so good hasPierce been in helping to bring in referrals, thathe won Charlie the Notable Networker prizefor 12 referrals in a month!“I just can’t express how fantastic BNI is,” saidCharlie,“It’s changed my life, I’ve becomemore outgoing, more confident and I enjoy

my life and work much more now. I can hon-estly say that in business terms, BNI (or maybeit was Pierce!) has swept me off my feet!”


D o o r P r i z e s ( w i t h a d i f f e r e n c e )

Whilst not strictly receiving it as a doorprize, Maidstone Chapter’s Brian Relf and ChrisJenner weren’t complaining – too much – afterbeing elected as “official tasters” of some fineIrish whiskies, immediately after they’d paid ajet-setting visit to Ireland’s Cork Chapter.

The lucky pair were given the post-breakfast‘prize’ during a tour of Cork’s Jameson whisky dis-tillery, sampling the malts on behalf of their chap-ter colleagues who had been unable to make the

trip. At least, that was their excuse.“It was a terri-ble job, but somebody had to do it!” said Brian.

The distillery tour was part of a three-day visitto Cork by 10 members of the Kent chapter –arranged between Health & Safety consultantsPeter Hopkins from BNI’s Maidstone group andDan Cronin in Cork. It was the first time an Englishchapter has visited the Republic and the eventwas so successful that the Cork Chapter nowplans a return visit to Maidstone in the Spring.

From Glasgow with love….

…but, Maidstone duo get best prize of all

…and from Holland, a real live two-legged prize

A BIRD IN THE HAND: Is a bit of a surprise, says Henk Schiermeier(right) as he collects his door prize from Andre Troost.

A TOUGH JOB: But someone has to taste all this whisky, sayMaidstone’s Brian Relf and Chris Jenner

THE NAME IS BOND: Well, it’s Charlie Robertson actually, with mynew mate Pierce Brosnan.

When your meeting venue burns down just two working days before you’re due toarrive for the weekly BNI breakfast, what do you do? Why, network of course!

That was the first thing on Trevor Wood’s mind, after he listened in disbelief to the news onhis local radio that that the town’s WhitefieldsHotel, home to his Phoenix Chapter, had beenrazed to the ground overnight. “We obviouslycouldn’t meet there the following Tuesday, soMembership Co-ordinator Paul Turner and Icontacted everyone by e-mail, asking for newvenue suggestions,” said Chapter DirectorTrevor (pictured centre). Fortunately, help wassoon at hand, when Brownsover Hall, a hoteland conference centre offered suitable facilities.

What happens if your traditionally successful chapter hits a plateau, and the buzz disappearsfrom the breakfast table? Why, you attract new members of course – and perhaps a new venuetoo! That’s proved the double recipe for revival in Knutsford where, after two years of great per-formance, the Cheshire chapter lost some of its fizz early last year.

To kick-start its revival, a successful Visitors’ Day was staged, from which five new memberswere recruited, one of whom, Tracy Barton - owner of Knutsford’s ROOM lounge bar and restau-rant - was quick to see the potential of hosting thegroup’s weekly meetings.

The group transferred to ROOM four months ago,since then when it has not looked back, as the smiles inour photo comfirms. The Chapter’s referral rate is alsosoaring – not least thanks to Tracy who, in her first twomonths gave business to nearly two-thirds of her BNIcolleagues, earning a ‘notable networker’ award.


N e w s E x t r a

Some chapters grow to their optimum40-member size within a year. A few havemanaged it in just six months. But in Carlisle,members of the town’s Edwin Chapter,passed that milestone in less than twoweeks – and have remained there ever since!

To mark their unprecedented success,members of the Chapter were presentedwith a top award at BNI’s InternationalConference held in Los Angeles, for becom-ing the UK’s fastest-ever chapter to reach 40members. It was received on the group’sbehalf by Durham and Cumbria ExecutiveDirector Tony Sillars who described EdwinChapter’s achievement as “fantastic.”

From the moment BNI arrived inEngland’s northernmost city, it was alwaysgoing to be special, as Chapter Director GaryPollard explained. “People used to say thatbecause of its remote location, Carlisle was

three years behind the rest of the country,but we’re proving that local business peopleare as pro-active as anyone.

“We had over 140 people attend theChapter’s launch in May by which time wealready had 21 members and visitors wereso impressed with what they saw, we dou-bled our membership to 42 in just 10 days. Itwas incredible having over 40 members

attend just our third breakfast meeting, andit’s a reflection of the strong personalitiesand dynamism within the group, that wehaven’t dropped below the 40 mark in ourfirst eight months,” he added. “We’re nowlooking for just a few new faces to keep thegroup vibrant, and we’ll feel very comfort-able with around 45 members.”

Keeping Edwin Chapter members verymuch on their toes is Carlisle’s second BNIgroup, the Eardwulf Chapter, launched lessthan two months ago but already up to 30members. Commenting on their healthyrivalry, Tony Sillars said: “Both are doingextremely well – Edwin passed their 1,000threferral in less than five months – but moresignificantly, BNI has very quickly estab-lished a strong reputation in Cumbria.”

You can contact Gary Pollard on01228 515515

Carlisle slow? No, it’s fastest in the land!

As a visitor to the nearby Conwy andDenbighshire Chapter, estate agentMalcolm Roberts was suitably impressedwhen he witnessed a £2 million deal beingforged over the breakfast table – so muchso that he was determined to found a newchapter just up the road in Llandudno.

Less than a year later Malcolm has spearhead-ed the successful launch of BNI’s seventh NorthWales chapter, becoming Chapter Director ofLlandudno which attracted over 100 local busi-nesses to its recent launch in the town’s GogarthAbbey Hotel the original home of Alice inWonderland - now renamed Penmorfa Hotel.

As befits a major event in the home of LewisCarroll’s fantasy world, the launch breakfast camecomplete with a huge Alice-style teapot accompa-nied, of course, by a sleepy dormouse provided byhotel owner Shelton Fernando.

Malcolm, from Accent Properties estate agentssaid: “It was especially pleasing that Llandudnocompleted BNI’s first ‘Magnificent 7’ chapters inNorth Wales, all established within two years.

“The organisation has been very well receivedin this region and business is booming. Evenbefore our launch, we had signed up a rich seam oftalented core group members, and we were del-uged with people wanting to join us at our launch.”

Alice shares herWonderland with BNI

Rugby’s Phoenix rises from the ashes!

Room for business in Knutsford

GROWING QUICKLY: That’s Edwin Chapter


M i x i n g b u s i n e s s w i t h s p o r t

And in the world of BNI, breakfast ven-ues don’t come much bigger than the cor-porate hospitality suite at the Falcons’ pres-tigious Kingston Park Stadium, alreadyhome to two of BNI’s north-east groups –Collingwood and the aptly-named FalconsChapter – and the venue for a number ofBNI’s major regional networking events.

Since the opening of the Falcons’ WestStand, Kingston Park has become one of theNorth-East’s premier corporate hospitalitylocations, and its Premier Club - the first ofits kind in rugby – now regularly hosts busi-ness meetings and conventions, the first ofwhich was a BNI open day held last autumn,attracting over 150 business people fromTeesside, Durham, Cumbria, Tyne & Wearand Northumberland.

“It is a superb venue for doing business,

and we have been impressed by the level ofprofessionalism the Club has toward its cor-porate clients and our members,” saidLynley Robb, BNI’s Northumbria ExecutiveDirector.“We are always looking for interest-ing locations for our business events andwe felt the ethos exuded by the rugby clubthrough its facilities and sporting prowessmade it an ideal place to bring the region’sbusiness people together.”

BNI’s relationship with the Falcons ishowever a two-way affair. Lynley added:“Our members are keen to help communityprojects run by the rugby club, and after ournetworking event in the autumn we wereable to present a cheque for £1,000 to theClub’s Community Manager Mark Fosterand its Director of Rugby, Rob Andrew,money that will be used to develop the

sport throughout the area.”John Parkinson, Chief

Executive of Newcastle Falconssaid: “We are delighted with ourrelationship with BNI, and grate-ful for their support.

“We want respected organi-sations to choose Kingston Parkand I’m sure our highlyprestigious surroundings helptransfer the atmosphere of on-the-pitch sporting success toany networking or corporatemeeting.”

Football stadiums have long been anattractive business location, even for thosewithout the slightest interest in our nation-al sport, and members of Peterborough’sPosh Chapter are no exception, havingflourished since re-naming themselves andmoving to their permanent base at LondonRoad, the well-equipped home of SecondDivision Peterborough “Posh” United.

Chapter Director Gary Barker said:“It hasproved a popular choice. “We meet in theClub’s executive suite and while it may not

be quite up to Old Trafford standards, it’sstill a very productive environment.”

Meanwhile, just across the county bor-der, the Leicester Tigers Chapter found theirmove to Leicester Rugby Club, home ofrugby’s famous Leicester Tigers, an equallywinning formula, while in neighbouringNottinghamshire, members of NottinghamForest Chapter haven’t looked back sincethey set up shop in the impressive CityGround, home of football’s First DivisionNottingham Forest.

Living alongsideHampden’s heroes…

True to its challenging name, Glasgow’sEvolution Chapter has come of age, relo-cating from its comfortable but nonde-script meeting place in a back-street subur-ban hotel, to a glamorous new venue in thepalatial and dizzy heights of Hampden Park,the prestigious home of Scottish football.

And, like Scotland’s national footballteam which is undergoing something of arenaissance, members of Evolution Chapterreckon they are now well placed to go fromstrength to strength in their new home.“What true Scot could resist the allure ofdoing business in the cherished and hal-lowed venue where the likes of Dennis Lawand Kenny Dalgleish once wore the blueshirt of their home nation in the glorydays?” asked Evolution’s Tracy Butler.

“Having blown the whistle on our for-mer venue, we are really delighted to behere at Hampden. The entire chapter hashad a lift from our new surroundings andwe really do expect this venue to be a greatincentive as we go on our latest member-ship drive. We soon expect to report thatthe boys (and girls) done good!”

For further information contactSecretary Treasurer, Charlie Smith on0141-334 3632 or Chapter Director KlaasDykstra on 01355 276 662.

BNI Scrums down with sporting best

FEEL THE PRIDE: Members of Evolution Chapter in theirmagnificent new Hampden park venue

THANKS VERY MUCH: Newcastle Falcon’s Director of Rugby Rob Andrew(right) receives a cheque from BNI directors Ian and Lynley Robb (left).

Flying high with the Falcons…In the world of rugby union, they don’t come much bigger these days than

the Newcastle Falcons, whose fly half Jonny Wilkinson is now a householdname following his last minute winning drop goal against Australia in therecent World Cup Final.

…Or simply doing business – Posh-style!

Whether it’s rubbing shoulderswith rugby world cup winnerJonny Wilkinson, spotting interna-tional stars at Hampden Park, thehome of Scottish football, or min-gling with lesser sports celebritiesaround the UK, BNI members areincreasingly doing business at someof the country’s top sporting venues.Here, SuccessNet catches up with justa few of the latest chapters to discov-er the hidden benefits of mixingbusiness with professional sport.



How many people does a BNI mem-ber need to present a 60-second slot?One? Two? Surely not more? In the caseof Norwich City Chapter accountant IanFitch, the answer is into double figures!

With the help of 15 chosen colleagues fromaround the table, Ian, an accountant withLarking Gowen, recently delivered his oneminute infomercial based on a perfect rendi-tion of “Oh What a Perfect Day” – altering thewords to reflect his company’s expertise inagricultural accountancy.

In fact, Ian’s infomercials have becomesomething of a local BNI legend in his threeyears as a member, although he admits theyseem to have less and less to do with account-ancy and more to do with the performing arts!

Ian told Successnet: “After joiningBNI I soon realised that what really getsthe message across is not talkingabout accountancy, which is boring,but leaving people with something toremember me by!”

For his ‘piece de resistance’ (the 10-minute presentation) Ian had anothertrick up his sleeve – staging a‘Mastermind’-style show where he playedthe role of quizmaster, and selected memberswere quizzed on their general knowledge ofBNI procedures, while being allocated account-ancy as their (non) ‘chosen’ subject – giving Ianthe opportunity to provide some witty answersabout his expertise.

Fellow member Trevor Gray commented:“Ian won’t mind me saying he’s not the world’s

greatest singer, but after he’d sung his 60-sec-ond infomercial on several occasions, cleverlyre-writing songs and serenading the ladiespresent, it became such a chapter ‘special’ thatI mocked up an ‘Ian Fitch’s Greatest Hits’ CD,complete with label and full cover, and pre-sented it to him during a meeting!”

Ian can be contacted on: 01603 624181

All members appreciate the value ofone-to-one meetings away from theirchapters for developing relationshipswith colleagues, but three Belfast CityChapter members were prepared to gomore than the extra mile to make suretheirs was successful!

As well as sharing high business values,fruit and vegetable wholesaler StevenThompson, accountant Jim McCormick andsecurity consultant Kostas Goumas have longheld another common interest – a passion forfootball. So when Northern Ireland playedGreece in last autumn’s European Cup quali-

fiers, the opportunity to mix business withpleasure proved just too strong for this intrep-id trio – who justified a 3,000-mile round trip toAthens by staging a serious “one-to-two” busi-ness meeting in the Greek capital.

Steven, who arranged the trip, said:“Kostashas lived in Ireland for over 20 years, but hisnative home is Athens, so Jim and I thought thetrip would be a great way to get to know moreabout him and his business, and develop ourworking relationships. We actually learnt somuch more about Kostas’s background bymeeting his family and old friends.”

Call Steven Thompson on 07710 976929

Sparks were flying at a recent meeting ofGreenock’s James Watt Chapter in celebrationof a new business venture formed betweentwo of its members.

Electrician Joe Wilkin and property mainte-nance consultant Don Morrison, were both sole

traders who had known each other for years,but it wasn’t until they joined BNI that theyrealised just how much more successful theywould be if they joined forces!

“We used to work together, but I left to setup as an electrician and Don set up a property

maintenance business a few years later.We often worked together on jobs andwhen Don decided to join BNI, he sug-gested I join as well,” he added.

“As a result we found ourselvesworking together even more and get-ting much busier, so we decided topool our resources and set up a newcompany, called Customhouse UK. Wewould never have embarked on thisjoint venture had it not been for BNI!”

Call Customhouse on 01475 719457

BNI completed its 7th year of UK andIreland expansion with another wave ofchapter launches from Devon to Dundee.

In the South West Midlands threenew chapters were opened within a sin-gle week to herald the latest stream of 30launches, most notable for BNI’s consoli-dation in the North-East where a furtherfour groups have opened their doors.

New UK chapters include: Banbury,Botham (Weston-super-Mare), Capital(Edinburgh), Castle Point (Leigh-on-Sea),Concorde (Bletchingley), Crawford(Sunderland), Discovery (Dundee), Eardwulf(Carlisle), Heathside (Golders Green),Hercules (Preston), Herts of Oak (Codicote,Herts), Ida (Cockermouth), Jetstream(Stockport), Lowry (Manchester), Lowry(Sunderland), Magna Carta (Bury St.Edmunds), Mid Wiltshire, Parade (Bath),Potteries (Newcastle-under-Lyne), Premier(Liverpool), Rougemont (Exeter), Sterling(Liverpool Street, London), Stourbridge,Swan (High Wycombe), Wednesday Chapter(York) and West Swindon.

Meanwhile, BNI’s European expansioncontinues in Germany and the Netherlandswith the launch just before Christmas of twonew groups – Tiger Chapter in Berlin (thesecond to open in the German capital) andthe Saphire Chapter in central Amsterdam.

Oh, what a perfect presentation

Members fuse in James Watt Chapter

One-to-one goes a long way! Another 30

chapters launched

ALL TOGETHER NOW: Accountant Ian Fitch (second left) prepares hisNorwich City colleagues for another rousing session.

JOINT VENTURE: Greenock’s Don Morrison (right) and Joe Wilkin, are reapingthe rewards of their new business partnership


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

As glitzy and glamorous as theBAFTA Awards, the BNI ScotlandAwards Dinner, held at Glasgow’sMarriott Hotel, attracted a recordnumber of more than 350 membersand guests from all over Scotland.

Sponsored by The Royal Bank ofScotland, it is one of BNI’s major annualevents in the UK, with all Scottish memberseligible to win prestigious awards.This time,28 delighted members received accolades,after coming top in a secret ballot, involving

votes cast by all BNI members in Scotland.“The highlight of the evening had to be

Gordon Merrylees’ speech,” said DonSpence, the Gala’s Master of Ceremonies.“Gordon is the Royal Bank’s Senior RegionalManager in Glasgow and I was surprised tolearn that this was one of his first speechesto such a large audience. He was a real natu-ral and had the audience in stitches with hishumour, delivering a powerful messageabout the Bank’s relationship with BNI.”

Other guest speakers included formerBritish Motor Rally Champion, Penny

Mallory and former Governor of BarlinniePrison, Robbie Glen. BNI National DirectorGillian Lawson opened the goldenenvelopes to reveal the winning names, andMarion Gray, RBS Head of Business Bankingand Anita Hunt, RBS Regional ManagingDirector in Scotland, presented the awards.

Don added:“The event gets better everyyear!” And, to prove the point, the executivedirectors of Scotland’s three regions werepresented with a special award at the recentInternational Directors’ Conference, for stag-ing BNI’s best regional event of 2003.

Scotland’s Spectacular Gala Evening

Julian’s 1000th sign of success!As Julian Elwood signed off his

1000th job barely two years after start-ing his own business, he said a big‘thank you’ to BNI!

Julian had given up a good job in market-ing and a nice home in Berkshire to return tohis native town of Ipswich, where he was con-vinced he could put his marketing skills to bet-ter use by working for himself. But, despitegreat support from his wife Paula and theusual flush of optimism that accompaniesmost new ventures, his new company SignDynamics had a slow start – even thoughJulian remained convinced that the ‘man and avan’ sign industry would benefit from his moresophisticated computer graphics technology

and a professional approach to customer serv-ice that had been lacking in the sector.

“Fortunately, a couple of months after set-ting up in business, I joined Ipswich’s WolseyChapter, and that represented a turning point,”he said.“I’d come across BNI in my previous joband was aware of the benefits of networking.My new BNI colleagues helped me achieve mygoals much more quickly than I’d expected,and just as important, they were a great sup-port to me during the early period whenthings weren’t going quite so well.”

Two years on, and Sign Dynamics has justcompleted its 1000th job with an eye-catchingSmart Car livery for a children’s nursery. Julianadded: “Things are getting better all the time.Last year we won the Anglian Business AwardsStart Up Business of the Year and that had avery positive knock-on effect.This year is prov-ing to be even better and I’d reckon at least20% of our business comes through BNI.”

“We’ve built a great team, our turnover hasdoubled, the company has transformed from afledgling enterprise to an established firm andnow we’re looking forward to an even moredynamic future,” he added. “Much of that canbe directly attributed to BNI.”

Contact Julian on 01473 747510

SIGNS OF THE TIMES: Julian Elwood has 1,000 reasons (almost)to be pleased he joined BNI.

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