SuccessNetSuccessNeteuropean edition

AN EDUCATION AND INFORMATION BULLETIN FOR BNI MEMBERS AUTUMN 2001

®

SUCCESS TO A TEE!While everyone in busi-

ness strives to achievelong-term wealth and

security, electronics securityspecialist Mark Lane has ‘madeit’ in the most unlikely of cir-cumstances – by accepting aninvitation to take part in a BNIgolf tournament knowing hecouldn’t play golf!

After more than ten years of working“24 hours a day, seven days a week” tobuild up his Watford-based company,3D Security Systems Ltd, Mark has justsold a majority stake to a multi-million-aire entrepreneur for “a very attractivesum”, bought a smart new countryhome for his family and expects what

ALSO INSIDE300 bands of merry men . . . . 3Lawsons’ Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Are you a people person? 4&5Education and training . . . . .6The Director’s Chair . . . . . . . 7Unusual breakfast venues 8&9Three top women . . . . . . . . 10Shocking business . . . . . . . . 11BNI match-making . . . . . . . 12What colour are you? . . . . .15Charlie’s Angels . . . . . . . . . 16

Any advance on 20 referrals? – Page 2

was a modest five-man business justtwo months ago to become a majornational concern within five years,employing hundreds of people.

But none of this would have hap-pened had it not been for his determi-nation to use the networking opportu-nity of a BNI golf day 12 months ago,even though he couldn’t play golf. “As amember of Edgware Chapter, I readilyagreed to buy a ticket for BNI’sregional golf tournament, thinking thatif I could find someone to play for me, Icould caddy for them and still network.

– without takinga single swing

Wot’s this?Kids in BNI?

“My name is Abigail Milner andI’m seven years old. I know thatwhen my Dad comes to thesebreakfast meetings, he talks aload of rubbish, so I thought itwould be better if I came hereand told you what he does….”

What were Abigail – and adozen other youngsters – reallydoing at a recent chapter meetingon Merseyside? Turn to page 13to find out!

TURN TO BACK PAGE

“I approached long-timebusiness associate MarkBuckland, who I knowenjoys a game of golf. Heagreed to take my placeand we had an enjoyableday,” said Mark.

It is what happenednext that was to changeMark Lane’s fortunes.“After the presentations, Isat with my namesake inthe bar reflecting on ourlives. Mark (Buckland)told me how much heenvied me having my ownbusiness and not beingaccountable to others. Inturn I complained aboutthe long hours, the lack oftime with my family, noholidays and the insecu-rity of self-employment.

“I then told him: ‘If Icould sell out tomorrowfor the right price, or finda substantial businesspartner to take the loadoff my shoulders, I’d jumpat the chance…’, to whichhe replied: ‘I think I knowsomeone who would beinterested.’”

A 22-year-old member of Stansted Chapter, haswon the first Essex Young Business InnovationAward, just two years after he and his step-brother Ian Robson acquired a stand design com-pany based in Elsenham.

James Crawford, Sales and Marketing Directorfor Universal Displays, was presented with theaward by BBC TV’s Business Breakfast presenterTanya Beckett at a black tie gala dinner lastmonth, following the company’s success in devel-oping both niche and mass markets nationwide.

Young innovator

BLACK TIE WINNER: Our picture shows James(left) with Tanya and Richard Collis, from the

award sponsors GlaxoSmithKline

2 AU T U M N 2 0 0 1 S U C C E S S N E T

Any advance on 20 referrals?WILL-WRITER Alan

Porter hasestablished him-

self as a record ‘writer’of business referrals inthe West Country – justweeks after becoming amember of BNI.

Within a month of joining thenew Drake Chapter, Plymouth,Alan stunned his colleagues byhanding around the breakfasttable not five referrals, nor ten,nor 15, but 17 solid pieces ofprospective business!

Two weeks later, he went onebetter – or three, to be precise –passing a staggering 20 referralsto his wide-eyed colleagues, andprompting Chapter DirectorPaul Barton to invite Alan toshare his secret by using the fol-lowing week’s education slot toshow everyone how he managesto produce so many.

In fact, Alan’s referral successis based on a development of apractice that all membersshould use when they visit cus-

BNI News

tomers – or receive clients intheir own workplace: he showsthem his BNI card holder andasks whether he can talk aboutsome of the ‘excellent’ businesscontacts he has in BNI.

“But the process actuallystarts before then,” Alan said.

“From the moment I arrive ata client’s home or office, I try toobserve as much as possibleabout the way they live, workand run their lives, so that bythe end of my meeting I canhave a fairly good guess aboutthe kinds of products and serv-ices they might be looking for.

“For instance, if I turn up atsomeone’s home knowingthey’ve only recently moved in,or I’ve noticed some tiles com-ing off the roof, when I’ve con-cluded my business, I’ll suggestthat they might be looking for adecorator or a tiler.

Alan sees up to half a dozennew clients each week and,because he takes the time to getto know them – and identifyother services they might want –he often picks up several refer-rals for his chapter colleagues.

“As I talk to someone, I mightlearn that they’ve just inheritedfrom a will or recently retired inwhich case I’ll suggest a visitfrom my chapter’s independentfinancial adviser, or if they com-plain about their mortgage ratebeing uncompetitive, I offer toput them in touch with thegroup’s mortgage specialist.

“Last week I made one homevisit to someone who needed alot of domestic help but didn’tknow who to approach.

“Because I could put forwardthe names of business contacts Itrust, I was able to offer help inhalf a dozen areas, all of whichbecame solid referrals.

“It is all about building trust,and because I am invited intotheir homes on such a personalmatter as writing their wills,people feel they can trust me –and the people I recommend,”Alan added. “I am always verycareful to follow up my subse-quent referrals to make surethat both parties are happy.”

• Alan Porter is ManagingDirector of The Will Centre at59 Hyde Park Road, Plymouth,PL3 4JN. He can be contactedon 01752 251792.

Tuning in to BNIRADIO stations throughout Britain aretuning in to BNI as the ideal wavelengthto find new business customers.

Across the UK, independent localradio (ILR) stations have placed advertis-ing executives in a dozen BNI chapters,and the results are so successful thatmore hard-pressed stations are copyingthe trend, to strengthen relationshipswith their business communities.

Wyvern FM, part of the GWR groupthat owns more than 40 radio stationsacross southern and central England, istypical of the new BNI-ILR partnership.

Covering both urban and rural com-munities in Herefordshire and Worces-tershire, Wyvern FM has already reapedmore than £20,000 worth of additionaladvertising revenues since one of itssales executives, Liz Shuttleworth joinedWorcester 1 Chapter eight months ago.

Liz said: “I heard about the organisa-tion from a friend in the Hereford Chap-ter and from the first visit to my localBNI group in Worcester.

“I thought it was a great way to buildbusiness relationships. In fact BNI hasproved to be fantastic – so much so thatwhen a second chapter recently openedin Worcester, we had no hesitation in

placing one of my sales colleagues,Sarah Dallow, in that group.

“Now, we’re about to join a third BNIgroup in Kidderminster, and I’m sure wewill look at any other relevant chaptersthat are opened in Wyvern’s territory.

“It’s very obvious that other ILR sta-tions are getting the BNI message too,because when I attended a recent con-ference I was surprised to discover col-leagues from other stations within theGWR Group had also joined their localBNI chapters – from Essex to Devon,” Lizadded.

With tough competition for advertis-ing revenue among the broadcast, printand electronic media, Liz said that BNI’sbusiness referral philosophy provided adistinct advantage.

“With everyone chasing the sameadvertisers, what could be better thanreceiving personal referrals through BNIcolleagues you know and trust?

In turn, I believe we have shown howeffective local radio advertising can be,by producing some very successful cam-paigns for a number of businessesreferred by my chapter colleagues.”

• Liz Shuttleworth can be reached on01905 612212 or 07866 376786.

• Alan Porter and his 20 referrals.

BNI News

S U C C E S S N E T AU T U M N 2 0 0 1 3

300 bands of merry men!The Sheriff of Nottingham

would no doubt havetaxed everyone, Robin

Hood would have welcomed itsGiver’s Gain philosophy – andFriar Tuck would have loved thefull English breakfasts.

But all would undoubtedly have beenimpressed with the launch of BNI’s300th chapter this summer located, fit-tingly, on the edge of Sherwood Forest.

The three-month-old NottinghamOne Chapter, which meets at the MoatHouse Hotel on Mansfield Road,within an arrow’s arc of Robin Hood’smedieval business base, is also the firstgroup to open in the county, paving theway for BNI’s expansion in one of thefew areas where it is not already a well-known name in business circles.

Following Nottingham One’s first vis-itor day at the end of last month, thegroup is continuing to grow and, saysits first Chapter Director ShaunO’Reilly, the referrals are flowing. “Wetook very little time to launch ourgroup and if this is indicative of theway BNI is greeted elsewhere in thecounty, BNI will soon be a householdname in Nottinghamshire.”

Further groups are already beingdeveloped in Nottingham and atGrantham in Lincolnshire.

Elsewhere in the UK and Ireland,BNI is continuing to take businesscommunities by storm, with over 20new chapters launched during July andAugust, including several in new terri-tories such as the West Country.

National Director Martin Lawsonsaid: “Nearly five years ago, when welaunched the first UK chapter, we setourselves the challenging target ofopening groups in all of Britain’s mainbusiness centres within five years.

“With a few weeks to spare, we’veachieved that goal. We have thrivingchapters in nearly every part of the UKand Ireland and in the few regionswhere we are still to make our presencefelt, I’m confident we’ll be there soon.

“Back in late 1996, we thought 5,000members would be a reasonable five-year target, but we already have over7,000 well before our fifth anniversary.”

Amongst the other recently launchedchapters are: Ashby de la Zouch(Leics), Ayr, Barnsley, Battersea (Lon-don), Battle (Sussex), Bournemouth,Bradford, Brands Hatch (Kent), Derby,Exeter, Harrogate, Newbury, Plymouth,Sheffield (Forest), Torquay, Towcester(Northants), Tower Hill (London),Widnes, Wolverhampton and York.

WHILE most members content them-selves by wearing the standard lapelpin to indicate their involvement withBNI, those in Leeds Armouries Chap-ter have gone one better to advertisetheir business networking allegiance.

Thanks to an offer they couldn’trefuse from Chapter Director and sign-maker Jayne Pickard, all 28 of her col-leagues in the Leeds group nowproudly promote their BNI member-ship to their respective customers withthe help of attractive signs mounted inprominent positions on their businesspremises, declaring ‘A member of Busi-ness Network International.”

Jayne and her partner Gary, who setup the first UK branch of Sign-A-

Rama, recently scooped a prestigiousaward for the second year running,when the Leeds franchise was awardedthe Group’s ‘Overall AchievementAward’ for reaching the highest salestargets and providing high-quality, ded-icated training and support service to30 other franchisees.

She said everyone was delighted withtheir signs, which had already receivedpositive comments and enquiries frommembers’ customers and suppliers.

“As additional people join the Chap-ter, they will also be offered their ownsigns. It’s a great way to promote ourBNI membership.”

• Jayne Pickard can be contactedon 0113 231 0099.

• Nottingham’s first Chapter Director Shaun O’Reilly (centre) talks to members.

All signed up in Leeds

FOR THE past four years, SuccessNethas endeavoured to keep all memberseducated and informed about BNI’slatest networking methods, whilebringing you news, views and pic-tures of the organisation’s rapidgrowth, and highlighting many ofyour business success stories.

The newsletter is distributed free toall members on a quarterly basis andnow we’d like to know what youthink about SuccessNet.

In particular we want to know whataspects you like or dislike, and what(if any) new content you’d like to see.To encourage your response, we’veplaced a SuccessNet questionnaire on

BNI’s UK website which you canaccess at www.bni-europe.com/uk byclicking ‘SuccessNet’ on the homepage. We designed the questionnaireto make it quick and easy for you tocomplete online – simply tickingboxes with a space for any comments.

If SuccessNet is to give you whatyou want, then we need to hear fromas large a proportion of the member-ship as possible.

To encourage your prompt response(by Monday, 26th November), we’llselect five respondents at random toreceive a copy of Dr Ivan Misner’sbook ‘Masters of Networking’, or aselection of BNI merchandise.

We need your feedback

There’s an old sayingup north that ‘there’snowt so queer as

folk’. What it means, quitesimply, is that each andevery one of us is differentand, just when you thinkyou’ve met every possibletype of individual, anothercomes along to disprove it.

In my long experiences of beinga visitor host that quirky sayingseems to be consistently relevant.

Why? Because the first and fore-most key to fulfilling this role isthat you have got to be a ‘people’person who actually enjoys meet-ing new and very different individ-uals, and is genuinely interested inlearning something about them.

And whether we like to admit itor not, sometimes we choose thewrong people for this key job.

Many of us will have visitedother chapters where, for one rea-son or another, we have not beenwelcomed properly or made to feelat home.

In such cases, my guess is that itis nearly always because theappointed visitor hosts don’t reallyenjoy their task, seeing their roleas a duty rather than a pleasure.

In my case, having spent most ofmy life in management, wheremeeting and dealing with peoplefrom all walks of life was a largepart of daily routine, I have beenvery happy to be a visitor host

because I really like meeting peo-ple and getting to know them.

Consequently, my first messageto all new leadership teams (andchapter members) is: make surethat those you choose to be yourvisitor hosts are people that youknow enjoy meeting others, andcan be relied upon to have a smileon their faces and a welcomingword when greeting your visitors.

First impressions count whensomeone has got up at six in themorning to attend a meetingwhere, probably the only personthey know is the member whoinvited them, and then, maybe onlyas a recent acquaintance.

So, having given your visitor(s) afriendly welcome, your next task –after completing the necessary sign-ing in formalities and ensuring theyhave been given a clearly labelledvisitors badge is to introduce them,one at a time, to the Chapter Direc-tor and, if possible, the leadershipteam.

Don’t forget that you should havetaken at least two business cardsfrom each of your visitors and, onthe back of one of these, written thename of the member who invitedthe visitor. This will enable theDirector to make specific referenceto the relevant members whenintroducing each of his/her guests.

Either before or after you’veintroduced the visitor to your chap-ter director, you will need to givehim or her a flavour of how themeeting is conducted.

BNI News

As we draw near to BNI’s fifthanniversary in the UK andIreland, it seems appropriate

not only to acknowledge theprogress we have made, but tolook at the challenges that await usover the next five years as we seekto maintain our growth and furtherenhance our service to members.

With more than 320 chapters , we knowthe ‘Giver’s Gain’ philosophy has flourishedin the UK and Ireland as much as in othercountries around the world. So whereshould we be focusing our efforts in themonths ahead, as we consolidate our posi-tion as the most successful business referralorganisation in the world?

The answer, surely, lies in the continuedbusiness education and training we offer allmembers, equipping them to take advan-tage of every new business opportunitythat comes their way, and showing themhow to get the most out of BNI.

Nowhere is this better indicated than inSuccessNet. Take Joe Sandercock’s appraisal(this page) of the key role of visitor hosts.

When we join BNI, we naturally focus ourefforts on fellow members, but this is justone means of giving and receiving business.

Be honest, how many address the otherways – seeing equal business opportunitiesin the members’ substitute programme, andrealising that every visitor to our chapter isa prospective customer?

Joe’s message is clear: choose visitor hostswith care, and make sure that every membergreets guests with a smile, showing genuineinterest in their business. Ignore your visi-tors, and you devalue your membership.

Similarly, Nigel Vandyk’s review (Page 12)of the psychology we should adopt whenmeeting with chapter colleagues orprospective clients, is strikingly obvious. Yethow many of us follow the simple steps hesuggests – setting aside our own blinkeredmindset, and seeing new business opportu-nities from other people’s perspectives?

Some of us may think we’re too old ortoo wise to try new ways of doing busi-ness. Continue to think like that, andopportunities will pass you by. No-one istoo old to adopt new business ideas, nor isit ever too late to improve our collectiveapproach to business, by ensuring all of ourchapter colleagues regard education andtraining as seriously as they treat theincreasing referrals that will flow from it.

Lawsons’Lore

BNI National Directors MARTIN& GILLIAN LAWSON write…

ARE YOU

On the gold standardANOTHER 15 members havejoined BNI’s elite Gold BadgeClub in recent weeks – includingthree from a single chapter!

Retiring Chapter Director PaulClarke together with Jane Kenyonand Adrian Crank (all members ofKnutsford, Cheshire) were pre-sented with their Gold Clubbadges by Executive Director TonyCoxhill, who also attended Wrex-ham to award Gold Club status toPeter Dorricott.

In the Midlands, Simon Green-field from Birmingham’s MoseleyChapter and Julie Cole (Edgbaston)have joined the Gold Badge Club ashave Robert Ashworth and NickyCrisp, both members of Maldon,

and Barry Cohen from Redbridge.And, earlier this month, James

Cruickshank, BNI’s ExecutiveDirector for East Anglia presentedbadges to Paul Donno (LongMelford), Gary Watson (Haver-hill), Chris Twinn (Bury StEdmunds) and Andrew Watton(Norwich).

Meanwhile two other chapterdirectors have also received goldbadges. Graham Struthers, immedi-ate past Chapter Director of Stir-ling, received his from NationalDirector Gillian Lawson duringthe recently held Scottish Confer-ence at Knockhill, while the otherwent to Richard Lemberger, War-wick Chapter.

4 A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 S U C C E S S N E T

S U C C E S S N E T AU T U M N 2 0 0 1 5

BNI News

A PEOPLE PERSON?Visitors are just as much the lifeblood of any BNI group

as its members. Without the stimulation of new faces, eventhe best performing chapters will lose their edge and stag-nate over a period of time. Yet, for a number of chapters,meeting, greeting and nurturing our visitors seems to be, atbest, a hit-or-miss affair when, in fact, it is one of the mostimportant tasks for every group. JOE SANDERCOCK hasbeen a visitor host in Pinner Chapter for over two years. Inthis article he addresses some fundamental aspects of thiskey role, and suggests that chapters which fail to make their

visitors welcome will fail to reach their potential.

IMAGINE you have a new workforceof 3,000. All of them need to betrained – in different roles and differ-ent aspects of the job – and you haveless than a month to do it.

Sounds a tough assignment? Well,it’s one that BNI’s national andregional directors face twice a year.

That’s because one of the essentialsfor maintaining the crucial ‘buzz’ andmomentum in every chapter is theappointment of all-new leadershipteams, visitor hosts and membershipcommittees every six months.

On average, that means nine newappointments in each of the 320-pluschapters in the UK and Ireland –every single one of which has to bepreceded by appropriate training!

“Of course it’s a tough challenge,”said National Director Martin Lawson,

“but the provision of more than8,000 hours worth of training tonearly 3,000 members involved isalso one of the most significantthings we do.

“For instance, each of the 960members appointed as chapter direc-tor, membership co-ordinator or sec-retary/treasurer undergoes five hourstraining in his or her own region,while another 900 visitor hosts andapproximately the same number ofmembership committee members allreceive at least two hours training.”

While the training varies accordingto the roles, it all covers not onlyBNI’s standard policies and proce-dures but also topics related to suc-cessful business marketing, generat-ing and passing referrals, and gettingthe most out of BNI membership.

The training of the 3,000

In particular, you should explain howevery member and visitor is given 60seconds in which to introduce them-selves and promote their business – anddon’t forget to remind them (humor-ously) of the way that the one-minutetime limit is strictly enforced!

I find it helps visitors to run througha typical shortlist of points that theymight want to bring out in their 60-sec-ond slot, because the last thing theywant is to feel nervous about standingup and addressing the chapter.

As well as telling them about theirinformercial opportunity, they alsoneed to know that towards the end ofthe meeting, during the exchange ofmembers’ referrals, they’ll be invited tocomment briefly on their perception ofthe meeting, and even offer a referralto any relevant member if they feel suf-ficiently confident and willing to do so!

So far so good, but before you intro-duce any visitor to the Chapter Direc-tor, there’s one other important point: ifthey haven’t already been allocated aseat at breakfast next to the memberwho invited them, remember to showthem the reserved seat where they’ll sit.

You might think that your job is nowdone, but it isn’t.

Before the meeting is called to order,it is crucial that you ensure your guesthas been properly introduced to asmany members as possible in the timeavailable, for good reason.

If a visitor has been introduced tosay, only one other member and he orshe doesn’t feel any warmth towardsthat individual, the guest may departthe meeting believing that BNI is notfor them.

But, if you’ve been able to introduceyour visitors to several different mem-bers, the chances are that they will feelcomfortable with at least one of theirnewly made acquaintances, and leavewith far more positive feelings. Mean-while, every member needs to be aware

And don’t forget to ask each visitorto complete the simple evaluation formbefore they leave. Sometimes a visitorwill be so enthusiastic they’ll want tojoin immediately but, even if you feelthey are right for BNI and your group,and there is a suitable vacancy, youneed to point out that all applicationshave to be determined by the member-ship committee, who will take up refer-ences in the process.

Whether or not a guest completes anapplication form before leaving themeeting, your final task with each newvisitor is to telephone him or her withintwo days to obtain a more reflectivefeedback of their views and intentions,and, if there are mutually positive feel-ings, to encourage the visitor to com-plete the application formalities beforethe vacant category has been filled by acompetitor.

In short, the bottom line for everyvisitor host – before, during and aftereach meeting – is to act as BNI’s front-line ambassador, extending a welcomethat is warm and professional, and fol-lowing through to ensure that, if thevisitor is right for your chapter, yourchapter has presented the right impres-sion to its visitor. If it has, he or she willsoon be a member!

• Joe Sandercock spent 32 yearswith BP, latterly as an overseas gen-eral manager. He now runs a busi-ness and management consultancyin Northwood and is an independ-ent distributor for Telecom Plus. Hecan be contacted on 01923 827987.

of their visitors, and make a point ofpersonally introducing themselves.

After all, a new face at the breakfasttable is potential new business for anyand every member, and a prospectivecustomer, friend, business colleagueand problem solver for each of them.

At the end of the meeting, the visitorhost has a further task – that of visitororientation – which needs to be carriedout in a relaxed, sensitive and focusedway. The aim of this is to inform visitorsof the commitment involved in mem-bership, and to form a view about theirsuitability as a potential member.

You need to obtain honest feedbackfrom each visitor, be able to answerany questions raised, assess his or herlikely commitment to the chapter, andof course, provide them with one of theBNI’s excellent new visitor welcomepacks, ensuring it contains all the essen-tial literature and application form.

6 A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 S U C C E S S N E T

Be a Jack of all Tradesif you want to succeedWhen I was first asked

to fill my chapter’seducational slot, I

began to ask myself: “What iseducation, and is there a dif-ference between educationand training?

According to comedian, author andmodern-day philosopher Stephen Fry:“Training is what you do to a peartree when you want it to grow againsta wall. Education is what you givechildren to enable them to be freefrom the prejudices and moral bank-ruptcies of their elders.”

In other words, education requiresyou to look at the world with neweyes, not those of your parents, rela-tives or peers, using your senses tomake your own judgements.

At school, we are taught science,history and art, but how many of usbecome scientists, historians or artists?Very few.

So, are we taught these subjects justto keep us occupied, or is it perhapsthat, by learning a little about thesesubjects we can learn to look at theworld through different eyes?

Looking at a rural scene, for exam-ple, the scientist may examine thetype of vegetation and be able torelate it to the rainfall in the area, thehistorian will consider what battleswere fought on that ground, and whathad been there previously, and theartist will look at it for its beauty andrange of colours.

So how does this relate to BNI?

Since the decision 18 months ago to appoint educa-tion co-ordinators in every BNI chapter, the educationslot has become one of the most eagerly awaitedparts of the breakfast agenda. Thanks to the creativeand frequently witty contributions of co-ordinators,the weekly three-to-five minute education session isnow an important mechanism for imparting businesstips and training techniques to members.

With so many valuable ideas for building betterbusiness now a routine part of every meeting, we feltit was time for the best of them to be shared with allBNI members. In this, the first of what we hope willbe a regular column for sharing education-basedissues, NIGEL VANDYK (past education co-ordinator ofBarnet Chapter) suggests we should become a ‘jack ofall trades’ to gain a better understanding of our col-leagues’ businesses.

Every week we have a chance to beeducated by looking at the worldthrough the eyes of 20, 30 or morecolleagues, each of whom has a differ-ent perspective on a variety of every-day business, domestic or social issues.

Take the example of a newly-pur-chased house. The solicitor in yourchapter will look at the conveyancingof the property, joint ownership, free-hold or leasehold, asking if the occu-pants have made their wills?

Your domestic appliance retailerwill look at how the house functions,and how he can help the occupantscook, wash their clothes and entertainthemselves. Meanwhile, your group’scarpenter will look to see the prop-erty’s potential for fitted cupboards,wardrobes and doors.

Similarly, electricians, plumbers andcarpet fitters will look at the same

thing through different eyes. Andthere lies a key to how we relate toeach other. When we meet someoneat their place of work or go to theirhouse, we need to be all the people Ihave mentioned, rolled into one.

We do not need to be skilled in anyof these trades or professions, but weneed to see the person, and his or herfriends, relations and propertythrough the eyes of a solicitor, carpen-ter, financial adviser, decorator, sur-veyor and more.

Taking this broader view, we canalso see that sometimes, one needmasks another.

So, when asked “do you know agood decorator who can paper overthis crack in the wall?”, with your new‘education’ you can reply: “Yes I do,but it might be a better idea to get asurveyor to look at the crack – and Iknow just the person.”

By following the educated route, wedo not have to be a trained decorator,electrician, surveyor or solicitor. Wejust need to think like one and beready with our conversation startersto get people talking.

All of which suggests that the markof an educated BNI member is to beeducated in at least two dozen tradesand professions, and wear as many dif-ferent hats when you go to your chap-ter’s breakfast each week.

• Nigel Vandyk runs AcademyTraining, a computer training anddatabase consultancy in Finchley.He can be contacted on 020 83494705.

RELAX! James Cruickshank, Execu-tive Director for East Anglia hasn’tcloned himself. He is just making apoint about the need to see newbusiness opportunities through dif-ferent eyes, rather than from oneperson’s perspective.

S U C C E S S N E T A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 7

Education & Training

TELL WOULD-BE suppliersyou’ll see them at BNI, saysJeanette Howse (AbingdonChapter)

As the immediate past ChapterDirector of Abingdon, I think I founda novel way to bring guests along tomeetings and keep things fresh.

We have had some successful visi-tors days and turned quite a fewguests into members, but many ofour core members have been in thechapter for two years now and havestarted to exhaust some of their busi-ness contacts, so I felt it was impor-tant to bring new faces on board.

I work at Didcot Railway Centrewhich is a busy tourist attraction witha small staff, and it is almost impossi-ble for would-be suppliers and cus-tomers to get a meeting with me.

So instead of trying to squeezethem into my already overcrowdeddaily work schedule, I tell them that Igo to breakfast early on a Wednes-day morning and that if they wouldlike to join me there, I would behappy to talk to them.

I also tell them that there may beothers among my colleagues at themeeting who are interested in theirservices, and this has resulted in sev-eral people coming to meetings.

By encouraging all my BNI col-leagues to do likewise with thenumerous cold-callers, reps and sup-pliers who turn up at their officeswithout an appointment, I am hopingwe will see more and more new facesturning up at our breakfast meetingsin the months to come – and that canonly mean more members.”

• Jeanette Howse is the MarketingExecutive for Didcot Railway Centre,telephone 01235 817200.

WISH, DREAM and expectmore than others, says PaulBarton (Drake Chapter, Ply-mouth)

Asked to describe how sportschampions reach their pinnacle, golf-ing supremo Jack Nicklaus said:‘Champions are made by wishing for

What makes YOUR group specialCONTINUING our new regular feature, this issue’s column highlights theviews of individual chapter directors on what makes their group ‘special’,and discovers some ‘secrets’ for boosting membership numbers.Although there is only one optimum way of running a chapter – and thatis the BNI way – each of the 300-plus UK and Irish chapters has its ownindividual character, based not least on the way in which chapter direc-tors and their members inject their personality into the weekly agendas.Here, directors offer their ideas on best practice and their solutions tothe occasional problems that can arise.

more than others think is safe towish, dreaming for more than othersthink is practical, and expecting morethan others think is possible.’

In many ways that sums up myown personal philosophy and, inpractical terms, BNI has been born inPlymouth out of the wishes, dreamsand aspirations of a core group oflike minded business people.

While BNI’s leaders have createdthe optimum framework in whichmembers can do good business, anddevised effective strategies and pro-cedures to achieve the best results, itis down to individual members of anygroup to want to succeed by goingthat extra mile.

The same individual commitment,effort and determination thatbrought you into BNI, needs to beincreased and maintained as each ofus works for our chapter colleagues,wishing, dreaming and expecting todo better business than anyone else.

So, while our adherence to ‘work-ing the BNI system’ is clearly themost important rule, we should allcontinue to wish, dream and expectthe best. Since we launched DrakeChapter less than three months ago,membership and referrals havegrown steadily, and I believe a keyfactor has been our collective desireto achieve what others think may notbe possible.”

• Paul Barton is a consultant forTelos UK and can be contacted onTel/Fax: 07092 181372 or by e-mail at:paul.barton@bni-devonandcornwall.com

PROVIDING A stable, wel-coming environment is theaim, says Peter Hutchison(West Hampstead Chapter)

There’s a hidden challenge in beingdirector of a BNI chapter. How doyou follow the fixed BNI meetingagenda, providing members with thestructure that is so important to suc-cess, and at the same time bring yourown style and approach to the role?

At the end of each six month termthe Chapter is usually ready forsomeone different in the ‘lead chair’.

A new director rejuvenates thegroup, injecting freshness into theapproach. However, any group alsoneeds stability and uniformity, partic-ularly where trust and relationship-building are all important.

I am just coming out of two succes-sive terms as Director of West Hamp-stead Chapter. Two terms, you ask?

When the leadership teamchangeover came up in March thisyear, our chapter had just gonethrough a great deal of change; therehad been a few resignations and afew new members had just joined.

Most of the longer-establishedmembers had already served on theleadership team, so BNI’s regionaldirector agreed that, to provide sta-bility to the group, the present teamshould continue to lead the chapter.

It was an important step for ourgroup. The ongoing team meant con-tinuity, which created a more settledfeeling at meetings.

This stable and welcoming feelingfor visitors and guests directly led toour good success in building thegroup’s membership and, from thiscrop of new members we now have afresh incoming leadership team whoare committed and keen.

However, I believe the ultimate aimof every BNI group should be to pro-vide a stable and consistent environ-ment for members, so that businessrelationships can be nurtured andgrow.”

Peter Hutchison runs Inspire Creativeat 194-196 Finchley Rd, London NW36BX. Telephone 020 7794 2444; Fax020 7435 3382

• Paul Barton

8 AU T U M N 2 0 0 1 S U C C E S S N E T

BREAKF

Members of NewburyChapter in Berk-shire say they’ve

achieved a ‘first’ – holding abreakfast meeting in themiddle of a muddy field!

While there may not have beenunanimous enthusiasm when col-league Lynn Malcher first sug-gested treating members to abreath of fresh air for her ten-minute presentation, everyoneagreed afterwards it had beengood fun.

Lynn, boss of Creative Bath-rooms, was already planning herstand at Newbury AgriculturalShow when she realised it wouldmake a perfect – and highlyunusual – venue for her scheduledBNI presentation, since all herequipment would be there on dis-play for her colleagues.

Which is how, at 6.30 one morn-ing last month, members andguests could be seen traipsingacross a muddy paddock to enjoycroissants and Bucks Fizz in themiddle of a field, much to thebemusement of fellow exhibitors.

No silver cutlery on this occa-sion, just paper plates and plasticcutlery to save washing up!

Executive Director Gavin Bainwas so impressed with Lynn’s ini-tiative that he braved the ele-ments to attend, and awarded hera Notable Networker badge.

Lynn finds BNI is perfect for herfamily business. “I seem to get areferral nearly every week,” shesaid. “BNI is infectious, and onceyou’ve got the bug it spreads likewildfire!”

• Lynn can be contacted on01635 200044.

I n the wonderful world ofBNI there’s plenty of roomfor personality and individ-

ual character to shine through– nowhere more so than inthe choice of venues used bychapters.

SuccessNet thought it was time totake a look at some of the moreunusual homes that members havefound for what is their most importantmeal of the week and, from a ‘Tigers’Den’ to a war museum, a film studio toa church crypt, we weren’t disap-pointed…

The first year has been a roaringsuccess for the Leicester Tigers Chap-ter who meet in the Captain’s Bar atthe Leicester Tigers stadium.

To celebrate their first anniversary,which coincided with the end of therugby season – and the Tigers winninghat trick of the Tetley Bitter Cup, theZurich European Cup and the Cham-pionship Trophy – BNI members hadtheir photo taken with the team tro-phies.

The local press published the pictureand as a result the chapter attractedthree new members.

Mixing with stars of a different kindare the nomads of the CheltenhamChapter.

Having sampled a selection of

breakfast tables fmonths, they havematic location – Cdios.

“Our membershidly,” said MembeLindsay Mason, “come many new c

“We currently hsoon to be 36. Anthe right locationcan really go forw

Meanwhile, BNsion in Leeds willfighting over spacRoyal Armouriesalready plays hosa week.

Between them,Tuesday, Wednesdday Chapters boabership of aroundsay that being surwar memorabilia mood to do good

Started by HenArmouries collecexpanded over thFamily and is nowcollection in the wof the newest andmuseums in Euro

“In addition to ters’ breakfast meholds training ses

Meeting in amuddy field

Or wherever it

SCALING NEW HEIGHTS: Birmingham’s Victoria ChapterFace climbing and abseiling centre.

FIELD TRIP: Newbury Chapter met at the local agricultural show.

THANKS to Barclays Bank, BNI members from several London chaptershave received a low-cost introduction to the latest techniques in per-sonal development training.

The one-day ‘Peak Performance’ workshops were organised for Bar-clay’s customers by Dawn Thurston, team leader of the bank’s SmallBusiness & Start-up Knightsbridge Group.

However, her branch colleague John Gates, Business Manager of thebank’s Mid Corporate Team, decided that members of BNI’s Knights-bridge Chapter (of which he is Director) and other London chapterswould benefit from the subsidised workshops.

Using recently developed techniques known as neuro-linguistic pro-gramming, Steve Lawlor, one of the UK’s leading performance coacheshelped members understand the attributes and techniques that maketop business performers.

“The workshops were brilliant,” said Melanie Curle, BNI AssistantDirector for London North Central, “Around 30 BNI members attendedand found them very rewarding.

For further information contact Melanie on 020 8279 2525.

Boosting performance

S U C C E S S N E T AU T U M N 2 0 0 1 9

FAST AT TIFFANY’Sfor the past foure finally hit on a dra-Cheltenham Film Stu-

hip is growing rap-ership Co-ordinator,“and with that havechallenges.

have 32 members,nd now we’ve found for our chapter, we

ward.”

NI’s continued expan-l soon have membersce at the city’s historics Museum – whicht to BNI on four days

Leeds Armouriesday, Thursday and Fri-ast a combined mem-d 140, and membersrrounded by ancientputs them in fighting business.

ry VIII, thection has beenhe years by the Royalw the oldest museumworld, located in oned most attractiveope.

hosting four chap-eetings, BNI alsossions and social

Robert’s five-star treatWHEN it came to his turn for aten-minute presentation to col-leagues in Collingtree(Northants) Chapter, catererRobert Alvarez was deter-mined to make the most of thepromotional opportunity.

So, rather than try to explainthe workings of his businessduring a normal breakfastmeeting in the Chapter’s usualvenue – Collingtree Park GolfClub Hotel – Robert decided toinvite all 28 members and 11guests around to his Towces-ter-based Phoenix Cateringcompany, so they could get ataste for the real thing!

“Since members only get thechance to give a detailed pres-entation to their colleaguestwo or three times a year, Iwanted to make sure thatmine would be both memo-rable and interesting enough

to inspire my fellow chaptermembers to go out and get melots of referrals,” he said.

“I wasn’t sure if everyonewould make the longer jour-ney to Towcester, but in theevent it was a great success.

“I think everyone enjoyedthe change of scenery for achapter meeting, and hope-fully they found my breakfastat least as appetising as theone at our usual venue. I did-n’t get any complaints!”

New Chapter Director ColinBrett said: “I don’t know if itwas because Robert is acaterer, but no-one wanted tomiss this event. He laid on aterrific spread, did a greatpresentation and left everyonefeeling very positive about hisbusiness.”

• Robert Alvarez can be con-tacted on 01327 860860.

t is you eat yoursevents in the galleries, so it is obvi-ously one of our more important cus-tomers,” said Jim Vincent, RoyalArmouries’ Managing Director.

“My only concern is where we’regoing to accommodate further chap-ters once BNI has opened a fifthArmouries Chapter.

“Happily, the relationship with BNIis a two-way thing because theArmouries is bringing a lot of businessto members.

“I just wish BNI had been aroundyears ago, because it has completelychanged my approach to the businessworld,” Jim added.

While Leeds members keep theirfeet on the ground for breakfast, thosein Birmingham’s Victoria Chapter arescaling new heights – quite literally.

The chapter meets at one of thecity’s more unusual venues, The RockFace climbing and abseiling centrewhere, if members fancy working off afew calories after breakfast, they canreceive expert tuition and practicalexperience traversing the centre’sman-made cliffs and crevices, or learnthe basics of caving and pot-holing.

The leadership team aims to have 30members by the end of the year and,said Secretary Sue Byrne of BDO StoyHayward, “let’s face it, we’ve got theperfect setting in which to reach newheights. It must be one of the mostunlikely BNI venues in the country.”

So, if you want to do a spot of busi-ness climbing call Sue on 0121 6443818, or e-mail her at:sue.byrne@bdo.co.uk

Other unusual venues to come toSuccessNet’s attention include theRoyal Torbay Yacht Club (TorquayChapter) and St James’s Church crypt(Clerkenwell Chapter, London).

If you don’t meet in a hotel orrestaurant, a golf or cricket club –sorry, all are common venues – thenwe’d like to hear where you eat yourBNI breakfast.

If it’s somewhere offbeat, we’ll behappy to feature it in future issues ofSuccessNet, so let’s see if we can findBNI’s MOST unlikely UK or Irishvenue.

If you think your chapter mightqualify, call us on 0208 541 0600, or e-mail successnet@write-angle.co.uk

r meets at the Rock WINNERS: Leicester Tigers Chapter meets in the stadium of theall-conquering Leicester Tigers rugby club.

• The delightful breakfast setting provided by Phoenix Catering.

1 0 A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 S U C C E S S N E T

Walking through fireAS EVERY BNI member knows, self-belief is a key ingredient to business suc-cess, but for members of Chester Chapter the virtue takes on extra impor-tance next month when they walk through fire at the request of ChapterDirector Kathy Fellows.

Six brave members of the 33-strong Chester group are among a dozenlocal business people who have already signed up for the sponsored walkwith a difference – across burning coals – to raise money for the cancer char-ity, Tenovus.

Kathy hopes to have at least 50 volunteers by the time the event takesplace, on Friday, 2nd November.

Kathy, the charity’s north-west regional organiser, said: “I’ve told themthey won’t get burnt as long as they have an absolute belief in their abilityto walk on fire.

“Problems only arise if people have doubts when they’re half way across,but I’m sure BNI members are far too sensible to have such misgivings!”

Anyone in the vicinity of ASDA’s car park at Queensferry can watchKathy’s victims put through their paces from 6pm onwards, after receiving‘appropriate training’ during the afternoon.

“Everyone who makes it to the other side will receive a certificate com-memorating their achievement,” she added.

Kathy is still looking for modest sponsorship and would like to hear fromany businesses interested in supporting this fundraising effort – the latest ina long line of daring initiatives that have included sponsored parachute andbungee jumping, abseiling, head shaving and male striptease.

• You can contact Kathy Fellows on 01244.541869 or e-mail her at kftenovus@aol.com

WHEN SCOTSMAN Steve McFadyen,new Chapter Director of GlasgowUddingston, paid a visit to Quebec’sWest One Chapter – 3,000 miles fromhome – the last thing he expected to seewas someone wearing a kilt!

Around the Chapters

Treble tops for MK ladiesHaving one Business-

woman of the Year inyour chapter is quite an

achievement, but members atMilton Keynes really havesomething to shout about –because they’ve got three!

Lisa Adamson, General Manager ofGemini Agency, won a ‘larger business’award and Chapter Director AngelaRhodes, Head of Crispin RhodesHuman Resources Consultancy, wonthe ‘newcomer’ award.

Meanwhile, Chris McDonnell, whoowns The Flower Shop at Woburn, wasearlier awarded the prize for the ‘smallbusiness’ category.

Each year the Women In Enterpriseorganisation makes 12 awards to highachieving businesswomen in the NorthBucks and Milton Keynes area, withlocal companies sponsoring the prizes.Angela, for example, was awarded£1,000 of free radio advertising for hercompany with FM 103 Horizon.

“We were all quite surprised to havewon the awards,” said Angela.

“We’re great friends and I handle therecruitment for both Lisa and Chris,but it was pure coincidence that we allwon prizes in the same award scheme.”

In fact, the attire was simply athoughtful welcome gesture by WestOne member, photographer DaveIngles, whose Scottish origins had beenawakened by word of Steve’s visit.

“The kilt only comes out on very rareand special occasions,” said Dave, “butI thought it would make Steve feelright at home.”

It wasn’t the only kind gesture forpainter and decorator Steve who, onreturning to his hotel after the meeting,found a gift basket from his Canadianchapter colleagues awaiting him.

“I was really touched,” he said. “I’dmade the trip to see the CanadianGrand Prix but decided I really shouldvisit one of BNI’s chapters to see howthey operate and compare the differ-ences. “As it turned out, I learned quitea lot from them.”

Kilted in CanadaTRIPLE SUCCESS: From left, Lisa Adamson, Chris McDonnell and Angela Rhodes.

Five-star nightAs SuccessNet went to press, Scottishmembers were looking forward to theirfirst national dinner and awards cere-mony in Glasgow, at the Hilton’s presti-gious five-star banqueting venue.

Devised by Glasgow’s Victoria Chap-ter member, Don Spence, of SpenceAllan Associates, the aim of the eventis to reward members who have madethe greatest overall contribution totheir chapter.

• For more information (and tick-ets) contact Don Spence on 0141332 4445.

S U C C E S S N E T A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 1 1

Around the Chapters

It’s a shocking business

A year and £100,000 on

Electrician Paul House wasin for quite a shock afterposting a promotional

leaflet for his fledgling busi-ness through the door of Chel-tenham Chapter member,Jason Jackson.

Having been sponsored by ThePrince’s Trust to set up his own busi-ness earlier this year, Paul would havebeen happy just to get a simple jobfrom Jason, but what he actually gotwas an introduction to BNI and a con-sequent trebling of his workload in justthree months!

Jason, a partner in the architectspractice Jackson Associates, respondedto Paul’s speculative mailshot by invit-ing him to attend a chapter meeting.

Paul immediately saw the potentialbenefits and signed up in June, sincewhen he’s not looked back.

“Even with the help of The Trust, itwas very hard when I started trading,”said Paul.

“At the time I was introduced to BNIthrough Jason, I desperately needed alot more work. I had about three smalljobs a week, and was finding it very dif-ficult to make contacts. BNI was theideal answer.”

Paul’s instant business successthrough BNI membership has now setthe scene for more permanent andwider-ranging links between BNI andThe Prince’s Trust.

He explained: “My business mentorfrom the Trust is so impressed with

what BNI has done for me that he isrecommending formal links are estab-lished between BNI and The Trust, sothat other people like me can be put intouch with BNI when they start out inbusiness.”

Paul is so pleased with BNI that hepersonally wrote to The Trust’sFounder and Patron, Prince Charles,inviting him to a recent Visitors’ Day.

“Unfortunately he was unable toattend, but he did send a letter of apol-ogy, offering his best wishes to BNI. Ihope one day he will be able to visitour chapter.”

• If you’d like to know moreabout Paul’s electrical services, orhis sponsorship by The Prince’sTrust, contact him on 07799 545494.

WHEN you’ve just generated a healthy£100,000 worth of additional business foreach other, you’re entitled to feelpleased – which is why members ofWilmslow Chapter took time out to marktheir first year, with a celebration at theFestival Hall in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.

More than 100 people – members andguests – were entertained by local radiopersonalities Andy Clewes and TerryNash (from Silk FM), and the eventproved the ideal opportunity for chaptermember John Airey to demonstrate thequality of his new AB Katering Company,which provided a splendid buffet.

John said: “Within two months of ourlaunching the business, we’d receivedreferrals from chapter colleagues worthmore than £5,000 and, with so much new

business passed across the table in thefirst 12 months, most of my BNI col-leagues will have felt similar benefits.”

John is pictured (far left) at his chap-ter’s first anniversary party, with (fromleft to right), Nick Kerney, ‘Meatloaf’(radio personality Terry Nash), ChapterDirector Annabel Sutton, Ian Edward-Dayand regional executive director Tony Cox-hill. And the motor bike?

“That’s to show how far we’ve come ina year – and how fast we intend toprogress over the next 12 months,” saidAnnabel.

The Chapter meets at the Belfry Hotelon Tuesday mornings.

• Anyone interested in joining shouldcontact Kevin Betts on 0161 904 7910 orJulie Price on 0161 482 8004.

To beor notto B(NI)BNI workshops for Midlandsmembers have had a distinctlyShakespearean flavour in recentweeks thanks to the inspira-tional setting of the RoyalShakespeare Company’s SummerHouse in Stratford-on-Avon.

Eight workshops, open to BNImembers, friends and the public,featured a range of businesstopics from public speaking toselling and communications skillsand, as well as offering a wealthof valuable practical advice, theevents also provided an idealsetting for networking opportu-nities between members.

Organiser David Bullock, Exec-utive Director for South WestMidlands, said they had beenwell supported by membersfrom a number of chaptersacross the region.

“Everyone learnt somethingfrom the workshops, and I knowa lot of business was conductedbefore and after each session,especially at our BNI regionalseminar which closed the work-shop series earlier this month,”he added.

So popular was the RSC’sSummer House venue amongmembers that David is alreadymaking plans to run furtherworkshops at the same locationnext year.

1 2 A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 S U C C E S S N E T

Around the Chapters

Revving it up at KnockhillWHEN you choose a top motor racingcircuit as the venue for your businessconference, the results are obviouslygoing to be high octane – especially ifyou throw in some top quality racingfor your delegates!

And that’s how it was when BNImembers from north and south of theborder lined up on the starting grid fora high-powered Scottish National Con-ference at Knockhill Circuit last month.

More than 120 members took part inthe morning’s mini-conference – whoseguest speakers included UK NationalDirectors, Martin and Gillian Lawson.

After lunch, it was time for sport asdelegates networked on and off thetrack, testing their skills on Knockhill’sracing and rally circuits before reachingthe day’s highlight – the BNI/RoyalBank of Scotland Go-Kart Grand Prix– a two-hour endurance race involvingmembers who had pre-qualified to rep-resent their regions, based on theirchapter performance during August.

Standing head and shoulders abovetheir team-mates were six top pre-qual-ifiers – Graham Struthers (Stirling

Love conquers all in BNIEveryone knows

that BNI is goodfor your business,

but did you know itcan also touch the mostunlikely parts of yourlife – like finding you amarriage partner!

SuccessNet is delighted toannounce another love-match forged over the BNIbreakfast table, with theengagement of SandraKanser (Cheltenham Chap-ter) to Mike Clarke, a mem-ber of neighbouring Chel-tenham Two. The couple arepictured above right.

It all began when Sandraarrived from Australia twoyears ago, never having heardof BNI, let alone knowing itwas to change her life andfind her a husband.

Sandra set up her ownmarketing company and wasintroduced to BNI by DianaBeaver, a neuro-linguisticprogrammer and member ofthe Cheltenham Chapter.

“I was really impressedwith the professionalism andfocus of BNI. At first I wasworried that it might turn outto be just a social gathering,but the commitment to thereferral system was wonder-ful,” said Sandra.

“That is what persuadedme to join. I found BNI par-ticularly helpful for womenon their own because it’seasy to be taken advantageof in the business world.

“But with BNI, I knew thatwhatever services I needed,the job would be professional

and cost effective.” Mean-while, her future husbandMike was living in Yorkshireand suffering the worries of adeclining business, when hereceived a call from an oldfriend, John Lyth – also amember of CheltenhamChapter – who invited Miketo help him develop hisplumbing business, which wasin overload thanks to BNIreferrals.

Mike decided the futurelooked brighter in Chel-tenham so he moved south,joining forces with John toset up H2O (Heating toOrder), specialising in bath-room installations.

At the same time Johnintroduced Mike to BNI, tak-ing him to chapter meetingswhere he met Sandra.

Because John had alreadytaken the plumber’s chair,Mike joined neighbouringCheltenham Two Chapterbut met up with Sandrathrough joint chapter events.

It wasn’t long before love

blossomed and the couple setup home together.

“We are both amazed athow much BNI has changedour lives,” said Sandra.

“It has given us an excel-lent social life, both our busi-nesses are now highly suc-cessful – about 80 per cent ofmy customers and about 70per cent of Mike’s clientscome from BNI referrals –and of course, it has broughtus together. Mike proposed afew weeks ago and he couldnot wait to announce ourengagement at the next chap-ter meeting.

“Everything we have, weowe to BNI, and we are sograteful for what it has givenus – a love life, a social lifeand a great business life.

“But I have to admit that,while I had great faith inBNI’s ability to help my busi-ness, I never thought theorganisation would find me ahusband!”

• Sandra can be contactedon 01242 620403.

Chapter), Mark Thirgood (EdinburghWest), Stephen MacFadyen (Uddings-ton), Stewart Webb (Kirkcaldy), SharonCrombie (Balgeddie) and Peter Gilson(Tayside).

Ron Hain, BNI’s Scotland NorthDirector said it was significant that tensenior area managers from the RoyalBank of Scotland’s business banking

division chose to attend the conference.“The Bank has shown an increasing

interest in BNI over the past year or so,and we were delighted that Vic Bicocchi,Regional Business Banking Manager,brought along his top team,” he said.

• For information about BNI’sgrowth in the Scotland North region,contact Ron Hain on 01577 861415.

Vic Bicocchi (second left) and Ron Hain at the Scottish conference, flankedby BNI National Directors Gillian and Martin Lawson.

S U C C E S S N E T A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 1 3

Around the Chapters

No kidding!This is a BNI

meetingIf you’d been present at a cer-

tain chapter meeting in Liver-pool recently, you might

have thought BNI had taken toproviding creche facilities asmore than a dozen childrenaged between seven and 15 sataround the breakfast table.

In fact, the next generation of thecity’s Indigo Chapter were in atten-dance to prove they could do just aswell in business as mum and dad, bytaking over the meeting and presentingthe 60-second infomercials on behalf oftheir parents!

Practising their entry into the adultbusiness world, a pint-sized banker,jeweller, courier, locksmith, gardener,

second-hand computer dealer andother assorted traders took the stagefor what proved to be an entertainingand memorable session.

A few of the youngsters were soenjoying the occasion that they agreedto act as substitutes, making two andeven three separate presentations formissing members.

Inevitably, humour was high on theagenda, typified by seven-year-old Abi-gail Milner who introduced her father’scompany, ‘Waste’ (Management), byclaiming her dad was rubbish, “or atleast, he talks a lot of rubbish, becausethat’s what mum says!” she said.

“But, when he talks rubbish at work,it’s different because it’s his job, andthe more rubbish he talks, maybe the

FOUR members of the LeedsArmouries (Friday) Chapter havebeen involved in a major £1.6m artscentre project nominated for aprestigious national award.

The stunning designs that trans-formed Scunthorpe’s 19th century StJohn’s Church into a dramatic newart gallery were the work of Ian Tod,a partner in Leeds-based Allen TodArchitects, and his revitalised build-ing now hosts national events.

Ian enlisted fellow members,Jayne Pickard, from Sign-A-Rama,

to create a stylish plaque, photogra-pher Chris North to create a lastingpictorial record of the project andSharon Cain at Quest PR to handlepublic relations for its official open-ing and public launch.

“It was a dynamic and successfulpartnership, and it highlights howwell strategic alliances work inBNI,” said Ian. “We all enjoyedworking together, and the resultshave been very successful.”

• Ian Tod can be contacted on0113 244 9973.

more pocket money I’ll get.”Special certificates had been pre-

pared for the children, who finally satdown to enjoy a champagne breakfastin honour of Paul Harrington’s retire-ment as Chapter Director.

In the true spirit of the event, somechapter members arrived for breakfastsporting school uniforms and play-ground toys – and one of them, DaveCodling (‘Dicky-bow Dave’) from theneighbouring Beta Chapter used awater pistol as an effective means ofcalling time on members who strayedbeyond their allocated 60 seconds.

Indigo Chapter’s ‘Child-fest’ was thebrainchild of Membership Co-ordina-tor Les Tarbuck who told SuccessNet:“Sitting listening to the 60 secondinfomercials week after week, I feltsome of them were getting a little tootechnical and perhaps a bit tired aswell. I thought that by bringing in thechildren, we’d get back to basics andcut out most of the jargon.

“Happily, it worked a treat. The kidskept the messages short, simple and inmany cases highly amusing – which leftus with a lasting impression of the busi-nesses they were representing.”

Executive Director Terry Hamill said:“We’re an imaginative lot on Mersey-side and like to do things differently ifwe can. This initiative proved so popu-lar that a repeat performance is beingconsidered.”

The art of networking

•The Duchess of Gloucester at the openingof the new arts centre in Scunthorpe.

•Hannah Atherton delivers the message, watched by her dad Peter.

1 4 A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 S U C C E S S N E T

by Pam Austinand Andy Hoareof Corby Chapter

According to national sta-tistics, over 60 per centof the population could

be described as being predomi-nantly easy-going, controlled,and undemonstrative.

However, in a small survey carriedout among members of BNI’s Corby,Wellingborough and Kettering chap-ters less than 20 per cent display thesecharacteristics as the most dominantfeature of their personality.

This raises some interesting implica-tions for BNI leadership teams.

Today’s system of personality profil-ing is based on four main characteris-tics (called identifiers), which, at theirsimplest level, are:

THE HIGH D personality – com-petitive, loves a challenge and likes tobe in charge, but can be impatient.

THE HIGH I TYPE – outgoing,persuasive and principally interestedin people, but can be shallow.

THE HIGH S PERSONALITY –amiable, easy going and relaxed. Thistype makes a good team worker, butcan be possessive.

THE HIGH C TYPE – loyal, sensi-tive and analytical, preferring stabilityand order. Can be indecisive.

To see the effect of a combination,imagine a High D/Low C profile. Heor she would be a highly ambitiousindividual, with a non-compliant atti-tude to keeping to the rules, indicatinga real maverick personality!

Turning to the recent analysis weconducted among 44 BNI members inthree chapters, it was fascinating tofind that High I’s predominated,accounting for 20 members. Nextcame High D personalities (14 indi-

Personality types andBNI membership

viduals), with six High Ss, followedclosely by five High Cs.

This is a very different mix to thatfound among the UK national popula-tion as a whole, as we can see fromthe table at the foot of this page.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, our surveyrevealed many more Drivers, Influ-encers and Compliants among BNImembers than exist in the UK popula-tion, but nowhere near as manySteadys as one might have expected.

So what are the implications ofthese findings for BNI chapters?

Firstly, it would seem sensible toconsider the mix of personalities whenit comes to selecting a leadershipteam. A team will be more effective ifit includes a broad range of thestrengths, and ‘cover’ for the weak-nesses, of the personalities involved.

So, a team made up entirely of HighDs and Is might be fun, dynamic, andsociable but, on the other hand, theagenda could soon fall by the waysideas members got carried off on a tideof enthusiasm.

Administration can be tedious toHigh Ds or Is, so recruiting a High S

Type In BNI sample group Among UK population

Drivers 32% 15%Influencers 44% 20%Steadys 13% 60%Compliants 11% 5%

WHILE BNI provides an excellent platform from which we canpromote and expand our businesses, every new member quicklylearns that the value of membership extends far beyond theweekly breakfast meetings. Nowhere is its influence more impor-tant than in the widespread training and educational facilitiesBNI offers all members – resources that are directly aimed atenhancing our business skills and knowledge.

To maximise the opportunities BNI provides, we first need toconsider how our individual personalities influence business suc-cess, recognise (and manage) our respective strengths and weak-nesses, and understand how to relate to – and interact with –clients and colleagues whose personalities are different to ours.

Here, BNI members with expertise in these areas, show howwe all fit one of four distinct personality profiles, and examinethe significance of different personalities in the context of BNImembership and business.

or a High C member to join a pre-dominantly DI leadership team wouldback up their drive with attention todetail and essential listening skills.

But, given that High S or C typesare less likely to put themselves for-ward for leadership (and that theremay be far fewer S and C types avail-able, if our sample survey is typical ofBNI membership) perhaps the answeris to get one of the High Is to encour-age S or C-type volunteers, before thenext High D takes up the challenge!

In the end it is a question of bal-ance. A leadership team needs alltypes to function well. Their ability toinspire others makes D/Is ideal direc-tors, while the secretary’s job demandsattention to detail – qualities fre-quently found in the S or C profile.

Meanwhile, Is or Ss make goodmembership co-ordinators and visitorhosts, with their people skills andsocial acumen.

This means that to achieve optimumperformance, a chapter needs to avoidleadership teams made up entirely ofone personality type. Instead, eachBNI group should ideally reflect thefull ‘DISC’ spectrum of personalitiesto be best placed for success.

Pam Austin (High DS) managespress campaigns. She is currentlyVisitor Host at Corby Chapter andcan be contacted on 01858 535466.

Andy Hoare (High ID) is a behav-ioural specialist. He became Chap-ter Director at Corby this month.

Two ways of looking at better communication

S U C C E S S N E T A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 1 5

Education & TrainingBy Mort Murphy

Executive Director,Ireland (South and West)

Each person is unique.Each has differences instyle, need and expecta-

tion. In these differences liesgreat strength. Understandthem, and you will havegreater insight into humancommunication. Fail to under-stand them, and often theresult is conflict.

Insight into communications helpsus to understand our own personality,others’ personalities and importantlyhow we can best communicate withothers using that understanding.

BNI’s Irish members who attendedthe recent national conference at Gal-way, and members from the Corkarea, benefited from two excellent‘Insights into Communications’ pre-sentations given by Johnny Miller andMargaret Hartigan of the ProsperGroup. They showed how to under-stand different types of personality,how each ‘type’ receives communica-tions from the others and how ourown perceptions ‘colour’ the message.

While we are all individuals, nearlyeveryone falls into one of just four‘personality energy’ categories –denoted by colours to which is addeda specific adjective, giving us:

FIERY REDSUNSHINE YELLOWEARTH GREENCOOL BLUEAt both presentations, members

were asked to self-select their ownpersonality type, based on theiranswers to a series of psychologicalprofiling questions.

Then, a large bag of baseball capswas produced with everyone invited toselect a red, yellow, green or blue capaccording to their personality type.

With the audience split into fourgroups of same-colour hats, we allstarted correlating hat colour to thewearers, and people’s traits werebeginning to add up.

The descriptions indicated by thedifferent colour groups seemed to fitour existing views of each person andthings began to make more sense aswe started to appreciate how eachpersonality type fitted the individual.

Each group was then given the sameproblem to tackle, and asked todevelop a plan for solving it. Now hereis the really uncanny thing. Although afew of us had attended both presenta-tions, the participants – 45 at eachevent – were all different and yet the

WHAT YOURCOLOUR SAYSABOUT YOU

results were exactly the same. Two dif-ferent audiences carrying out the sametask but in both cases the groups keptto their ‘colour’ energy and personal-ity type.

THE REDS felt it was their job tobe in charge, leaving everyone else todo the work.

THE YELLOWS made sure theproject had lots of fun and enjoyment.

THE GREENS wanted to ensureeveryone was looked after and that noone was left out.

THE BLUES drew up a well-thought plan, focusing on structure.

On its own, each group believed ithad the right approach, but looking atthe others it soon became obvious thatdifferent mindsets had a lot to offer.

It was here that our presentersasked us to take on board those per-sonality differences and use thestrengths of each to create team work,rather than letting conflict and frustra-tion get in the way.

For everyone present, the sessionswere a real eye-opener. Where beforewe saw hassle and conflict in dealingwith certain people with different per-sonality traits, we now saw opportunity.

Finally, when asked how they wouldwant people to communicate to them,with regard to their personality, theanswers from each group confirmed

what we’d learnt about each other.THE FIERY REDS declared:

“Move straight to what you want, anddon’t spend all day getting to thepoint. Give us things to do now.”

THE SUNSHINE YELLOWS said:“Accept our help, but don’t bore uswith tedious detail. Build variationand energy into your approach.”

THE EARTH GREENS wantedcollaboration: “Ask us how we wouldfeel about the matter. Don’t seek ouropinion, then ignore it. Give us time toconsider the effects of any actions.”

THE COOL BLUES wanted ananalytical approach: “Ask what wethink, but don’t rush us for an answer.Present clear data to support yourpoints. Encourage us to use structureand a time frame.”

So what conclusions can we draw?We all depend on getting along witheach other to achieve our aims in life,nowhere more so than in businesswhere we need good relationshipswith clients, suppliers and colleagues,including of course, other members ofour chapter whose understanding ofus is so important.

Understanding our own personalitytype and our approach to communicat-ing with others with different personal-ity types, means we can adapt our styleand presentation to fit theirs – leadingto more effective communications anda happier business life for us all.

• Mort Murphy can be contactedon (00) 353 21 466 7878. MargaretHartigan (a member of Cork Cen-tral Chapter) can be reached on(00) 353 87 226 4444.

• Mort Murphy

1 6 A U T U M N 2 0 0 1 S U C C E S S N E T

SuccessNet is published quarterly anddistributed free of charge by BusinessNetwork International plc to all membersthrough BNI directors and chapter direc-tors. Additional copies can be obtained bywriting to, or calling, the BNI NationalOffice, at Gate End, Northwood,Middlesex, HA6 3QG.Tel: +44 (0)1923-826 181Fax: +44 (0)1923-827 813E-mail: bniuk@bni.comBNI web site: www.bni-europe.com

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Gillian Lawson, BNI National Director

EDITOR: Malcolm Grosvenor, WriteAngleCommunications, New House, PalmerCrescent, Kingston Upon Thames KT1 2QTTel: 020 8541 0600; Fax: 020 8546 1611E-mail: successnet@write-angle.co.uk

DESIGN & LAYOUT: Ken Sheldon, TheMedia Team. Tel: 01579-350 579

PRINTED BY: The Century Group, Penryn,Cornwall. Tel: 01326 376666

Copyright © BNI 2001. All rights reserved

The Last Word

Several months went by and Markdismissed the late-night chat. But then,this summer, he received a call – fromthe ‘someone’ who was very interested,and who wanted to meet immediately.

“Two months ago, we did the deal,”he told SuccessNet, “and my feethaven’t touched the ground since. Ineight weeks we’ve doubled the size ofthe company, established a new headoffice and sales centre in Bedford, andintend to open at least 15 new branchesaround the country within five years.

“We’re expanding so quickly that if Icould find ten electronics engineerstomorrow, I’d employ them all. If any-

SUCCESSTO ATEE!

FROM PAGE 1

MEMBERS of Tenterden Chapter,Kent have stepped in to try and save alocal ‘rare breeds’ animal centre thathas been forced to close as a result ofthe foot and mouth outbreak.

Earlier this month members held adinner-dance to raise funds for the farm,which is run by disabled people.

Oliver Johnston, a chapter memberand owner of the Little Silver CountryHotel, said: “When we heard it hadbeen closed, we felt very upset becausewe know how much it means to thoseinvolved.”

• To make a donation, contactOliver on 01233 850321.

Rescuing rarebreeds centre

Early birdiesMore than 60 members, and as many friends andbusiness associates from north of the border,enjoyed an idyllic day of golf and networking onSt Andrews famous Dukes Course earlier thismonth at BNI’s Scottish National Golf Tournament.

Some 30 teams of four took part in the event,which was followed by a dinner and prize-giving,sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland. BNI’sScotland North Regional Director Ron Hain (pic-tured below right with Royal Bank Area ManagerPhilip Bolland) said: “It was a great day both forplaying golf and doing business.”

MEET BNI’s equivalent ofCharlie’s Angels – thedynamic all-female newleadership team in Daven-try Chapter.

With a reputation forbeing heavily male-orien-tated, members weredelighted to support anall-female top table foronly the second time inthe UK/Ireland.

Photographer DawnBrannigan (above centre)was elected Chapter Direc-tor, with Sam Clarke ofTotal Event Solutions(left), as Membership Co-ordinator, and Lucy Powell(right), an account execu-tive with insurance bro-kers F G Watts & Partners,Secretary/Treasurer.

“We’re hoping to bejust as dynamic as Char-lie’s Angels and make abig impact!” Dawn added.one had told me this was going to hap-

pen just four months ago, I wouldn’thave believed them. Then, my wifeJulie and I were struggling to keep thebusiness moving forward while copingwith a young family. It’s fair to say lifewas quite hard. We hadn’t even man-aged a holiday since 1995,” said Mark.

But today things are very different.“Accepting the invitation to that golftournament changed my life. Aftermore than ten difficult years, we have abright, exciting future, and it’s allthanks to BNI for giving me the bestgame of golf I never played.”

Not surprisingly, Mark has now takenup golf in a big way and moved into adream home backing onto his new club.

“I can walk down the garden to theclubhouse but I might be better spend-ing time on the fairways. Who knowswhat new business I might pick up?”

• You can contact Mark on 07831209392.

Mark and his family.

Charlie’sAngels!