Delivering BNI’s Message Across Strathclyde
While all members are encouraged to wear their lapel pins with pride as they go about their business, Glasgow carpet fitter Gary Scott has gone one better and splashed his BNI membership all over his big white van!
Although Gary joined the Strathkelvin Chapter barely 12 months ago, he is an ardent advocate for BNI which, he says, already accounts for up to 15% of his booming business, Carpet Fitting Services.
“I’d only been in the chapter a few weeks when I decided that belonging to such a well-established professional organization would add value and credibility to my own business – so I commissioned fellow member, Pauline Hainey, of Signarama to put BNI’s logo and contact details on the sides of my van.”
Gary added: “There are lots of cowboy carpet fitters driving around in rusty old vans. Being able to put BNI’s name and website on my vehicle makes it stand out from the rest. Quite a few people have stopped me to ask what BNI does – as a result of which I have invited them along to my chapter and seen a few of them join over the past year.”
Chapter Kick-Off Sets a Record
BNI’s first chapter in England’s ‘mid-west’ has created a unique and remarkable record – reaching its 40-strong membership at the launch meeting!
Under the guidance of corporate development consultant Sarah Owen, who started the Bristol Grace core group in January, grew it to 21 members within four weeks and launched another month later, the chapter attracted more than 100 businesspeople to its inaugural Kick-Off day – with 20 of the visitors immediately applying to join.
The arrival of BNI in Bristol is equally remarkable, since Sarah was actually introduced – by chance – to BNI while visiting Plymouth on business last summer. She was invited along to a Visitors’ Day at Plymouth’s Drake Chapter and was so impressed that she asked Executive Director Guy Griffiths to sign her up on the spot.
“When he found out that I lived in Bristol, he sensibly advised me that a two and a half hour trip for a weekly breakfast meeting would be no fun during the winter months – and suggested I join a group in my own area. When I told him there wasn’t one, he said the simplest solution would be to start my own BNI chapter in the city. With help and advice from BNI’s National Directors, that is what I did – little realizing that our launch would set a record,” said Sarah, who works for Momentum Financial Services Ltd.
National Director Gillian Lawson said: “We have a growing presence in central southern England, and in Devon and Cornwall, but until recently, BNI was not represented in what I call England’s mid-west – Somerset and Avon. In particular, we’re delighted to have gained a strong early foothold in Bristol, one of the few major UK cities that was without a BNI group.”
Other chapters recently opened include: Angus, Atlas (Lancashire), Cathedral (Exeter), Chiselhurst (Kent), Dalhouse, Dartford, Diamonds (Doncaster), Falkirk, Grantham, Hendon, Inspires (Chesterfield), Kappa (Merseyside), Knavesmire, Leeds Central, Covent Garden (London), Mid Suffolk, Mid Ulster, Mitcham (Surrey), Orwell (Ipswich), Rochdale, Rossett (Wrexham), Rickmansworth (Middlesex) and Wickford.
The Brainy Factor
New chapter director Mark Kerr faced some good-natured ribbing from members when he conducted his first breakfast meetings last month - after being awarded the title of Britain's Brainiest Estate Agent in front of millions of TV viewers!
Mark, a partner of Liverpool's Ellis Kerr Estate Agents, went through some gruelling pre-selection rounds before finally emerging triumphant winner of the ITV game show hosted by Carol Vordemann.
ITV has run a series of quiz shows to find the brainiest occupant of various trades and professions including teacher, taxi driver and nurse. The programme which pitted property agents against each other was shown in February - closely watched by Mark's colleagues in Liverpool's Bravo Chapter.
"Several friends and colleagues persuaded me to enter the TV competition," said Mark, "so I thought I'd give it a go. After answering general knowledge questions at home, followed by a telephone interview with more questions, the top 25 contestants were invited to an audition and a dozen of us were selected to appear on the show, filmed at Elstree Studios.
"My chosen subject in the final was 'The Beatles' and I was amazed to win," said Mark. "My prize was a glass trophy and two kisses from Carol Vordemann! It was a fantastic experience and resulted in TV appearances, radio interviews and newspaper articles - making me feel like quite a celebrity."
Mark joined BNI just over a year ago and finds it great for his business. "It has given me a far wider range of contacts and I've received lots of referrals - as well as being able to give plenty to my colleagues," he said. "Of course I don't really believe I'm the brainiest estate agent in Britain, but it's fun to be given such a title."
Stars in Their BN - Eyes!
While the Brits were collecting their BAFTAs and Hollywood was preening itself for the annual Oscars, BNI members across North West London were celebrating their own star performances a few weeks ago, at the region's first annual awards dinner.
Some 200 members and guests from 24 chapters dined and danced at the Bell House Hotel, Beaconsfield last month and watched their top performers collect appropriately star-shaped trophies for notable networking and exceptional referrals during the last year.
Each participating chapter had nominated a star performer and notable networker of the year from their members and our congratulations go to all 48 nominees who received awards. But the real stars of the evening were Enfield Chapter's Norma Morris, who took the Notable Networker of the Year trophy and Stanmore Chapter's Andrew Rhodes, who won the Notable Referral of the Year award.
In the weeks leading up to the dinner, each of the region's chapters had been asked to choose one member to take part in a 'Showdown Contest' to find the best 60-second presenter. In the end it was no contest with dentist Anthony Rosenfeld (Stanmore) from the Rose Garden Dental Practice in Kingsbury, North London getting the unanimous vote for first prize, ahead of runner-up Ian McMellin (Watford ).
Anthony is a dentist with a difference. He asked his audience how many of them wished they were somewhere else when they sat in their dentist's chair, and then, donning virtual reality glasses, he promised them: "Using these, you can be anywhere you'd like to be! My patients take in a movie, enjoy a video travelogue or watch their favourite TV quiz show. Mrs Davis watched Goran Ivanisevic win Wimbledon while having a filling, and Mr Griffiths laughed through two episodes of Fawlty Towers during his root canal treatment. If you only have the crack on your dentist's ceiling to look at, perhaps you need to be somewhere else!"
"The event was a great success, despite some guests inadvertently setting off the fire alarms by blowing out all the candles on their table. But not even half an hour outside in the cold dampened our spirits. We'll definitely be back next year!" Gillian Lawson added.
