BNI HAPPENINGS — Australia
Membership Races Past 2000
In May 2004, BNI signed up its 2000th member, Gordon Young of Young Horticulture in Hillarys, Western Australia.
Gordon, a landscape designer, was invited by Craig Mason to Leading Edge chapter. He decided to join "because of the opportunities to network and meet other people with a view to generating business."
BNI in Australia is now 112 chapters strong and is on target to reach 130 by the end of the year. It has come a long way since the first chapter was formed in St. Ives, Sydney in 1997 (which is still going strong after 7 years!).
300 Referrals and Still Going Strong
When Toni Parker came to the first information session for the Gold Coast City chapter, in January 1999, no-one could have guessed what lay ahead.
300 referrals later…not to mention years of Leadership Team service and a year as an Ambassador; Parker has become known as the exponent of the "givers" side of Givers Gain. She often averages 3-4 referrals a week and rarely does a week go by when Toni does not bring in at least one referral. Hers is a wonderful success story that truly demonstrates how invaluable a giver is to a chapter!
From all the members who have been recipients, Thank You Toni!
"Backyard Blitz" in Wagga Wagga
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| BNI Chapter Promotion |
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| Backyard Blitzers revel in a job well done. |
Members of the Sturt chapter in the Riverina region of N.S.W. combined their individual member's efforts in a community project and completed their local version of TV's "Backyard Blitz".
Chapter members contacted local community service channels offering goods and services to one needy individual; a woman who is undergoing chemotherapy was chosen as the recipient. All services and materials were donated by chapter members and local merchants. After a weekend of hard yakka (work), dedication and teamwork in atrocious weather, this grandmother was delivered a new pergola, paved area, water feature, raised garden beds and was "thrilled by the out of the blue approach".
The purpose for undertaking this community project by the chapter was four fold:
1. To highlight each member's abilities to the other members of the group (what a fabulous dance card).
2. To work together as a team and to build relationships.
3. To give something back to the community, and
4. To highlight the benefits of BNI to the community.
This project received enormous coverage in the local newspapers and promoted both BNI and the individual members who participated and generously donated their time and efforts.
Well done Sturt members…and congratulations for a job well done…for the community, your chapter and BNI!
Submitted by Geoff Kirkwood, National Director - Australia
BNI HAPPENINGS — Malaysia
Printer Proud to be Member of Millennium Chapter
Irene Chan, of Millennium chapter, has been a member of BNI for the past three years. In that time, her business has grown by more than 50% from all the referrals and spin-offs she has received from BNI. "It has been the best experience for me in terms of business and relationships. BNI has helped me: become more independent, increase my self-confidence, improve my public speaking skills, and focus my business strategies. Without BNI and the members, who supported me and built my confidence, my business would not have grown. Thank You, BNI!"
Submitted by Avryl Au, National Director, BNI Malaysia
BNI HAPPENINGS — New Zealand
August 2004 - The month of the "Big Breakfasts!"
August 2004 will be remembered as the month of The Big Breakfasts! BNI New Zealand held the inaugural 'Big Breakfast' in the three main centres, and these were a huge success. With 280 members attending the Auckland breakfast, 100 attending in Wellington and 120 in Christchurch—nearly 40% of the entire NZ membership attended one of these three events. Two members from Rotorua even travelled to Auckland the night before and stayed at the venue in order to be there!
The main event of each breakfast was a workshop on "The Untapped Power of Word of Mouth Marketing"—prepared and presented (in Auckland) by Geoff Wake—an International Sales Trainer and former BNI President of the Newmarket chapter.
"Following the success of these events, it is my intention to hold Big Breakfasts twice a year from this point onwards" says Graham Southwell—National Director of BNI New Zealand. Some examples of the feedback received include:
"Great atmosphere and very good personally to see so many BNI networkers. The speaker presented a subject that was very relevant and a confirmation that where I am heading now—is right."
Hugh Shields, Tauranga
"The breakfast provided topics for discussion on our trip back to Hamilton. We're going to present the networking ideas that were suggested by other BNI members at our table at our next meeting."
Lorraine Eves, Murray East Tours and Travel, Hamilton
Auckland Mid Term Leadership Team Dinner
The Mid Term Leadership Team dinners were introduced by BNI New Zealand as a way of saying "Thank You" to members who have taken up the challenge of running the chapters—for a six month term in office. Whilst these are all subsidised events in Auckland, thanks to the generous contribution of the sponsors, it has been possible to turn this into a night to be remembered. Over 90 members, from as far afield as Tauranga, attended the Leadership Dinner held at the Auckland Club.
There was an inspiring presentation from guest speaker David Nottage, the 1996 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking. Nottage spoke on how he achieved his World Championship—practice, practice, practice. He told us that "practice doesn't make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect". All who attended were entertained with his hilarious stories of public speaking and some of the hurdles he overcame to become World Champion.
Without the generosity of the sponsors listed, the night would not have been possible. Thanks to DS Wireless—Vodafone, Kilpan & Associaties, Positive Embroidery and Apparel Ltd and Synergy Financial Solutions Ltd. Also special thanks to Joy Thompson of Flowers with Style (025 739 612) for the floral centerpieces, and to Anja Gallas of Anja Gallas Photography(027 622 1155) who kindly took photos.
Submitted by Graham Southwell, National Director - New Zealand
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Writer's Guidelines for SuccessNet
We want to hear from you! SuccessNet Online needs your input. SuccessNet is truly YOUR newsletter. We ask you to consider the following tips when preparing your submission for SuccessNet:
- Writing style should be clear and concise. Keep your sentences short and give us details. Be specific.
- Use the inverted pyramid format, with your information leading us to the point, rather than giving all the details up front.
- Use dialog in your submission: John said, "BNI made a huge difference in my business."
- Be sure to include your name, chapter name and business name. When applicable, list your web address and we'll insert a hyperlink to direct readers to your website.
- If appropriate, give us dollar values for your chapter brags and testimonials.
- We would like digital photos of your chapter or regional events! As you can see from this first issue, we are able to have many more local-flavor articles and reviews. With your photos, include a brief description of the event, who's in the photo, and the name and city of your chapter.
- Please also include your web address with your submission, so we can direct our readers to your site.
- Please send your submissions to newsletter@bni.com
The types of submissions we are seeking are for Chapter Brags, Memory Hooks, BNI Happenings (your regional news), any other special announcements, success stories, or things your chapter has tried that have been successful.
Thank you!
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