Across the Globe

Brazil
BNI Now Forming in Brazil


Hélder Falcão and Terry Hamill, the national directors for BNI Portugal, have now added "Directors for BNI Brazil" to their titles. The two aim to open 100 franchises of BNI in Brazil over the next few years. They'll implement the use of strong CRM and high tech systems, already used in Portugal, which allows BNI members to improve their performance and networking skills.

Currently, there are 25 people in the Core Group of BNI Brazil, which meets at Buffet Sunset Paraiso in São Paulo. They've held two meetings since their first event. Falcão says, "Brazilian business professionals are great at networking and at maintaining human relationships. BNI combines the best of both worlds."

Because Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, the exchange of business opportunities between Portugal and Brazil will run smoothly. It will also create a strong bridge between European countries where BNI is present and Brazil—the largest country of South America!

BNI is very excited about the formation of BNI in Brazil and we are all looking forward to the kickoff!

To view the BNI Brazil website, please visit: http://www.bnibrasil.com


Ireland
BNI Ireland featured in Sunday Business Post

The June 17 Sunday Business Post featured an article titled "Why Trust Is a Must," which covered BNI, BNI Ireland, and the Referral Institute. BNI Executive Director Patrick Guiden and Referral Institute Managing Director Sarah Owen were able to share their insights into the growth of networking and referral marketing in Ireland.

Read this article


United States
Focusing on Solutions


This year's National Directors Conference in Bethesda, MD, started out like any other conference: smiles and hugs as we ran into directors we hadn't seen since November; frantic scheduling of dance cards; last-minute goal setting as we wondered which breakouts to attend. Everyone had ideas of what they hoped to accomplish based on what's happening—or not happening—in their region. But there seemed to be an overall theme that rose to the top for every attendee: focus on solutions.

From Ivan's presentation on Networking Resonance to breakouts on improving referrals, member results, director teams and our bottom line, it was all about solutions. We discussed challenges and were grateful to hear that they weren't only happening in our region, but it didn't stop with the problem. It was all about searching for, identifying, and focusing on solutions. Those solutions came in presentations, breakouts, quick Q&A's in the lobby, and—as always—many outstanding one-to-one dance cards. We headed home with new ideas and fresh energy to take our regions to the next level.

And it never hurts to come away with a few good lines that can become mantras during the tough times. We all know that "members complain," "knowledge is power" and "attitude is everything," but Ivan provided a new twist: "People complain like they're going to get an award for it," and "Ignorance on fire is better than knowledge on ice." Remembering those points makes focusing on solutions even easier—and is a lot more satisfying than the alternative!

Submitted by Mavis Lamb, BNI Assistant Director, Director PR & Special Events, BNINW


The Accelerators




After only four months in existence, the Accelerators have nearly doubled chapter membership, from 15 to 29. They're currently averaging just under $10,000 a month in referral income. They've raised more than $2,000 for the chapter's coffer by raffling off a pair of donated Red Sox tickets, and more than $150 dollars to help support the initiative of a senior at Gann Academy who raised money to rebuild the house of an elderly Katrina victim.

The Accelerators Charity Softball tournament, which will be held later this month, is expected to raise more than $1,200 dollars for the Ron Burton Training Facility Scholarship Fund. They've partnered with The Village Bank to offer a fully paid internship, which will begin next summer.

Recently, they've moved to a new location—the Gann Academy, which is next door to Bentley College. To celebrate their move (and they needed to celebrate, since they were kicked out of their previous two locations with almost no notice), they held an event called "Bring a Young Person to Networking Day." They invited the mayors of Waltham and Newton, who spoke on the benefits of networking. It was a big success. The Village Bank also offered a paid internship.

Click here to read the story from the local Waltham paper.

Click here to read local media coverage of the softball tournament held to raise funds for the Ron Burton Training Village.

Submitted by M. Stephen Brown, President, BNI Accelerators, Waltham, MA


"Show Me the Money!" in St. Louis

BNI St. Louis has completed its first fiscal year of using Show Me the Money, an innovative program that instructs you how to track the income generated by chapter referrals. Based on chapter reporting from June 2006 through May 2007, members gave 59,268 referrals, generating $140,689,963 in business. That calculates to $2,374 per referral.

Area Director John Suarez, who oversees statistical records for the region, has seen a dramatic shift in the overall acceptance of Show Me the Money. "We had some chapters that just about ran us out of the room when we introduced the program," Suarez said. "Now those same chapters have completely changed their emphasis from passing referrals to closing sales. The paradigm shift has definitely created value for our members."

The $140 million includes one referral converted by a commercial contractor worth $45 million. "When we adjust our total for that one abnormally large conversion," Suarez noted, "we still exceed $95 million and $1,600 per referral. We were hoping for $75 million when we started, so obviously we are pleased no matter how you look at it."

Submitted by John Suarez, Area Director, BNI St. Louis

Want to find out how Show me the Money works? You can order the CD, presented by Linda McCarthy, which instructs you how to track the income generated by chapter referrals. This is a great tool for growing and strengthening your chapters by showing them that money makes a lot of "cents"! Go to http://store.bni.com/c-4-audio-cds.aspx?pagenum=8

Coaches, from left to right: Joyce Gerrish, Cook County-North Suburban, IL region, Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates chapter Ellen Cahill, Northeast region, Ivyland chapter Linda McDonald, Western Massachusetts region, Holyoke North BNI chapter Jack Hartke, Delaware Valley (Pennsylvania) region, King of Prussia chapter Dale Miller (West Virginia region, Fortune Forty chapter)

BNI Coaches Certified with The Og Group and 6 Advisors

On April 29, I was delighted to meet four other BNI coaches from across the country when we were awarded certification for personal, professional, business, and executive coaching using the 6 Advisors™ System. Each coach had completed a year-long certification program and advanced training in Bountiful, Utah, at headquarters of The Og Group and 6 Advisors™.

This week-long conference provided the opportunity for 6 Advisors™ coaches to deepen their skills by using the 6 Advisors™ Assessment and Coaching Program. In addition, they received training in other 6 Advisors™ products and services for business and organizations, such as the Candidate Assessment Report for hiring and the 360 Degree Feedback Report for performance development.

6 Advisors™ is a metaphor for the six distinct areas of thought guiding each of us in day-to-day life. These thoughts (as many as 50,000 per day) advise and either support or sabotage our success. The 6 Advisors™ Assessment Reports can identify the barriers that are interrupting your progress. Working with a 6 Advisors™ certified coach or facilitator gets clients in touch with their strengths to efficiently and effectively overcome these barriers. This means happier and more productive employees; individuals living a more fulfilled and joyful life; laser-like business and career development; and, people turning dreams into reality.

Presenting at the conference, Dale Miller helped the rest of the attendees understand and experience the benefits of BNI. Jack Hartke shared his personal experience as a BNI member and educated the group on the distinction between therapy and coaching. Both 30-minute presentations were great, and if any new 6 Advisors™ coaches join your BNI chapter … you can thank Dale and Jack for the referral.

Submitted by Linda McDonald, Holyoke North BNI


The BNI Biker Story

When I decided to have a charity East to West Coast ride for BNI bikers, I had no idea what kind of response I would get. But when we announced it at the Bethesda BNI National Conference, many directors and members came forward, and the responses were positive.

Our website, www.bnibikersunite.com, was created and is maintained by Beth Anderson. Kelley Koehler is our head event coordinator. I'd like to thank Beth and Kelley for helping make this dream become a reality!

We've created a competition for the best-looking bike and the most interesting bike-related referral story. If you would like to submit a photo or story, please email me at sam@bni.com. We will post your photos and stories on the BNI biker site, and you'll have an opportunity to vote. I am looking forward to receiving your responses, ideas, and suggestions. The ride will take place next summer; the date is to be announced.

Submitted by Sam Schwartz, Executive Director, BNI Northern Virginia; National Director, BNI Israel, BNI Hungary, BNI Romania, and BNI Bulgaria



Take Me Out to the Ballgame

On June 27, we held a regional event at the Pawtucket Red Sox Game in Pawtucket, RI (the farm team for the Boston Red Sox). We held the drawing for the Member Extravaganza Winner, who was from the Village Business Partners Chapter on Cape Cod.

Submitted by Linda Macedonio, BNI Executive Director, RI, SE Mass., Maine


Kenton Boone Chapter Membership Extravaganza Visitors Day

April 17 was an exciting day for the 44 members of Kenton/Boone Chapter. During the Membership Extravaganza, they held the largest Visitors Day for a single chapter in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Region.

This year, Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Region chose to try Team Michigan's program for the Membership Extravaganza Events—and it really paid off. Following Team Michigan's mapped-out plan, the members gathered names and addresses and sent out more than 1200 invitation letters!

When the meeting began, there were 54 guests—it was almost "standing room only." Even the members were surprised by the number of people in the room (100). The energy and excitement level in the room was high. We learned that, even with 100 people, we can start and end a meeting on time, and still hit the 21 points of the agenda. The Leadership Team did an awesome job running the meeting, keeping it on track and making it look like the professional group it is.

When the meeting was over, the membership committee had 8 shiny new applications with payment for review. On May 31, when the extravaganza had ended, the chapter had added 11 new members. It is now at 54. The business for the first six months of the year has included 488 referrals totaling $94,319.

In addition to this group's success, the entire region did well. Almost all of our 47 chapters participated, 10 of which qualified for the drawing for the trip to New Orleans (we gave away two trips). We added a total of 162 new members during the months of April and May, which averaged 3.7 new members per chapter during the Extravaganza.

Our chapter and region aren't different from any other chapter or region. We simply used the tools in place, followed the plan, and held members accountable. Your chapter and region can do it too!

Submitted by Nanette Polito,Assistant Director, BNI Northern Kentucky