INSIDETopics library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Memory hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Going for Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

More chapters opening up . . . . . 5

Perfect therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chris gives BNI bite . . . . . . . . . . 7

Mysteries of computing . . . . . . . . . 8

Breaking with tradition . . . . . . . . 9

BNI’s global expansion . . . 10 & 11

Clearing the AIR . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

BNI’s first ever UK and Irishmembership drive has beenan overwhelming success,

with some chapters increasingtheir membership numbers by 25per cent or more in just twomonths!

Around 30 chapters fulfilled the mini-mum qualification requirement of bring-ing six new members into their groups,with the result that eight lucky BNImembers and their partners had an extraspecial reason to celebrate over Christ-

SuccessNetMembership goesinto overdrive!

BNI helps Alison scale new heights – full story Page 5

An education and information bulletin for BNI members Special Millennium Issue

mas – the news that their recruitmentefforts had won them a four-day actionpacked trip to San Francisco this spring.

They were the winners of the member-ship prize draw which took place in dif-ferent parts of the UK and Ireland justbefore Christmas – with one successfulparticipant per four qualifying chapters.

Among those heading for Californiaand the Golden Gate this April will beNigel Dixon, an estate agent from theWitney Chapter, who was drawn out ofthe hat in the draw among qualifyingchapters in the Oxfordshire, Berkshireand Central London regions.

european edition

In an organisation famous for its intro-ductions, Rochester Chapter has comeup with one that will take some beat-ing – the engagement of membersAmber Richardson and Cliff Oulds.

Amber, who works for SystemTechnology, Medway, and Cliff – asignwriter with Avenue Signs in nearbyWalderslade, joined BNI at the sametime but were introduced by differentcolleagues and had not met before.

“We got to know each other throughour respective roles within our group,”said Amber. “I was administration co-ordinator and Cliff was one of the visi-tor hosts, so I suppose we had morereasons than most to chat to eachother. Our friendship grew and I thinkwe both knew it was going to becomesomething special.”

Cliff said: “BNI had already helpedour respective companies generatearound £70,000 worth of new busi-ness, which far exceeds our expecta-tions, but neither of us ever thoughtthe organisation would be responsiblefor changing our lives dramatically.”

Executive Director Laura Hurren, whoco-ordinated the local draw, said theresponse from chapters had far exceededexpectations.

“Of course we’re pleased with theresults, but the real winners here are thechapters who took part so enthusiasti-cally, because by adding to the size oftheir groups they have ensured that morereferrals and more business will passbetween members at future meetings.

“BNI research over many years provesthat the level of business conductedthrough a chapter increases at a dispro-portionately faster rate as the group’smembership grows,” she said.

National Director Gillian Lawson saidthe membership drive had transformedsome chapters, adding: “All the reportsback from chapters confirm it’s been ahuge success, not only in attracting moremembers, but in focusing everyone’sminds on why we meet every week – toexchange new business opportunitiesand help each other’s businesses togrow.”

Amber gives Cliff the green light!

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Meanwhile, Amber’s memory hook,‘Canon can, Amber can – you andAmber can’, has taken on a whole newmeaning in the Chapter since the cou-ple announced their engagement.

2 January 2000

SuccessNet

Last autumn’s introduction of apermanent learning slot in theweekly chapter agenda –

while deemed a considerable suc-cess – has resulted in the first‘wave’ of educational co-ordina-tors having to tread unfamiliar

ground, with a number of themrequesting guidance on appropri-ate topics and reference sources.

SuccessNet is therefore delighted toannounce that, with immediate effect,our educational co-ordinators haveaccess to a valuable ‘topics library’ withall of the necessary reference sources

Help is close at hand forEducational Co-ordinators

having been carefully researched andcatalogued by Ray Finn, an AssistantDirector for Kent.

Ray took up the considerable chal-lenge of sifting through a vast range ofreference books, manuals, teachingvideos and audio tapes, in order to pro-duce a very useful schedule of suitabletopics for the co-ordinators who managethe weekly training item. Because we feelRay’s ‘menu’ of sample presentation top-ics is so important to boosting the busi-ness marketing skills of members, wehave reproduced his first schedule in full– and commend it to every educationalco-ordinator.

“Naturally, most of the backgrounddata has come from various BNI publi-cations and other information sources,but Ray’s efforts will save co-ordinatorsmany, many hours of work in research-ing different aspects of referral market-ing, by highlighting at a glance the mostimportant aspects,” said national direc-tor Martin Lawson.

The source material (books, tapes andliterature) should be readily available toeach chapter’s educational co-ordinatorbut, if anyone is missing key referencematerial, he or she should contact theirlocal BNI director and the relevant itemswill be provided immediately.

Martin added: “The topics list is notintended to be definitive, but it certainlycovers many of the basics and a lot morebesides. BNI has always regarded educa-tion as a cornerstone of its business phi-losophy and I believe most members willgain considerably from these weeklylearning sessions, which should be easierto plan and facilitate thanks to Ray’sexcellent work.” ■

Membership goes into overdrive

SAMPLE PRESENTATION TOPICSfor the EDUCATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR

10 Min Presentation60 Sec PresentationAbsence, Attendance, TimekeepingAgendaAttitude, Attitude, AttitudeBNI Lapel Pin and BadgeCard FileChapter DirectorChapter GrowthCommunication SkillsContact Spheres *p58Educational Co-ordinatorEveryone’s a Visitor HostGatekeeper *p177Hand-to-Hand WOMBAT *p45Hand-to-Hand WOMBAT Plan *p209History of BNIHow to give “Good Referrals”lvan R Misner PhD *p16LCD *p149Making Your Company a Hub Firm *p63Marketing the Chapter

Mastering the Mixer *p155Membership CommitteeMembership CoordinatorMemory Hooks *p146, #, +Need a Plumber?Networking Aerobics *p172Open NetworkingReferral Boomerang *p177Referrals *p187Six Kinds of Networks *p69Spin-Off Referrals *p115Substitution ProgrammesTestimonials *p187Three Laws of Notable Networking *p121Time = Money *p114TreasurerVisitor HostsVisitorsW-O-M Factor *p27W-O-M Grid *p49Word-of-Mouth Paradigm *p201Workshops & Seminars

USEFUL REFERENCESThe World’s Best Known Marketing Secret *(2nd edition) )Business by Referral # ) by Ivan R Misner Ph.D.Seven Second Marketing + )Any publication on Communication SkillsAny publication on MotivationAny publication on Personal DevelopmentBNI audio tapes - from BNI DirectorOrientation tape - in New Member Pack“BNI Boosters” (Audio & Video tapes) - available soon from Resource Centre

on the BNI website which is found atwww.bni-europe.com

Monthly on-line chats with BNI members and directors around the world: register with the BNI Yahoo Chat Room. Second Monday of every month 9.00 - 10.00 p.m. See bulletin boards (Yahoo Chat Room and Members Area on BNl website) for advance notice of Chat Room topics.

Other BNI members who are on theway to San Francisco are John Tomsett,a printer from the Huntingdon Chapter,Elizabeth Hodgson, an insurance broker(Brighton), Tony Stuart, a printer con-sumables supplier (Royal Spa,Leamington) and Mel Rosenthal, thedentist director of Bolton Chapter. Theywill be joined by two further winnersfrom the Ireland West region whosenames are being drawn during January.

There have been many special high-lights of the campaign – too many tomention them all individually – butamong the chapter success stories are:

• UXBRIDGE: where office suppliesspecialist Dominic Leese brought in fivenew members to his chapter, single-handedly, promptly earning himselfmembership of the gold badge club.

• AN GALLIMH, COUNTYGALWAY: where, barely six months afterthe Chapter’s launch, its membersattracted a very lucky 13 new recruitsduring the eight-week campaign (whichExecutive Director Mort Murphybelieves is largely due to its female lead-ership, first under Therese Norton andcurrently, Aine Walshe).

• HARROW: where amongst the mostsuccessful recruiters was BNI’s very first

member in the UK, Alan Solomons, whoby happy conincidence won the NorthWest London region prize.

Meanwhile, the lucky eight winnersand partners depart for San Francisco on6th April, where they will stay at therenowned Hyatt Hotel on Fisherman’sWharf and take a six hour luxury sight-seeing tour of the city, culminating in anhour-long helicopter trip over SanFrancisco Bay and the Golden Gate!

To them, and to everyone else whotook part in the drive, SuccessNet addsits own congratulations. Well done! ■

FROM PAGE 1

January 2000 3

SuccessNet

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’sno point denying that BNI’s‘Memory Hooks’ work – when

members make the effort to beoriginal and creative.

Time and again, SuccessNet hearsabout significant referrals that havecome about because a member recalled acolleague’s memory hook – which is whywe feel the time is right to announce aMillennium Memory Hook Contest –with the single best submission receivedeach quarter during 2000, winning abottle of champagne for its creator.

Gillian Lawson, National Directorsaid: “Good memory hooks are a usefulpart of BNI’s business approach.

“It is important to remind chapter col-leagues about your products and servicesand this simple device – if used cre-atively – ensures people remember yourbusiness even when you are not there.”

Meanwhile, working at improvingyour memory – as well as memorablehooks – will pay dividends in your busi-ness life, according to world memorychampion Dominic O’Brien whose pow-ers of recollection certainly ensuredmembers of the new Solihull Chapterwouldn’t forget him!

Dominic was invited along to theChapter’s pre-launch meeting a few

Memory hookswith originality

Lawsons’Lore

BNI National Directors MARTIN& GILLIAN LAWSON write…

Most of us make resolutions at thistime of year. A new year is a time forchange, a time for reflection and ofcourse, a time for renewal. And withthe advent not just of another yearbut of a new millennium, it is likelythat many people will be reviewingall aspects of their lives – personal,domestic and, of course, business.

Our millennium message can there-fore be brief because we imaginemost of you will have already consid-ered what fresh ideas, new plans andgreater commitment you will beapplying to your own businesses in2000, and to your chapter colleagues.

Whatever else you do, we hope youand your fellow members will layplans – with attainable goals – forstrengthening your chapter, therebyenhancing the business opportunitiesthat will flow for everyone in thecoming months.

There is absolutely no doubt thatthe larger your chapter, the morereferrals will flow, and the more newbusiness you and other members willgain. So, attracting more ‘potentialcustomers’ to your chapter, should beparamount in your planning.

And yes, we prefer to regard the vis-itors that we bring along to breakfast,as potential customers – because, intruth, that is what they are.

When you are considering whomight be suitable people to invite,ask yourself two questions: “Couldthey benefit from having more peoplelooking for new business on theirbehalf?” And, “Could I and my BNIcolleagues feel happy giving him orher our business referrals?”

It took two years to establish thefirst 80 chapters in the UK andIreland. Last year we more than dou-bled this number and are well on theway to 200 chapters early in the year2000. There is an obvious reason forthis rapid expansion: BNI works forits members! But don’t forget – youmust also work for your BNI chapter,and your colleagues. Have a verygood Millennium Year.

weeks ago by a long time friend, BNIregional director Ian Halsall, whothought it would be a good idea formembers to understand the value of agood memory in business.

And he didn’t disappoint – recallingthe exact positions of a full deck of well-shuffled playing cards, and then memo-rising 60 numbers written at random ina grid format, before being blindfoldedand reciting them in reverse order.

He’s held his title for six years andnow earned himself a place among thegreats in the Millennium issue of theGuinness Book of Records.

Ian commented: “He shared someexcellent hints and tips on how to usethe memory more effectively for remem-bering basic business information liketelephone numbers, dates, events andpeoples names – skills that are valuableto BNI members.”

But, back to that competition. Wewant to receive your ‘hooks’ now, so getthinking and start scribbling.

We’ll announce the first winner in ournext (spring) issue.

Just send your contribution(s) toExecutive Editor Gillian Lawson atBNI’s head office, Gate End,Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 3QG, faxit to 01923 827813 or e-mail it to:bninet@aol.com. ■

PAYING DIVIDENDS: Dominic O’Brien demonstrates his memory skills to membersof the Solihull Chapter.

4 January 2000

Around the Chapters

You don’t have to be a largerthan life character to dowell in BNI.

One of the organisation’s best individ-ual success stories in Ireland involvesLimerick businessman Liam Garveywho, in the words of his local BNI direc-tor Eddie O’Shaughnessey “is one of ourgreatest unsung heroes.”

Liam, a member of Limerick’s TreatyChapter, is known by his colleagues as aquiet, unassuming businessman whoruns a confidential shredding service, butto his Chapter’s leadership team he isindispensable, having been one of themost successful members in developingthe chapter, passing referrals and spon-soring new recruits.

So it was fitting that Liam should bepresented with his ‘black badge’ mem-bership of the Gold Club by NationalDirectors, Martin and Gillian Lawsonduring their recent visit to Ireland.

Black badges are only awarded to indi-viduals who have attracted at least sixnew members and adopted BNI’s core‘Giver’s Gain’ philosophy to grow andenhance their chapter’s performance.

Other Irish members to received thecoveted award in recent months are:

Jonathan Waterman, a printer fromCork City Chapter (who, at the tenderage of 20 is believed to be the youngestBNI black badge holder in the UK andIreland); Declan O’Neill, FinancialAdviser, West Cork ; John Maher

IRISH GOLD: Martin Lawson, right, presents Liam Garvey with his award, with JohnShaw and Eddie O’Shaugnessey looking on.

Eleven more go for gold

Loughnan, Auctioneer, Cork Central ;Michael Leyden, Mortgage Broker,Abbey ; Ronan Rooney, Auctioneer,Galway and Mort Murphy, ExecutiveDirector, East Cork.

Back on the ‘mainland’, the UK’s fourlatest Black Badge recipients are NigelLoli (Harrow), Iain Fairweather(Thame), Verity Foote (Witney) andDominic Leese (Uxbridge).

SuccessNet adds its congratulations toeveryone who has struck gold. ■

Up with the lark at HampsteadBNI members may be used to getting up earlyto get to breakfast meetings, but members ofHampstead Chapter are also having to getused to exercising their voices in the earlymorning too!

Marie Hayward (right), a communicationsspecialist, put colleagues through their paceswith a vocal and physical warm up during herrecent ten-minute presentation and says fellowmembers should practise voice training as partof their early morning routine.

“Vocal work of this nature has long been atradition in empowering Japanese businesspeople first thing in the morning,” says Marie,who has strong belief in the phrase ‘You areyour voice’ and starts her day with physicaland breathing exercises to promote confidenceand well-being.

A former Norfolk county and juniorWimbledon tennis player, opera singer Mariereminds her BNI colleagues: “Your voice isyour calling card, and the most important toolof your trade.”

Marie has found BNI very helpful for herbusiness and is more than happy to sing itspraises! ■

Linda Maclean, Scotland NorthRegional Director anticipates anupbeat start to the new millenniumbecause, she says, the Scottish spirit isvery receptive to the BNI ethic – man-ifested in the way that one successfulchapter, Livingston, is doing business.

“While every new chapter tries hardto follow the principles of BNI by giv-ing good referrals, subscribing to‘Givers Gain’ and supporting our fel-low members, Livingston reflects allthat is good about the organisation,”she said.

She puts this down to:• the leadership of the chapter is

enthusiastic, keen to learn and very ‘teachable’

• members share this enthusiasm and are constantly looking to help each other

• everyone follows BNI’sprocedures to the letter– resulting in perfect networking.

Linda said: “The results speak forthemselves. Since Livingston waslaunched barely two months ago,membership has more than doubledfrom 16 to 36, and the members passgood quality referrals to each other.

“By early in the new year I expectthe group to be over-subscribed.” ■

Livingston, wepresume, leads

the way

January 2000 5

Around the Chapters

Aromatherapist Alison Wraggquite literally reached newheights with the help of her

BNI colleagues – and the experi-ence has prompted her to take anentirely new direction!

Last year she persuaded members inher Fleet Chapter to sponsor her on aseven day trek in the Himalayas to raisemoney for SENSE, the National Deaf,Blind and Rubella Association.

But, while Alison, pictured during hertrek, certainly climbed high – raising£2,000 for the charity – the experiencealso had one unexpected effect: makingher decide she wanted a further changeof direction – this time in the businesssense – as soon as she returned home toHampshire. And, for the second time insix months, she has been able to achieveher new goal directly through BNI.

This month she is setting aside hertherapy oils and starting work as

Where have all our bud-ding Internet performersgone? Back in October

we offered you and your businessa free month’s exposure on theworldwide web – if yours was thebest 60-second ‘commercial’ wereceived.

But, though it’s hard to believe, only ahandful of you responded – possibly wethink, because we asked for submissionsto be sent in on audio cassettes.

So this time we’re going to make iteven easier for you to promote your ser-vices to a global audience: if you don’thave access to a tape recorder, you can

simply fax, post or e-mail your writtenone-minute presentation to us, and we’lldo the rest!

“Around BNI breakfast tables everymorning from Galway to Glasgow, weknow that members are working hard toimprove their 60-second commercials –in many cases earning quite a reputationfor colourful performances,” saidNational Director Gillian Lawson.

“Naturally, we’d like to find the verybest presentations for BNI’s website,which should encourage others to bemore adventurous.”

So, if you’re proud of your new one-minute promotion, then send it (oneither a standard audio cassette, or by

one of the methods described above) toreach BNI’s national office at Gate End,Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 3QG nolater than the 25th of the month. Markyour entry: ‘60 second competition’.

A listening panel will select the mostappealing and persuasive commercialreceived, prior to transferring it onto theBNI website, where it will stay untilreplaced by next month’s winning entry.

Gillian added: “As we visit chapters allover the UK and Ireland, we hear manysuperb presentations and often wish theycould have a wider audience.

“Now, the best ones can, giving theircreators free Internet marketing for awhole month on a major website.” ■

Promote your business on the Web – free!

Scaling the heights with BNIScaling the heights with BNI

General Manager for the RegencyCollection – a supplier of promotionalmerchandise – with Chapter colleagueViv Blumfield, a challenge she is reallylooking forward to.

Anna told SuccessNet about someenduring memories of her trek across the

Himalayas. “There were 16 of us, rang-ing in age from 25 to 55, from all back-grounds. We began in rain and lowcloud, climbed up into brilliant sunshineand blue skies, and further up throughjungle and rhododendron forests, highabove the tree-line and into snow.

“My best memories include watchingthe sun gradually light up the hugepeaks of Machupuchare and Annapurnaabove our camp at 5.30 in the morning;hysteria in ‘leech city,’ getting across aswinging rope bridge without crying,walking hand in hand with village chil-dren, and an early morning rickshawrace back from a bar to our hotel inKatmandu, just before our returnhome,” she added.

In delivering her ‘hugest thanks’ to BNIcolleagues who supported her trip, Annaalso gave a word of warning: “I’ve gotseveral other charity events planned thisyear, including the London Marathon andthe ‘Tough Guy’ challenge at the end ofJanuary – a combination of gruellingassault courses and a wet and muddycross country run of 12 miles. So, I’ll bewanting your help again…” ■

Another 25 chapters have been openedaround the UK and in Ireland during thepast three months – bringing the total toover 170 since BNI was launched in theUK three years ago.

Many of the newest groups are locatedin parts of England where, until now,BNI has not been well represented,including the West, East and South-WestMidlands, while other new UK territo-ries for BNI – such as the Hereford andWorcestershire area – will also be gettingtheir first chapters in the near future.

Joint National Director GillianLawson said: “It is especially pleasing tosee BNI firmly establishing itself in more

of our major towns and cities – such asEdinburgh, Birmingham, Leicester, andNorthampton – where it is clearly desir-able to have a presence.”

Chapters opened since 1st October:ENGLAND: Basildon, Birmingham

Corporation Street, Buckingham, Bury St.Edmunds, Caterham, Croydon 2, Dorking,Farnham, Gloucester, Leicester,Northampton, North Oxford, SolihullCentral, South Cheshire, Stafford, Stansted,Stoke-on-Trent, Telford.

IRELAND: Fitzwilliam 2, Killarney,Merrion Row and Sligo.

SCOTLAND: Edinburgh Central, Giffnockand Livingston. ■

More chapters open up in more regions

6 January 2000

Richard’s referral isthe perfect therapy!You wouldn’t expect a web-

site designer to need anemotional release therapy

counsellor – but Internet specialistRichard Budd is glad he paidattention to therapist AnnieDavies’s weekly 60-second presen-tations to the Warwick Chapter.

During the course of setting up a web-site for a London-based consultancycompany, Richard discovered that one ofits staff had been forced to abandon acoaching session after his trainee hadbecome distressed – and the coach had

no idea how to handle the situation.But Richard had the answer at his fin-

gertips – his BNI contacts book!He remembered the range of coun-

selling skills explained each week bychapter colleague Annie during her one-minute ‘commercials’ – and he felt wellplaced not only to offer her services, butalso to summarise how best she might beable to help solve his client’s dilemma.

The resulting referral to Annie was sosuccessful that, after visiting the consul-tancy twice, she was invited to considerjoining their staff on a full time basis!

“This sort of opportunity was beyond

Susanne gets a littlehelp from her friends…Susanne Austin is one of nature’s fighters.Just as well, because her current venture –helping the Cotswold’s farming and ruralindustries to diversify and boost the localeconomy – has been struggling to get offthe ground, even though it has won thewidespread admiration of agriculturaland political leaders.

From the ashes of a failed economicinitiative, Susanne single-handedlylaunched a new marketing co-operative– The Cotswold Food Group – believinglocal producers would seize the opportu-nity to boost their businesses, and theirincomes.

She organised stands at agriculturalshows, visited rural industries to offerpromotion and sales advice, and lobbiedpoliticians and big business for help.

“It didn’t come,” said Susanne. “SoI’ve had to fund myself and the Groupfor the last year, using all my savings.

“I couldn’t believe that a serious initia-tive which has the obvious potential tocreate many new jobs in the Cotswolds

and vastly improve the region’s econ-omy, would fall on such deaf ears.”

Fortunately, Susanne had recognisedthe extensive networking role she wouldhave to play, so she joined BNI’sCirencester Chapter a few months ago,to boost her business contacts sincewhen, in a remarkable demonstration of‘Giver’s Gain’, colleagues in both theCirencester and Cheltenham chaptershave helped keep her afloat.

“They have been wonderful, providingme with practical help and services fornothing. I have been given free banking,legal and accountancy services, printingof stationery and many members havegiven their time to staff exhibition standsor assist with administrative tasks.

“I don’t know how I would havecoped without their help. They’ve givenme so much moral and business sup-port.”

Anyone who thinks they can helpSusanne find sponsorship, should con-tact her on 01865 742793. ■

Around the Chapters

Sweet referralStirling Chapter member Ian Fergusonplayed Santa last month to colleagueLouise Scott when he brought her avaluable early Christmas present – areferral for her to provide his customerswith Christmas hampers. Louise ownsScot’s Delicatessen, which she describesas an adult sweet shop, and had whettedthe appetites of Ian and other chaptermembers during the year with samples,and some much talked about cheese andwine tasting events. ■

IT teamworkReferrals come in all shapes and sizesand, just occasionally, they can be toobig to handle – as IT specialist Bill Millsdiscovered when referred for a majorcomputing assignment through hisCoatbridge Chapter. As a sole trader, Billknew he’d be unable to handle theworkload and tight deadlines but cannyScots never turn down business and,after discussing the problem with hischapter colleagues, he was put in touchwith other chapters’ IT specialists whowere able to support him. The result? Ajob well done through BNI teamwork! ■

my wildest expectations when I joinedBNI,” said Annie, who became ChapterDirector last autumn.

“I offer a very different kind of emo-tional therapy whose benefits are diffi-cult to convey through normal market-ing like brochures or advertising.

“That’s why I focused on trying to putacross what I do in my weekly 60-sec-ond presentations. I had been told it’soften the most unexpected situationsthat triggers BNI leads, and this isexactly what happened here.”

David Bullock, BNI Executive Directorsaid: “Annie’s story illustrates the benefitsof using your 60-second slots wisely – andof listening carefully as colleagues describetheir businesses.

He said such referrals increased thecredibility of both parties involved. ■

BNI’s 150th UK/Irish chapter was launched recently, in memorable fashion, whenmore than 120 visitors turned up for the kick off of Birmingham’s CORPORATIONSTREET Chapter. At only their second meeting, chapter members exchanged a veryhealthy 60 referrals and, after just three months the group has an established base of27 members.

“It is going very well,” said regional director Ian Halsall. “To use a Tony Blair-ism, youcould say that they hit the ground running, and continue to run.” The Chapter hosts itsfirst visitors’ day on 18th January, and Ian is expecting another big turn out. ■

150th goes to Corporation Street

EMOTIONAL THERAPIST: Annie Davies.

January 2000 7

Six chapters receive coveted awardWhat do Canterbury and Colchester,Clerkenwell and Cheltenham all have incommon? Yes, we know they all startwith the letter ‘C’ but they share some-thing far more important – the honourof being among just six UK chapters toreceive BNI’s coveted Founder’s Awardin 1999!

Along with two other top performingchapters – Stanmore and Braintree –they join a small elite of BNI chaptersworldwide, whose overall success has

earned them the personal endorsementof BNI Founder Dr Ivan Misner.

His Award is given in recognition of agroup’s achievements in meeting BNI’score objectives – whether in terms ofbringing in new members, achieving con-sistently high referral levels or simplybeing a highly motivated and successfulchapter.

For members of the CanterburyChapter there was an extra cause for cel-ebration when they gathered for their

pre-Christmas social event to be pre-sented with the region’s first everFounder’s Award by Executive DirectorRobert French. The Chapter had alsojust passed a significant milestone in itsshort history.

Since its launch in June 1997, thegroup has notched up a remarkable5,000-plus referrals, 2,000 of these com-ing during 1999 – with a staggering 460leads being passed around the breakfasttable in November alone! ■

Belfast plans Millennium double

Chris givesBNI somereal bite

Around the Chapters

Belfast could achieve a notable ‘dou-ble’ early this month, when NorthernIreland’s first BNI chapter opens in thecity: its leadership team hopes they’llalso become the first UK/Ireland chap-ter to launch in the new Millennium!

James McCrossan, Northern Ireland’sRegional Director says that the groupis making great progress with an excel-lent combination of core members,including an accountant, a financialadvisor, promotional and advertisingconsultants and a management consul-tant from the University of Ulster.

Evan Morton, advertising and mediaconsultant, has used his expertise to

arrange publicity for the new group inthe Belfast Telegraph.

Executive Director for Ireland Southand West, Mort Murphy has visited thenew group several times and toldSuccessNet: “Belfast is a beautiful cityand I would recommend it to anyone.

“It is great news that BNI has arrivedin Northern Ireland and I’m sure itwon’t be long before they have a num-ber of chapters up and running.’

Anyone interested in being part ofBNI’s Northern Ireland activities cancontact James McCrossan on 02882661092. ■

Altrincham Chapter DirectorChris Barrow is definitelygetting his teeth into BNI –

and helping to give BNI consider-ably more bite in North West andMidlands – thanks to his work withthe regions’ dentists!

So far he’s introduced around 20 den-tists to BNI, including Bolton chapterdirector, Melvyn Rosenthall, AnthonyFagg (Stafford chapter), Peter Reece(Burton-on-Trent), and in his own chap-ter, membership co-ordinator WendySmythe.

Chris is a business coach and by purecoincidence he’s ended up specialising indentistry, though he has no special expe-rience in that direction.

“I was a financial advisor originally,”he explained. “Then in 1990 I became abusiness coach, which largely involvesshowing professional people how toincrease and generate profitability.

“I do a lot of public speaking and hadoccasion to meet quite a few dentists. Iknew that NHS cutbacks in the early’90s had forced them to take account ofmarketing and practice management toredress their reducing profitability and,during the course of my presentations Igot to know what they wanted in termsof new business marketing.

“I felt that BNI was the perfect envi-ronment for their first steps into themarketing world, since it starts with net-working, so I’ve been recommending itvery highly to them.”

Chris has lost count of the actual num-ber of dentists he’s introduced to BNIbut he’s still looking for more. “There’sa new chapter opening in Macclesfieldsoon, so my next task will be finding adentist for them,” he added. ■

Colchester Chapter Director James Finchcould not keep his town’s proud heritage asecret from BNI founder Dr Ivan Misner,when the pair met during last autumn’sdirectors’ conference in Los Angeles.

Knowing the Californian conference wastaking place on the 351st anniversary of theend of the Siege of Colchester, when theroyalist garrison town loyal to King Charlessurrendered to the Roundheads, James hadtaken with him a framed map depicting thetown’s history, which he presented to Dr

Misner (pictured left), watched by SouthEssex Assistant Director Robert Leak andEssex Executive Director Robert French.

Naturally the occasion provided Jameswith the opportunity to deliver an appositemessage to BNI’s Founder. “I told himColchester was again under siege, this timefrom BNI, but that unlike the town sufferingat the hands of the Roundheads, the onlychanges we’d be making would be goodones for the local business economy. ■

Reminder of ‘Siege of Colchester’

Around the Chapters

8 January 2000

BNI membership subscriptions in the UKand Ireland go up from this April – thefirst rise in more than three years –although members can absorb its modestimpact by opting for one of two newpayment methods.

Irrespective of your renewal date, youcan pay your annual fees before April atthe current rate, and enjoy a further 12months membership from the time yourcurrent subscription expires.

Alternatively, by paying a biennial feeof £500 (IR£600 in Ireland) when yoursubscription falls due after 1st April, youcan obtain a further two years member-ship at the current rate.

Category UK chapters Irish chapters£ sterling £ Irish

12 months subscription 280 340

Biennial (2 years) subscription 500 600

Registration fee (on joining) 60 70

National Director Martin Lawsonsaid: “We have managed to avoidincreasing subscriptions since welaunched BNI in the UK back in 1996,but our costs have risen considerablysince then and we cannot defer a modestfee increase any longer.

“However, we wanted to give mem-

bers the chance of absorbing the initialincrease, so I hope our alternative pay-ment methods will appeal.

“In some cases it will mean membersenjoying an unchanged fee for five yearsor more.”

From 1st April, subscription fees willbe as follows: ■

How to absorb first subscription increase in over three years

As nearly everyone who hasto use them will admit,computers – and computer

software – still retain the power todrive grown men (and women) toa rage, and sometimes worse…

But for nearly 100 members of BNIchapters across South London, Surrey

and West Sussex, at least some of theirprejudices towards computing wererecently dispersed, thanks to a uniquetraining taster evening sponsored by amember company of Sutton Chapter.

BNI participants were treated to a‘computers made easy’ presentation byLuciana Avanzi and Pauline Cave ofClarity Training, who provided an intro-

duction (with tips, short-cuts and helpfultechniques) to some of the most com-mon software applications such asMicrosoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint andOutlook.

Members were also given sample setsof quick reference cards, designed byClarity, aimed at providing quick fixsolutions to many frequent computingproblems.

Luciana said the idea for a joint chap-ter session came from her listening tomany members’ complaints about theircomputers, most of which she believedcould be overcome by simple training.

“While most of us have computers andbundles of software, few people haveever received any formal training, so it’snot surprising they become frustratedwhen things don’t work out.

“Our aim was to make membersaware of how training can help but, atthe same time, give them some usefulpractical hints.

“It went very well and as a result, wehave been asked to provide formal train-ing for a number of BNI clients.”

Luciana’s advice should be worthheeding. Although her company is onlytwo years old, it has a ‘blue chip’ clientbase (BT, Kelloggs and MCI WorldCom)and aims to double its turnover year onyear – not least with the help of BNI col-leagues.

She added: “We joined BNI because ofits synergy with the way we attract mostbusiness – from personal contacts andreferrals.

“We are following up referrals to someinteresting companies, so the immediatefuture is looking promising.” ■

The mysteries of computingmade easier for members

If you haven’t yet dropped in on BNI’sYahoo chat room, then now’s the perfecttime to make a New Year’s resolution todo so – not least because the monthlyInternet sessions are packed with thebest tips and ideas from around theworld on how to improve your businessperformance.

The sessions, hosted by UK nationaldirectors Martin and Gillian Lawson, andjoined by other BNI members and direc-tors from around the world, take placeon the second Monday evening of everymonth at 9pm.

Each one focuses on a different busi-ness or BNI topic and features a guestspeaker with special expertise in the sub-ject. Topics for the first three months of2000 are:

Monday, 10th January:‘Effective Membership Committees’

Monday, 14th February:‘Great Meeting Stimulants’

Monday, 13th March:‘Ideas for Joint Chapter Activities’

“It is an ideal forum for exchanging

practical business information and, asBNI expands into more and more coun-tries, the value of these internationalInternet discussions keeps increasing,”said Martin.

“Chat Room regulars say they con-stantly learn new business techniquesfrom other entrepreneurs around theworld.

“It is also a valuable source of ideasand information for every chapter educa-tional co-ordinator.”

The easy way to enter the Chat Roomis through BNI’s own website (www.bni-europe.com) where you will find it as anoption after clicking over the UK on thecountry-finder map.

However, you must first register as amember at the BNI Yahoo chat room,prior to joining your first chat session.

If you would like SuccessNet to e-mailyou a ‘point and click’ URL to get youregistered quickly, then simply e-mailyour request to bninet@aol.com. ■

Right time for a chat

Around the Chapters

Pat Finnerty, the Director of GALWAYChapter amazed fellow members at apre-Christmas meeting of his group,when he shared out a staggering 36referrals amongst his colleagues.

“Obviously, it’s not something I cando every week,” said Pat, “but by listen-ing very carefully to the kinds of refer-rals my Chapter colleagues want, andkeeping my ear to the ground, I don’tfind it too difficult to generate potentialbusiness.”

SuccessNet reckons Pat’s feat is notonly a new referral record for Ireland,but most probably a record among allBNI’s UK and Irish chapters. Unless, ofcourse, YOU know differently!

Meanwhile, just down the road in theTREATY Chapter, Auctioneer, John Shawpassed 12 referrals at a recent meeting,helping the group notch up more than60 referrals over a single breakfast. Ithas also passed the 30-member mark,just nine months after its formation. ■

Fun, camaraderie and the sharing ofbusiness problems are the successfulingredients of Barnet Chapter in NorthLondon, says one of its newer members,Joyce Palmer – and she should know,after gaining a remarkable £150,000worth of business from her new BNI col-leagues in just six weeks!

Joyce, an Assistant Director of Fame

Recruitment Consultants in GoldersGreen said: “As soon as I was intro-duced to BNI, my instinct was that theorganisation was right for us – but Inever thought it would lead to so muchbusiness, so quickly,” she said.

“We have always sought to make ourbusiness different by offering a highlypersonalised service to clients and build-

ing up excellent personal contacts. I’dlike to think that’s why my BNI col-leagues have been so active for us.”

Joyce now wants her colleagues to joinother BNI groups in London, adding:“I’ve been lucky in being introduced to acheerful and lively chapter. We are hop-ing to find some other chapters wherethe dynamics are just as vibrant.” ■

BNI bonus for the Barnet girls from Fame

January 2000 9

New Irish Board breakswith traditionAnew Irish Board of Advisors

has unexpectedly been cre-ated – because there were

too many good BNI candidates tofill a single position!

It started when Mort Murphy, South-West Ireland’s Executive Director, wasinvited to nominate one member to rep-resent South West Ireland on BNI’sInternational Board of Advisers.

But it wasn’t that easy. Mort couldn’tdecide which of three excellent candi-dates to choose, so he consultedNational Directors, Martin and GillianLawson – but they were equally ambiva-lent – so they consulted Dr Ivan Misner,Founder and Chief Executive who wouldsurely be able to provide the answer.

But he couldn’t make up his mindeither!

The problem was that each of thethree short-listed candidates – RichardO’Brien, Paudie O’Mahony and VincentScanlan – all from Cork City Chapter,was more than worthy of a position onthe International Board, which advisesBNI’s head office on policy and develop-ment issues.

Then Mort had a brainwave! What ifthey were allowed to nominate all threewho would serve on the Board for a yearat a time, in rotation?

The idea was accepted by the nationaldirectors and Ivan, who were soimpressed by the calibre of all the candi-dates that they suggested utilising thetrio’s talents by forming an Irish Board ofAdvisers with Richard, Paudie andVincent becoming its first three members.

In due course the Irish Board will com-prise representatives from chaptersthroughout a unified Ireland, and workto integrate members from the Dublinand Northern Ireland regions will beginthis month.

Gillian Lawson commented: “Rightfrom the launch of the Cork chapter wewere most impressed with Richard,Paudie and Vincent and believed theywould go far in BNI. I am delighted tosee them recognised in this most innova-tive way.” ■

IRISH BOARD MEMBERS: The first three Board members, from left, Vincent Scanlon,Richard O’Brien and Paudie O’Mahony are pictured with Mort Murphy, seated.

Is this a referral record?

10 January 2000

BNI International

UK directors at forefrontAs BNI continues its rapid globalexpansion, UK directors andmembers have been playing aleading role in helping the organ-isation establish itself in new ter-ritories – as far apart as Swedenand Singapore, South Africa andNew Zealand. On SuccessNet’sfirst ‘international page’, we bringyou news of BNI’s overseasexpansion, and highlight theglobe-trotting activities of UK-trained directors and chaptermembers…

Ex-Ealing memberrecruits Kiwis

Former Ealing Chapter mem-ber, Graham Southwell knowsa good thing when he sees it.

So, when he emigrated to NewZealand in 1998, it didn’t take himlong to ‘import’ the BNI successstory, setting up his first chapterwithin a year of after setting footon Kiwi soil.

Today, less than 12 months later,Graham (pictured right) has nine chap-ters up and running, and a dozen morein the pipeline for planned launches dur-ing the coming year.

Given his early successes with theEaling Chapter, it should perhaps comeas no surprise that the former WestLondon chartered surveyor has brokeninto New Zealand’s business communityso rapidly.

A core member of the Ealing groupwhen it launched in February 1997,Graham quickly became BNI’s first UK‘gold badge’ recipient, having recruitedno less than nine new members evenbefore the chapter opened!

He said: “By chance I’d been invited tothe launch meeting of the first UK chap-ter at Harrow and at the end of themeeting I spoke to Martin Lawson, thenational director, and said I’d be inter-

ested in joining BNI when he launched agroup closer to my home and business.

“Within eight weeks we’d started the

Ealing Chapter. Exactly a year on, fol-lowing a family decision to emigrate, Iturned up for my last chapter meeting inEaling and, again by pure co-incidence,in walked Martin Lawson with BNI’sfounder, Dr Ivan Misner.

When they heard I was leaving forNew Zealand, Ivan put me in touch withAustralia’s national director IanPendlebury and the rest is history. Ilaunched my first Kiwi chapter early in1999 and have added around one amonth ever since,” Graham added.

As BNI’s first executive director inNew Zealand, Graham has big plans forthe organisation’s growth on both thecountry’s north and south islands.

“At present, because I live in Auckland,all of the chapters have been developedaround here on North Island where wehave 200 members.

“During the next few months I intendto take BNI to Wellington and the restof North Island and then I can look atSouth Island. I am determined it won’tbe long before BNI has a significantpresence across much of the country.”

Meanwhile, his Ealing colleagues willbe given a first hand progress reportwhen Graham returns to the WestLondon chapter this spring during hisfirst trip back to the UK since emigrating.

“I’m sure it will be a nostalgic occa-sion, but I’m looking forward to seeinghow the chapter has developed since Ileft.” ■

A funny thing happened to Mike Levineduring a holiday visit to the UK: hecaught the BNI bug and took it back toSouth Africa, where it is now happilyinfecting hundreds of businessmen andwomen in the Cape province!

It was nearly two years ago whenMike spent a couple of weeks at thehome of his old South African chum,Cliff Horowitz, who now runs a success-ful electricians’ business in Northwood.

One evening during his stay, Mikerecalls: “Cliff suddenly announced that Ishould get an early night because the fol-lowing morning he was taking me to abusiness breakfast. I protested and said Ihadn’t travelled 5,000 miles to get up at6am for a business meeting.

“In fact I was pretty fed up at theprospect,” Mike told SuccessNet.

But once he sat down to breakfast withCliff’s colleagues in the NorthwoodChapter, something unexpected happened.The meeting was fun, lots of new referralswere passed around, members were enthu-siastic – and Mike was hooked!

“I just couldn’t believe what I was see-ing,” he said. “I’d had to be draggedalong but within 20 minutes of my firstBNI meeting I was not only converted, Iwas wondering how on earth I’d be ableto set up something similar when Ireturned to Cape Town.

“It was an incredible experience – oneof those rare occasions when you knowsomething is about to change your life.”

Within three weeks Mike had under-gone intensive training to prepare him-self for the challenge ahead, becomingBNI’s first national director in SouthAfrica in the summer of 1998.

“Four months later, I launched SouthAfrica’s first BNI chapter at Newlands,Cape Town and we haven’t looked backsince,” Mike added. “I now have ninechapters up and running in the Capeprovince and in the coming year I planto expand BNI into other coastal areasincluding Port Elizabeth and Durban.”

So, congratulations Mike – and welldone Cliff, without whose persuasionand persistence, BNI might still not havearrived in South Africa! ■

Mike gets the bug and takesit back to South Africa

January 2000 11

BNI International

The world is shrinking rapidlyfor globe-trotting ExecutiveDirector Robert French who,

in addition to his extensive BNIoperations in the UK, has beenbusy helping to establish theorganisation in Malaysia.

BNI will be marking the early days ofthe new Millennium with the launch ofits first Malaysian chapter in KualaLumpur when, sharing the moment willbe Robert and his UK Co-ExecutiveDirector Andrew Hall who have

of BNI’s global expansion

Starting the BNI ballrolling in ScandinaviaIn the true spirit of ‘Givers’ Gain’, twoof BNI’s South-East Executive Directorshave been helping to launch the organi-sation in Scandinavia.

Gordon Wilkie and James Sanderson,whose usual territory is London SouthCentral and Surrey, have spent the past 12months applying their leadership skills tosetting up inaugural chapters in Sweden,working closely with newly appointedNational Directors Gunnar and AnnettSelheden in Gottenburg.

“We made several consultancy trips toGottenburg last year and Gunnar hasstarted very strongly – opening threechapters with a total of 100 members inthe last three months of 1999, and plan-

ning to launch another two this month,”said Gordon. “They are very enthusiasticabout BNI.”

James and Gordon are now helpingGunnar and Annett to find potentialBNI partners in other Scandinaviancountries – Denmark, Norway, Finland,Greenland and Iceland – and are confi-dent that BNI will be represented in twoor three additional Scandinavian coun-tries before the year is out.

In the meantime, members of West andSouth-West London chapters be warned:when they next visit your group, don’tbe surprised if they address you in for-eign tongues! ■

Going back to his family’s roots in Singaporetook on an unexpected business flavour forSouth-West Midlands Executive Director

David Bullock, when he discovered the country’s firstBNI chapter – appropriately named Genesis – wasabout to be launched during his visit.

“I couldn’t resist finding out more and I think the newlyinstalled national directors Sim Chow Boon and Mervin Yeowere very pleased when I made contact with them,” herecalled. In the event I was able to offer them quite a bit ofpractical advice on getting the first chapter off the ground, aswell as providing guidance on their development plans –based on my own BNI experiences in theUK.

“That was back in September, but wehave kept in touch since then and I havetold them I’m available at the end of atelephone if they want any further help.

“I’m looking forward to seeing howthey grow BNI in Singapore over thecoming year,” David added.

For both David and two members ofhis family who were born in Singapore,returning to the Far East proved a nos-talgic trip down memory lane.

A former director of Lever then basedin Jakarta, Indonesia, David saw two ofhis children born and grow up inSingapore before he returned to the UKwith them.

“That was over 20 years ago, and thekids hadn’t been back to their birthplacesince we left. It was fascinating re-trac-ing their early lives.” ■

David slings hishook into Singapore

IN AT THE START: David Bullock meets national directors SimChow Boon and Mervin Yeo at the Singapore launch.

From South-East to Far Eastfor globe-trotting duo

together acquired Malaya’s nationalfranchise.

While, at face value, it might seemstrange for two of our directors to belaunching BNI on the far side of theworld, Robert says it is the perfect coun-try for development.

“The business, legal, political andphilosophical similarities betweenMalaysia and the UK are remarkable,and the fact that it is an English-speak-ing Commonwealth country makes it theperfect gateway into Asia for BNI,” hetold SuccessNet.

“In many ways, helping to launch BNIchapters in Kuala Lumpur is just likedeveloping core groups in Colchester orCanterbury.

“The commercial culture is very entre-preneurial with a high proportion ofself-employment and small businesses.

“Malaysia also has excellent tradinglinks with China and Japan, and itwould be wonderful to take the BNIethos into those communities,” Robertadded.

“The Far East economy is the mostexciting and potentially the largest in theworld, so BNI’s arrival just in time forthe new Millennium is ideal.”

UK National Director Martin Lawsonbelieves BNI’s remarkable progressacross Britain and Ireland is a key factorin the organisation’s overseas expansionunder UK-trained directors.

“Not only is this a very good adver-tisement for the way we do things here,but it also confirms that the BNI busi-ness philosophy can work anywhere.” ■

by Ian PendleburyNational Director, Australia

While there are manyfacets to maximising amember’s participation

in BNI, I believe there are threewhich should be regarded as fun-damentals. I call them the AIRcomponents.

A – Attend:This is the most basic ingredient to

success in your chapter. Absent memberssend clear messages to the rest of thechapter, the first of which is that theabsentee has missed an appointmentwith all his BNI colleagues who havemade the effort to attend.

This in turn prompts questions like:‘How reliable is this person?’ ‘Am I con-fident referring my best client tohim/her?’ ‘Will this person let my clientdown, which will reflect badly on me?’

Other messages suggest that the absentmember is not interested in learningmore about his/her colleagues’ businessesand it follows that he or she is not allthat concerned about finding referralsfor them either.

No wonder members who are absentwithout substitutes, get fewer referrals.

Compelling statistics show that reduc-ing absenteeism substantially increasesboth membership and referral volumes.If your chapter lacks on attendance, it ishaving a negative effect on the members.

I – Invite:All chapters, but particularly the

newer and small ones, need to have visi-tors if they are to grow and be effective.

Time and again I have found that themost successful chapters are those that

Clearing the AIR

focused on growth before they thoughttoo much about referring business.

A meeting without visitors is a missedopportunity, and we should have visitorsat each and every meeting. I think somemembers get a little ‘hung up’ with theidea that inviting visitors represents atype of recruiting process with whichthey are not comfortable.

But visitors decide to join BNI on thebasis of their experience at the meeting.Inviting visitors is not about ‘selling’BNI. A simple invitation to a businessbreakfast is usually the right approach,and the only one needed.

And remember this: by inviting visi-tors, you are offering them a potentiallylucrative commercial opportunity – anddoing them a considerable favour byintroducing them to that opportunity.

R – Refer:Referrals really start to flow when a

chapter is properly built and, obviously,the collective contact sphere of, say 35members, is a lot easier to source refer-rals than from one of only 15. But hav-ing a large chapter doesn’t automaticallymean that referrals will simply ‘fall outof the sky’.

Finding referrals for others takes someeffort. Do you really understand what tolook for? And, are you genuinely makingan effort on behalf of your fellow mem-bers?

You have a responsibility to learnabout their businesses and what consti-tutes a good referral for them.

At the same time, you must train andeducate your BNI colleagues about yourown business and the kind of referralsyou need.

If you haven’t done this through yourweekly 60-second slots, your ten-minutepresentations and appointment cards,then you shouldn’t be surprised if refer-rals are not coming your way.

* * *Your local BNI director has a number

of audio tapes than can assist you inlearning how to generate referrals, andthe same materials are available in theUK, from your BNI national office.

Your director can also run a workshopon the topic at your chapter meeting, orprovide some one-to-one instructionwith you, if you wish.

Good chapters are full of committedpeople who understand each other’sbusiness needs and aspirations. Theyhave taken the time to get to know theirfellow members well, and accept thatthis is a long-term process. While imme-diate results in BNI can be, and oftenare, seen – the business done over thelonger term by those who haveembraced the ‘Giver’s Gain’ philosophy,is something that continues to surprise.■

SuccessNet is published quarterly anddistributed free of charge by BusinessNetwork International Ltd to all mem-bers through BNI directors and chapterdirectors.

Additional copies can be obtained bywriting to, or calling, the BNI NationalOffice, at Gate End, Northwood,Middlesex, HA6 3QG. Tel: +44 (0)1923-826 181; Fax: +44 (0)1923-827 813;E-mail: bninet@aol.com. BNI Europeanweb site: www.bni-europe.com.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Gillian Lawson, BNI National Director

EDITOR: Malcolm Grosvenor,Grosvenor Associates (020 8541 1121)

DESIGN & LAYOUT: Ken Sheldon,Amigo Books (01579-350 579).

Copyright © BNI 2000. All rights reserved

In his capacity as a national director, Ian Pendlebury visits many chap-ters and meets numerous members. One of the most frequently ques-tions he is asked is: “Why is that chapter growing at a much faster rate– and generating so many more referrals – than ours?” The answer, hesays, is that the chapters enjoying the most success are the ones whosemembership has consistently adopted the right approach towards par-ticipation in BNI. Here, he tells how every chapter can be successful.

Briefly…6,000 milestone

Little more than three years after itslaunch, Tunbridge Wells Chapter is due topass another milestone within the next fewweeks – when it reaches its 6,000th refer-ral! As SuccessNet went to press, memberswere only 200 or so short of the markwhich they expect to reach in January. ■

US twinningBNI’s ‘rock of Essex’, as Chelmsford Chapteris known, is to twin with its namesake chap-ter in Massachusetts, USA, as a prelude to anexchange of members and business informa-tion. Executive Director Robert Frenchwarns: “Our cousins could be in for a seriouschallenge, since our Chelmsford chapterdon’t do things by halves.” ■

Personal ton-upBraintree members intend to give theirColchester neighbours a run for theirmoney in terms of the number of referralsgenerated during 2000. Although launchedbarely six months ago, one member – LesEly – has already notched up a personaltotal of over 100 referrals (including 30over a single breakfast), while several oth-ers are also nearing the century mark. ■

Launch lock-outAt the recent launch of Stansted Chapter, noless than 50 per cent of all visitors attendingthe kick off handed in application forms,giving James Finch and his team the pleas-ant task of having to find seats for the‘lock-outs’ in other chapters. ■