September 2008
Art of Networking
ScotlandBRAVO Raises Funds for Homeless, Heads to Parliament
 |
An Aberdeen homeless charity, The Cyrenians, recently joined BRAVO. Their representative, communications manger Amy Grant, was impressed with the Givers Gain philosophy, which resulted in ten members of the chapter purchasing tickets for the fundraising dinner.
The event raised around £20,000, which will contribute to the organisation's work with local people who are experiencing homelessness. Amy Grant said: "This event has been one of our most successful yet. The First Minister is an excellent speaker and held the audience very well." The First Minister spent some time talking with the BNI BRAVO members and this resulted in the group arranging to visit and have lunch with Alex Slamond at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
BNI BRAVO appears to be going from strength to strength having recently welcomed their 36th member, making them the largest chapter in Scotland.
Submitted by Amy Grant, Member - BNI BRAVO Chapter, Aberdeen
United KingdomLinks Chapter Heads to Paris, Meets Success
 |
The trip was a success. We met up with 13 fellow BNI members from eight different chapters in Paris and were warmly welcomed by Mark-William Attie, BNI National Director for France, and 13 BNI colleagues from nine different BNI Parisian chapters.
We had a fantastic lunch (what else would you expect?), and we each spoke our business pitches in French. They spoke to us in English. I'm proud to say that I gave a speech in French as well. Open networking ensued, contacts were exchanged, and we're now following up on contacts made. Business is being done already.
The Parisians thought the idea was a wonderful one, and we are already talking about future gatherings. One of our members is a hotel manager, and we are talking about hosting it there—just 20 minutes out of St. Pancras.
Submitted by Douglas Jenner, Best Words Ltd., Links Chapter Events Coordinator
And now BNI France gets to tell their version of the story …
FranceBridge Between France and United Kingdom
The English and French have always been rivals. But this summer BNI helped transform the competition into a successful business operation.
On June 25, 2008, about 30 professionals met for lunch in Paris at the famous Pub Saint Germain. It was the first time that a BNI London chapter crossed the Channel to develop business links with their French counterparts.
As a result, members of ten different French chapters founded new relationships. At the same table two entrepreneurs from different countries found they held the same company name.
Jean François Blanchon, am editor for "Les meilleurs des mots" was very surprised when he discovered that at the other side of the Channel, a man by the name of Doug Jenner was developing The Best of the Words. They decided to work in partnership.
During the meeting, we all learned from each other. The French, who are renowned for being bad at English, made their one-minute presentations in English. As for the British members, from diverse professions such as Hotel Manager, Driver, and Editor, they shared their ideas to help improve the French chapter's efficiency.
"Frogs" and "Roast Beefs," as they are referred to in the media, were no longer rivals but partners. Every one was delighted and the British members offered to host a return visit by the French before the end of the year.
Submitted by Kissline Bun, Communications Assistant, BNI France
United KingdomMember Makes News for Sponsoring Team
 |
Wirral luxury chauffeur service Swiftsure has presented a new sponsored team kit (which includes the team jersey, shorts, and socks) to the AFC Liverpool women's team.
Boss Adam Jones offered to sponsor the team "to put something back into the community."
He handed over the kit to team members at Wallasey-based kit manufacturer Argyle Sports and Leisure.
Swiftsure also sponsors Wirral's Claire House children's hospice and the St. Helens Honey Rose Foundation, which helps terminally ill people.
Submitted by Adam Harding-Jones, Membership Coordinator, BNI Leaverhulme Chapter in the Wirral
PortugalNational Networking Event Huge Success
BNI Lidador, a chapter located in the outskirts of Porto, Portugal, had its major national networking event with over 100 people.
Click here to view a video of the event on Youtube.
In the video you can hear Mentor Coordinator Daniel Pereira and Events Coordinator Ricardo Anselmo, both of whom did a brilliant job. To the surprise and delight of everyone, Dr. Ivan Misner also joined us with a recorded video link.
Another very large networking event is planned for September in Lisbon—this time on a boat!
Submitted by Hélder Falcão, National Director - BNI Portugal
RomaniaRomanian BNI Crew Heads to France
 |
We decided to join their meeting—especially because it was dedicated to Eastern European business people. So, Gabriel Casaneanu, Vasile Catalin, and Catalin Martis, as well as their Executive Directors Ana and Vasile Mihaila, headed to France to meet their fellow members in the area.
After three days of driving and many funny incidents, we arrived at the meeting. We networked the way we were taught and we made loads of business contacts as well as friends. Since our visit, some BNI members from France already have started to visit Romania for the business opportunities they learned exist here.
We're organizing an important event on the last Friday of October for BNI members from Europe and their guests. They can learn more about networking and make more business contacts. For more details email ana@bni-romania.com.
Submitted by Ana Mihaila, Executive Director - BNI Romania
IsraelHaifa Chapter Meeting on YouTube
The BNI Haifa Chapter video is now available for prospects and visitors to get a feel for what a BNI meeting is all about.
While the meeting is conducted in Hebrew, BNI members from all around the world will undoubtedly understand just what is going on!
Watch the video.
IsraelLeadership Team with a Different Flavor
 |
The outstanding food was prepared by Chef Robert Silverman. His use of organic and healthy selections helped the 4 1/2 hour Leadership Training go by smoother. Not only did he cook the food on site, but he did a wonderful job explaining and demonstrating during the preparation.
What a tasteful surprise!
Submitted by Sam Schwartz, Director of Training - BNI Europe, National Director - BNI Israel
IndiaVideo Increases Visibility
I'm excited to report that I have recently been featured in an innovative networking video that's available free on the web. It started with a series of articles on networking inspired by Ivan Misner's authors mentoring. From that, we developed this idea for a video. It was produced with Web18, which is an arm of one of India's leading media companies that partners with CNBC and CNN in India.
Read the article.
Watch the video.
This is steadily increasing visibility for BNI here in India.
Submitted by Niiraj R Shah, National Director - BNI India
KenyaBNI Kenya Launches 2nd Chapter
 |
This is a great accomplishment, especially considering the fact that in January 2008, Kenya witnessed the worst political crisis since its independence and investors were pulling out in droves. However, we saw this as an opportunity for BNI. There couldn't be a better time for business people to see the need to get together and support each other in true Givers Gain style! The first chapter launched on April 22, 2008.
BNI Middle East Director Bijay Shah has been helping me in training and ensuring that all is well as we seek to grow BNI in Kenya.
Submitted by Elizaphan Muraguri, National Director - BNI Kenya
CanadaLocal Chapter Receives Big Coverage
A local newspaper gave great coverage in its business section to a BNI chapter from Quebec. The article also spoke of the entire BNI organization and gave a worldwide view of BNI.
The phone is already ringing as a direct result of the article.
If you can read French, you can read the article.
Submitted by François Garon, Referral Institute Montréal
United StatesBNI WNY Regional Conference
 |
| Dave Zemer keeping the "Fun in the Fundamentals!" |
BNI Team Western New York will present "Networking Strategies for Success 2008" on September 26, 2008. Our second Annual Regional Conference will be held at the Millennium Hotel and Conference Center in Cheektowaga, New York (just outside of Buffalo), and will draw attendees from Cleveland, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Upstate New York and our neighbors from the Golden Horseshoe, Canada.
The conference will bring to the Western New York area some of BNI's premier national and international speakers as well as trainers specializing in the art of referral-based and word-of-mouth marketing. The speakers include Michele Donovan, Dan Georgevich, Sam Schwartz, Bruce "Woody" Woodcock, David Zemer, and Bob Moses.
Buffalo sports teams fill stadiums, our chicken wings can't be beat, and our perseverance prevails. The BNI Team Western New York Regional Conference will prove that "We refuse to participate in a recession!"
Visit www.bninewyork.com for more information.
Submitted by "Coach G" Jerry Graczyk, Executive Director - BNI-WNY
United StatesThe Importance of the Interview
 |
We want to make sure each candidate is prepared to commit the time needed to make their position in the organization effective. Following the interview, the membership team checks the candidate's references and schedules a follow-up conference call. The team is not simply filling an empty spot, but ensuring the right candidate is selected for the group. Once a determination is made, the candidate is contacted by phone with the news.
The Live Oak Network is an enthusiastic BNI chapter that emphasizes the benefits of membership and delivers on its promises. We cultivate business relationships and take advantage of every opportunity to network with prospective members, new members, as well as the core group that has provided a solid foundation for mutual success.
Submitted by Maggie Everts, Live Oak Network Chapter, Austin, Texas
United States"Bring Your Teen to BNI"
It's funny how a great idea can come through an ordinary conversation. That's what happened at West Chase Business Builders in Tampa, Florida. I am the Application Champion on the Membership Committee. Vice President Jim Allston and I happened to be chatting during one of our daily phone calls. I mentioned that my 13-year-old niece was coming to visit Florida and that I was going to bring her to our chapter meeting so she could witness a professional networking gathering. Jim also thought it was a great idea and said he would like to bring his two children to see the BNI process at work. We then realized that other chapter members might also be interested and we could sponsor a "Bring Your Teen Day."
After discussion, and approval from our Leadership Team, Jim and I set out to make this a reality.
We publicized the event every week with our members and when the day arrived we had 10 additional visitors that were under the age of 18. Since children are our future business leaders, they need to see and hear what is going on in the business community. Many will grow up to be business owners and will need an organization like BNI to grow their businesses.
On the way home, I asked my neice what she thought of the meeting. She said that she loved meeting all the people and that she thought the presentations were interesting. What struck me the most was when she said, "Aunt Karen, do you think there'll be a BNI chapter for me when I grow up?" I think that says it all!
We are now planning to incorporate this type of event during the year to coincide with "Bring your daughter or son to work" day. If you have any questions about the process, please contact Karen Christensen, Creative Design Ideas 727-239-2566, or Jim Allston, JW Cole Financial at 727-549-6258.
Submitted by Karen Christensen & Jim Allston, West Chase Business Builders Chapter, Tampa, Florida
United StatesNetwork of Champions Generates Big Bucks
BNI Executive Directors Shawn and Linda McCarthy are excited to announce that the Network of Champions BNI Chapter in Oxnard has generated over $1 million in business for its members! This chapter has been anonymously reporting the income generated from passing business referrals since its launch in February 2007 and hit the $1 million mark in July, 2008. The chapter is just 18 months old and currently has 39 very happy members.
Submitted by Shawn & Linda McCarthy, BNI Executive Directors - Ventura County, Santa Clarita & Antelope Valleys