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| Issue No. 6 |
January / February 2010 |
| The Big News!
So, here it is at last, the January slash February edition of the BPN Newsletter! We've held onto it (and held onto it) in order to finalize our plans, and now the story can be told: We are moving! Effective March 1st, our new home will be:
The Clubhouse at Coyote's Adobe Cafe
1742 S. Glenstone
Springfield MO 65804
We are now centrally located and poised to grow our chapter to a new level in 2010! Please come join us for lunch, connect with other business owners and professionals, and you just might find out how to build your business through word-of-mouth referrals! |
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New Year, New You!
 It's a New Year! I don't know about other networking groups, but Business Power Network survived! If you listened to the media reports, even a little bit, it was nothing but doom and gloom, but if you attended a BNI meeting every week, that's not what you heard. You heard words of encouragement, successes, rewards, positive relationships being built, money being made and businesses surviving. GIVERS GAIN! We gained!
"Today is a new day!" Have I ever taken the time to really consider the unbelievable power that is in that simple statement?
The power of hope - hope for success, for dreams realized, goals achieved and new ones to be set. Hope that today, I will emerge better than I was yesterday.
There is forgiveness - release from past failures, bad judgments, careless mistakes, and uncaring decisions. Forgiveness for times when I wasted the gifts and talents I was so graciously given, choosing instead to take the less difficult path.
Freedom - freedom from yesterday, from the box I have put myself in, from the constraints of others' definition of me. Freedom to choose the direction of this hour, this day, this week, this year, and this life.
Also knowledge - knowledge gained from the lifetime it took me to get here. Knowledge that shaped me as a person, for better or worse, and knowledge I can use to paint the picture I want my life to be.
And yes, there is fear... fear of regret, fear of failure, fear of finding the last second chance, and fear of never touching the stars. But most of all, there is the fear that I may never realize that today is, truly, a new day!
This year is a new year. We have the power inside each of us to make it the best year ever, one day at a time. Remember, today is a new day, make the best of it!
Chris Maples-Shuler
Maples Properties |
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We are actively seeking dynamic individuals from these professions:
- Photographer, Printer, Advertising Agency
- Wedding and/or Event Planner, Personal Injury Attorney
- HVAC Services, Lawn & Landscaping Service
- Commercial Insurance Provider, Payroll Company
If you are, or know someone, in one of these professions who would like to increase their word-of-mouth referrals, call our Visitor Host, Mike Ferguson, at 417-883-1700. |
Make The Most Of Networking Events
To make the most of your networking time and talent, it is important to be strategic about which meetings you attend. Choosing Business Power Network, and building relationships rather than scattershot networking, is a choice that will put you ahead of your competition. And here at the beginning of a New Year, 8 Ways to Maximize Networking Meetings by Kim Althage of the St. Louis Professional Network Team, is so timely.
To make the most out of your Business Power Network/BNI membership in the New Year, the key is to become active. It takes time for people to recognize you, view you as a colleague rather than a stranger, and trust you. Becoming involved helps this process.
Another great step is to always attend meetings with the right mindset. The "Call me if you hear of anything for me" approach doesn't work. It's a big turnoff to others when one has not yet earned respect to warrant referrals. It is better to come to networking meetings with the mindset of "How can I help others at the meeting," by providing introductions, recommending resources, providing information about people, companies, or trends, or simply taking the time to listen and learn about them and their business.
You may also want to:
Ask questions - At the end of the day there is no greater compliment you can bestow on someone than to ask them about themselves. Simple open-ended questions are best such as: "Tell me what you do for a living" or "What challenges does your business face right now?" Questions can be a great way to start and maintain meaningful conversations.
Come early and stay late - The best opportunities for networking are before the start of the formal program and immediately after the program. If you come only to listen to the speaker, you are missing out on much of the value the meeting can provide.
Follow up immediately - It is important to follow-up immediately while the person and the conversation are fresh in both your minds.
Be able to clearly state what you do - Develop a ten-second introduction as well as a thirty-second presentation.
Don't try to sell - Selling at professional meetings is usually inappropriate; use the meeting as an opportunity to develop a relationship, and schedule a meeting for a later date. It's a New Year and the PERFECT time to make the most of Business Power Network. If you would like to become more involved, or aren't sure how to make your membership work, don't hesitate to talk with our Mentor. This is the year that can make the difference! Melissa Miller-Young Wordmiller.com
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| Chapter Leader Recogntion
We're catching up for the last few months, so only the top person in each category is listed this time. Congratulations and good work to all!
Referrals Given: Nov - Brian Standage, Holmes & Griffeth - 53 !!!
Referrals Given: Dec - David Martin, Mark Moore (tie) - 15
Referrals Given: Jan - Jean Stoops, GHN Architects - 24
Visitors Brought: Nov - Brittany Helton, Ollis & Co. - 5
Visitors Brought: Dec - B. Helton, C. Maples, C. Thomas, M. Warner
Visitors Brought: Jan - M. Ferguson, M. Speake, M. Warner (tie) - 4
Sales Generated: Nov - Gary Gauger, Lasertek - $7,746.30
Sales Generated: Dec - Martin Sansom, Diamond Mind - $38,419.25
Sales Generated: Jan - Jamie Holland, Polished For Profit - $12, 000.00 |
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Meet The RIGHT People!
I am not one to be weighed down by New Year's resolutions, but this year I have made an exception and decided to work at becoming a better networker. In doing so, I have begun reading The 29% Solution: 52 Weekly Networking Success Strategies by Dr. Ivan Misner. So far, the book is a fantastic roadmap for businesspeople seeking to develop or fine-tune a necessary and often overlooked skill.
The book's premise is 52 weeks of networking strategies to practice implementing in your networking process. It's not necessary to follow the strategies in sequential order; you may skip to any week you prefer. To start, I choose Week 9: Meet the RIGHT people.
This chapter speaks of the misconception that I believe most of us have that networking is about meeting lots and lots of people. When in actuality, it should be about meeting the right people. As the book says, "It's not what you know, or even who you know -- it's how well you know them and how well they know you that really counts in building a powerful network."
The Week 9 objective continues with asking yourself to determine or identify who it is that serves the same clients you do. Once you have identified these individuals, you should focus your networking efforts in their direction. Work to cultivate a relationship with these specific individuals. Ask yourself how these individuals can help you reach and accomplish your individual goals, and help you make the most of BNI in 2010.
Cary Prater Jenkins & Associates |
| Upcoming Events:
BPN Social Hour at Big Whiskey's - Thursday, March 18th, 4:30pm-?
BNI Member Success Program - Thursday, March 25th, 5:00-8:00pm BNI Leadership Team Meeting - Friday, March 26th, 7:30-9:00am
New! Starting March 12th:
Holmes & Griffeth Radio Show - Fridays, KWTO 560 AM, 3:00-4:00pm |
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Visitors, It's All About You!
Thank you for reading, and if you are a past guest of our chapter, thank you for attending. We would love to see you again! If you are new to BNI, you should put a Business Power Network meeting on your schedule ASAP! And please feel free to forward this newsletter on to any of your friends or associates who might be interested in learning more about how BNI, and our chapter in particular, can help your business grow in ways that no other professional networking organization can match. Until next month...
Business Power Network A Chapter of BNI Springfield, Missouri
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Featured Member
Jamie Holland Polished For Profit
Helping individuals, com-panies and corporations profit is the name of the game for Jamie Holland with Polished For Profit. Established in 2009, Jamie and her partner Kerri Powell are residential and small commercial space cleaners, with an emphasis on "polishing" properties that are for sale or lease, either vacant or staged.
With the tagline, "We polish so you profit", Jamie and Kerri have always put the "Givers Gain" philo-sophy to work in their business life; joining Business Power Network eight months ago, has helped them take that desire to help others succeed one step further.
"Business Power Network has provided us with the contacts we needed to grow a new business and most importantly, it has allowed us the opportunity to do the same for others," Holland said. "It has been an invaluable resource of business contacts, both for getting business and for giving business to people we trust."
With a background as a radiologic technologist, and years active in her church and with her children, Jamie has a love of politics, arts and crafts, and home improvements, inside and out. She took that love of home and has translated it successfully to Polished For Profit, a business that has steadily grown over the past year.
A property manager, a real estate agent, and a con-tractor already in the chapter have been awesome for Jamie; she would also like referrals to interior decorators or anyone dealing with newly constructed or vacant property. It is a compe-titive buyers' market, and Jamie knows that first impressions do count!
Just as Jamie constantly strives to expand her network and help others profit, her fellow Business Power Network members need to work to bring in strong referrals to expand her client base! |
| Next Month's
Featured Member:
 Chris Jarratt
Jarratt Design
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BPN Updates
New Members:
Andy Flint,
HA Construction-Design
Debra Dickinson, Express
Welcome to BPN! |
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Archives
Catch up on past issues of the BPN Newsletter on our website. Click here! |
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Contact Us
Visitor Host: Mike Ferguson
Phone: 417-883-1700
Next Meeting: March 2, 2010
Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Place: The Clubhouse at
Coyote's Adobe Cafe
1742 S. Glenstone Ave.
Springfield, MO 65804
For more information, visit
us on the web at:
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Have a great idea for a topic you'd like to see covered in a future issue? An event you want listed? A question about BNI you'd like to have answered? Click here to let us know! |
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BPN Online
BPN is on Facebook! Become a fan, write on our Wall, or join the latest discussion. Click here to check it out! |
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Newsletter Credits:
Reporter-at-Large:
Melissa Miller-Young
Wordmiller.com
Editor-in-Chief:
Martin Sansom
...and the rest of the BPN Marketing Team! | |
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