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| Issue No. 10 | September / October 2010 |
| BNI: It's Not Just A Chapter, It's A Family
We all know the key to success in BNI is building relationships based on trust with your fellow chapter members. Referrals come easily to "business partners" you know and trust, and good, quality referrals mean more business. Which is great, of course! There is another side effect from building those trusted relationships that may not affect your bottom line, but it's there none-the-less: those relationships will turn into friendships. Given enough time, those friendships increase the closeness of a chapter until it's very close to family. A great feeling, certainly, and even more so in times of stress or sorrow. The economy is stressful enough by itself right now, but our chapter has also experienced more than its fair share of sorrow this past year. And right now, one of our former "family" members, Cindy Thomas, is fighting ovarian cancer. Our chapter has risen to the challenge, by organizing several fundraisers this month to help out with Cindy's medical bills and other expenses. I am very proud to see all of the selfless work, time, and money that has been donated on Cindy's behalf. The biggest upcoming event is a Silent Auction & Raffle being held this Thursday at Mille's Café in downtown Springfield. Over one hundred items will be auctioned, and the raffle prize is a week's stay, including airfare, to a ski lodge in Breckenridge, Colorado. I urge you to make plans to attend this auction, and invite as many of your friends and business associates as you can, as well. For more information on this and other fundraisers, please visit www.cindythomasfund.org. Thank you. | |
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What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been...
...to borrow a phrase. While at times the past year has seemed long, and at other times has certainly seemed strange, it has also been a very pleasurable experience, one that I wouldn't give back for anything. Not only has being President of Business Power Network given me new insight into BNI; I've found being President of any chapter raises one's profile within the chapter immeasurably. Though my term is over, I'll still be around to help out with advice whenever it's solicited -- and sometimes when it's not! :-) We're about to reach the 40-member mark, and even though it won't happen on my watch, I'm proud to say that we've grown as a chapter over the past year. Slowly and steadily, true, and not exponentially, but that way seems best: our new members get the chance then to form those solid relationships that are at the very core of what BNI is all about. Our chapter in particular, as you can see by the above. I would like to personally thank each and every one in our chapter, and in BNI-land, who has contributed time, money, energy, and whatever else to the cause.  I'd like to take a moment, then, and introduce our new President, Michael Ferguson of Worldwide Resources, Inc. Mike has been our Visitor Host for the past year, so if you have been a visitor to our chapter, I'm sure you're aware of the passion for details that Mike puts into his work. I think that trait will serve him well in his new role, and I look forward to working with him to help grow our chapter, and our businesses, in the coming year. Congratulations, Mike!Once again, a sincere thanks to everyone who has been involved with our chapter over the past year. It has been my honor to serve you. Chris Maples-Shuler |
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We are actively seeking dynamic individuals from these professions:
- Photographer, Printer, Radio Advertising
- Wedding and/or Event Planner, Personal Injury Attorney
- HVAC Services, Plumber, Home Inspector
- Estate Planning Attorney, Office Products Supplier
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, Cary Prater, at 417-830-4366. We'd love to learn more about you! |
The Perfect Arena For Change
Change? Yes, we can.
I found the following tidbit fitting as we go through the annual changes in the Leadership Team and other chapter positions:
Behave your way into a new way of Thinking...
Don't Think your way into a new way of Behaving...
It is probably best not to sit around thinking about and waiting for change is it? No, in fact, I'm quite sure it's not the way to success. We must act. You can't hit the home run if you don't swing the bat! Those fantastic ideas of yours cannot be realized unless you act on them. We can't be stagnant. BNI is a great source for motivation and inspiration, plus it's a group full of people to encourage you and give feedback.
It's also the perfect arena for change. One of the most common fears people have is public speaking. BNI definitely encourages us to overcome this fear as we all get up and share about our businesses. As we volunteer for new positions in the chapter we are creating small changes in ourselves and our behavior. These small changes can lead to increased self-confidence, focus, learning to be present, the ability to set goals, to speak about our business and ask for what we want help with, and to create lasting business relationships. I will tell you from personal experience, the more you give to BNI, the more you get out of it.
 It has been a learning experience for me being Education Coordinator and I am happy to have had the opportunity. Congrats to our new educator, Brian Wilmsmeyer of Elite Promotions; I know he'll do a great job. Thanks for all your support!
Abby O'Sullivan
Amoré SkinSpa |
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Upcoming Events:
BPN Social Hour at Mille's Café - Thursday, October 21, 4:30-5:30pm
Cynthia Thomas Silent Auction & Raffle Fundraiser at Mille's Café
- Thursday, October 21, 5:30-8:30pm
Cynthia Thomas Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser at Applebee's in Nixa
- Saturday, October 30, 8:00-10:00am
BNI Member Success Program - Thursday, November 4, 5:00-7:00pm
BNI Regional Success Summit - Friday, November 5, 7:30-9:00am
For more information on any of these events, see the BPN Calendar.
BPN Members On The Air:
David Martin & Mike Green Show - Wednesdays, KADI 1340 AM, 4:00pm Holmes & Griffeth Radio Show - Fridays, KWTO 560 AM, 3:00-4:00pm |
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Mentor's Moment: Falling Forward
Fall has always been my favorite season -- the crisp air, the color of the leaves as they turn, the World Series. I even prefer the fall holidays. How can you get any better than Thanksgiving, a holiday made specifically for eating and watching football? :-)
Of course, along with the change in seasons comes the annual change in leadership for every BNI chapter. As I have only been in the Mentor's role for a few months, I'll be staying on through the next year (so the only mug you'll be seeing in this space is mine). I'm looking forward to the challenges that I'll face in the coming term.
The Mentor's chief role in a BNI chapter is to train the incoming members on how to succeed, how to get the most out of their membership. Which is one of the many advantages that BNI has over other networking groups. How much training did you get when you joined your local Chamber? Are they personally concerned with the success of your business?
In a BNI chapter such as Business Power Network, we are concerned with your success. We are your "sales team", and success for you relates to success for all of us. In fact, a Mentor's secondary role within the chapter is to continually assist all its members in achieving the Key Success Factors, which are the "keys" to becoming a successful chapter member, and thereby achieving personal success for your business.
We'll cover each of the KSFs in greater detail in future issues, because once a chapters' members are consistently reaching all of them on a routine basis, moving forward on a chapter success level, and a personal success level, becomes so easy that it's almost like falling forward. Until next time!
Martin Sansom Diamond Mind Web Design |
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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 Members
As it does every October 1st, leadership in every BNI chapter changes -- last year's team gets to step down, take a load off, and relax, and a new team of volunteers steps up and
grabs the wheel, ready to steer us forward on the road to new achieve-ments.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to our exiting team of men and women, who gave so much of their time and energy, and a hearty cheer for the incoming crew -- great things are expected of you! In addition to the members mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter, our new Leadership Team for 2010-2011 consists of:  Vice President:Brian Standage
 Secretary/ Treasurer:Hope Faller  Visitor Host:
Cary Prater
 Marketing Coordinator:Mary Warner  Power Team Coordinator:
Debra Dickinson
Many other members not shown here also hold very important roles in our chapter, so thanks to them as well! We try very hard to get everyone involved, because as we all know, the more you give, the more you receive back in return. Here's to a terrific new year for BPN! |
| Next Month's
Featured Member:
 Gary Gauger
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Contact Us
Visitor Host: Cary Prater Phone: 417-830-4366
Next Meeting: Oct. 26, 2010 Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm Place: The Clubhouse at Coyote's Adobe Café 1742 S. Glenstone Ave. Springfield, MO 65804
For more information, visit us on the web at: |
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Archives
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The Business Power Network Newsletter is produced and distributed by the BPN Marketing Power Team, and is intended to educate and inform both visitors and members about the power of BNI. And it's just one more example of why we're the best BNI chapter in Springfield, so come see us today!
Martin Sansom
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