The new leadership teams are up and running – thank you to those who attended leadership team training, your chapter will be the better for your commitment. We’re just winding up BNI’s biggest fundraiser of the year, Hospice’s ‘Time to Remember’ Gold Coin collection.
BNI will of course contribute two dollars for every dollar that is donated, and you may remember that last year generous donations from chapters nationwide during Hospice week raised more than $12,000 from BNI.

Your presidents will have received the Hospice’s ‘Time to Remember’ book with some heartening stories – which also serve to dispel myths about the work Hospice performs – as well as some delicious recipes and invitations to use if you or your chapter wanted to do a separate fundraising event.
We’re looking forward to hearing what chapters around the country have been able to raise this year – thank you for supporting BNI’s fundraising effort for Hospice.
There is also another way chapters can support Hospice on an ongoing basis. Please read the article about the Hospice Wish List in this newsletter – it might be a great team building project for your chapter to undertake.

Wishing you a year of Givers Gain!
Graham Southwell

BNI NZ has been present at each Small Business Expo at the Auckland Show Grounds since it began three years ago, and this year's was the best one yet.
“We were there for the duration of the Expo – from Wednesday the 10th to Friday the 12th of May – to raise the profile of BNI and to encourage visitors to attend various chapters.

“As part of our campaign we issued a ‘breakfast is on us’ voucher to seriously interested visitors, encouraging them to visit specific chapters. In each instance, we wrote down the local chapter president’s details and invited the visitor to contact the president of that chapter. BNI will cover the cost of that person’s breakfast when they visit the chapter for the first time,” says Graham.
BNI New Zealand is very keen to find out how the campaign went - if you have any results, successes or anecdotes that came out of the ‘breakfast is on us’ campaign, please let BNI Support know.
Pictured is Graham Southwell at BNI NZ’s stand at the Small Business Expo.

A new chapter is starting up in Johnsonville, Wellington – who do you know in your company or contact sphere who would benefit from BNI membership of this new chapter?
More than 12 people have already put their hands up to indicate their interest in starting the chapter and BNI Regional Director, Paul Brimblecombe, expects the chapter to gather momentum quickly.
The group will be meeting at the Capital Gateway, 1 Newlands Road in Newlands.
To register your interest or to refer somebody who is interested, please call Paul on (04) 902 8601 or email paul.brim@paradise.net.nz

Every hospice has some small needs – it may be a washing machine, fridge, shelving, benches, balls of knitting wool. This is your local hospice’s WISH LIST.
Perhaps your chapter would like to consider getting involved in helping to meet one or two needs on your local hospice’s wish list?
We will also ask your local hospice fundraiser to talk about the wish list to your members, when they visit you as a guest.
Thereafter, please remain in contact with your local Hospice fundraiser – we’d love to see a relationship develop between each chapter and its local hospice.
Please don’t forget…
* Your local hospice fundraiser will contact you to arrange a visit to your chapter;
* We would love to see our chapter’s become involved in meeting the one or two needs on your hospice’s WISH LIST…
Hospice cares for the terminally ill, and is responsible for ensuring that these patients have access to quality hospice palliative care.
BNI New Zealand is committed to donating five per cent of its annual profits to hospices around the country – please join us in this worthy cause.

Learn how to identify weak referrals and mold them into sales-generating leads

By Ivan Misner

A referral is a referral, right? At first glance it doesn't seem too complicated to develop basic referrals for your business; however, there's quite a big difference between a basic referral and one that's been properly developed.
There are varying levels of a referral, starting at a level that's just one step above a cold lead.
These types of referrals are ranked in quality from lowest to highest. Number 1 is the lowest-ranked type of referral (the least desirable) to give and receive, and number 8 is the highest (most desirable). You'll find these principles work for both giving and cultivating referrals.
1. Names and Contact Information Only. Getting a name and contact information from a referral source is better than nothing--but not much. The networking value of just having a name and contact information and nothing more is low.
2. Authorisation to Use Name. Once a referral source has given you permission to tell the contact she referred him to you, you can feel fairly certain that you've established a good level of credibility with him or her. The problem with this type of referral, however, is that the work of developing the prospect still rests with you.
3. Closed Deal. This is where you referral source describes the features and benefits of your product or business, he then closes the sale before you even contact the individual. Nothing else is required of you except to deliver the product and collect payment. This is the highest level of referral you can achieve.
To get to the point where you're getting those 8th-level referrals, you'll have to work with your referral sources and tell them what you would like from them. This develops over time, as well. The better someone knows you and is confident in and sure of your business, the more frequently you'll receive these higher quality referrals. It's all about education!
Make it your goal to operate at the 8th level as much as possible with your referral sources. Keep in mind that you'll want to begin referring others at the 8th level, as well. It's a real testament to that old adage: "What goes around, comes around!"

Not only is Yvonne Craig the one who passes the most referrals in her Christchurch Connections Chapter of BNI, but her winning ways have translated professionally too – Yvonne recently won the Top Sales Person and Top Company Listing Agent at the Gillman Edge Real Estate Annual Awards.
Gillman Edge Real Estate recognised its top achievers with a glamorous night at the Chateau on the Park, celebrating the company’s success and the success of its top sales people.

Awarded during the Big Breakfast each year, the BNI NZ “Givers Gain Award” is a national award given to the chapter that BNI feels most demonstrates the spirit of Givers Gain.
The inaugural winner of the “Givers Gain Award” in February 2006 was the Hibiscus Coast BNI Chapter which organised a special Black Tie Dinner to raise more than $10,000 for the Hibiscus Coast Hospice’s new building project.
Hibiscus Coast Chapter President and local businessman, Mike Butt, said at the time that a project such as they organised was an ideal opportunity for various business owners in the chapter to showcase their skills.
Once again demonstrating that such initiatives really are a case of “Givers Gain”.
Who will be next?

The Hub Chapter in Christchurch helped to make a difference at the recent breakfast fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House South Island (RMHSI).
Organisers Phillippa Jacobs and Jody Jelas – both enthusiastic BNI supporters – thanked BNI and its members for their outstanding support.
“Despite the short ANZAC Day week, our fellow BNI members were really there for us.

Thank you BNI for your welcomed support!” says Phillippa, who is vice-president of The Hub chapter.
Pictured from left are BNI members and supporters Pip Langford, Phillippa Jacobs, Dick Taylor (motivational speaker), Jody Jelas, Pip Nielsen and Bronwyn Dewar.
Jody and Phillippa volunteer as part of the RMHSI Advertising and Marketing team.