Interesting business notes from the Shoreline East BNI meeting at the Madison Beach Hotel on November 20, 2012:

New/Prospective Members

We welcomed the following guests to our meeting:

• Janice Patrick, Guilford Savings Bank

• Laurie Harder, Madison Ave. Salon

• Kimberly Meham, Yellowbook (2nd visit)

• Diana Hall, Gracious Interiors (2nd visit)

Chris Hart, Landscaping with Hart, was inducted as a new member.

Categories are still open in a number of industries. 
Highest priority category at the present is: estate planning attorney.

Education Segment

Best part of BNI:
“I love giving referrals.”
“I love looking at the water when driving up.”
“I meet people I would never have gotten to know.”
“I feel challenged, and that I am learning.”
“I love the friendship, honor and respect…  It is a ‘Woodstock’ of a special kind!”

Club News/Tips/Promotions

The following community information gleaned from 1) 30-second “sales manager minutes” in which members have 30 seconds to talk about their businesses and what kind of sales lead they are looking for this week; and 2) the “10-minute presentation” which allows one member per week to go into much more detail about their business:

• Salt water that may have gotten into one’s furnace during the recent storm can be highly corrosive.  But, damage is reparable as long as you don’t wait.  Do it now.  See East River Energy.

• Savvy Massage is holding a drawing for two 60-minute massages

• A joint marketing promotion with another business is a great way to leverage marketing dollars.  See Halagan Design Group.

• Faux fur IS dryclean-able.  See White Way Cleaners.

• Juice Plus is proven to reduce inflammation, a form of disease prevention.  See Juice Plus.

• Life insurance industry is changing and many carriers are dropping out, due to record low bond rates.  Need to get in before it’s too late.  Email Personal Benefits.

• Microsoft will terminate support for Windows XP in 2014.  Start planning ahead now.  See Amatech Solutions.

• It is important to treat the root causes of physical ailments, rather than just the symptoms.  Much of modern medicine treats symptoms only, through medication, which introduces unnecessary poisons into the body and does not treat the actual cause.  Pinched nerves that block signals to major organs are a root cause of many ailments.  Often, patients don’t notice that they have a pinched nerve unless it is connected to the head, neck, or other pain-sensitive areas.  By the time they notice a major organ nerve issue, much damage has often been done.  See Coastal Chiropractic in Madison for a screening now to prevent problems down the road.

Stats

Shoreline East BNI closed 101 of 113 referrals passed in the past month, for a near-90% close ratio.

Coming Up

Shoreline East BNI will be holding a holiday social at Donovan’s Reef.

About BNI

BNI is the world’s largest referral network. In 2010, Business Network Int'l passed over 6.5 million referrals in 5500+ chapters with over 135,000 members in 45 countries resulting in more than $2.8 billion in business! BNI membership in CT now stands at 2,027 and growing.

If you’d like to visit the Shoreline East BNI, just fill out the contact form under “Join Shoreline East” on our website (shorelineeastbni.com) a representative from our membership team will contact you or contact visitorhost@shorelineeast.biz  Shoreline East Business Network meets every Tuesday at the Madison Beach Hotel @ 7:30.