The day when Our Pilgrim met Sigourney Weaver

It was dark outside before we sat down to breakfast but the buzz in the room before we did was confirmation that we had good numbers.  23 Members and 2 guests mingled.  Good news was that Colin Sycamore was with us for a second time and is threatening to apply to join.

The Performance League

Terry Maylin is well out in front. Almost a hundred points ahead of the second placed member.  The Performance league was announced by Scott Griffiths who stayed on his feet as he was a guest speaker for the Education Slot.

Education Presentation

We were  educated this week with an explanation as how you can use Google Alerts.  It’s all about trigger words that activates Google to report to you upon fresh content; very useful in the search for clients.  This can be extended to trigger terms, names of competitors and key employees.   If you use the Google Alerts to their full extent you can fill your day without having to do any work but sensible use can clearly be beneficial.

A very useful information piece.

The 60 Second Round

Howard Bullock was the Oscar winner last week but in his absence due to illness Terry Maylin was doing the awarding this week. And he accordingly kicked off the round with an explanation of the importance of mediation in court litigation and how this can limit the initial amount of costs expended by solicitors whilst trying to bring the parties together to avoid costly court hearings……………. or not as was the case with Terry’s experience this week with a particular client.

Kieran Peaty has his first couple of projects about to go on site.  He illustrated the importance of drawings as a starting point to the Planning Process and agreeing with the client what work was to be carried out  to the property, Ben Golding illustrated the personal touch that comes through using Utility Warehouse in a situation where the ladies husband had a stroke and he assisted in sorting things out for her in relation bills.

The Bard of Hadleigh did not disappoint.  We were treated to  poem which championed Marcelle’s  service and products  Its as if she was in the room!

John Freeman was all hanging doors and heating.

Nick Cooke explained how he was going to be reassuring to the house owner whose purchaser had discovered what looked like a nasty crack in the wall.

It might be where he sits or just the fact that he naturally fits the bill as one of the three stooges, but Paul Booth was called in to action by
Vincent Goode.  Paul effectively “modelled” superior business cards produced by the Mayor of Gants Hill.   I understand Paul is available for future bookings for either the 60 second round or the 10 Minute presentation. Hurry up because Christmas will soon be upon us, and apparently he gets very busy around Christmas time.

We are now approaching November and the C word is clearly going to come into play more and more in peoples 60 seconds. Tina Walker was no exception.  She explained her potential usefulness in the run up to the festive season. I even managed to utter the word Christmas without including humbug in the same sentence.  Still there is plenty of time before people start putting mince pies out where the chimney opens into the lounge.

Simons Essex aka Steve had a vintage Lego character called Wade Crisp as a metaphor for the time he spent to find the right job for the right candidate. Don’t ask me to explain more.

It was “broaden your vocabulary” time as Matt Barry talked infragraphics and I cannot iconography. Could a stained glassed window be described as iconography? I forgot to ask!

Brian Painter went all equestrian on us. A lady had lost all confidence in riding her horse after years in the saddle. It all went back to, as a seven year old being distracted to turn in the saddle and run into a tree branch. This slap stick incident had been growing since she was seven years old and had only just manifested itself.  Brian was able to regale us with basic horsey terms that we might not have been aware of such as “hacking” “cantering” and even “trotting”.

Beware of florists dealing with funerals. You might think you only want one bouquet of flowers arranged into the  name of a NAN.  Saj Sreedharan had managed to talk them into not only having GRANNY on the side of the coffin but also MUM and WIFE sitting on top of the coffin.  It might be the way forward when you make an apology with flowers.  Flowers arranged into the well know phrase “sorry about that”.

I am persuaded into awarding a rant of the week whenever someone is deserving of this accolade. Ford Asprey was last week’s winner and this week Mason Edwards really got stuck in to other people using his tools including using a Henry to hoover up water.  If it had not been in such a brilliant rant John Hammond’s irritation at “cowboy builders “making life difficult for maintenance of a building would have been a worthy winner.

Vincent Goode won the Oscar partly due to the stellar performance of Paul Booth.

This weeks statistics and points of note

• 23 Members present
• 2 visitors
• 21 Referrals
• £7,500. Business recorded
• Oscar Winner Vincent Goode

10-minute presentation by Brian Painter

It was Brian Painter, with the customary assured manner that always arises from good preparation, who took to the floor.  His potted life history was entertaining; the passing round of photographs of him with varied celebs when he was a younger, dapper and with hair, very “Pathe News” and finally no mention whatsoever of Hypnotherapy!  Of course we all know what he does so an illustration as to how he got there seemed very appropriate and effective.  Although he went a bit over time it’s all explained by the fact that he was once employed trying to sell natural gas.