Brentwood Business Networking Meeting Review 10th Oct

Chairman’s Brentwood Business Networking Blog – Thursday 10th October 2013

A great turnout this week, guests which included Chris White, a graphic designer, Chris Hunt, a gardener, Angela Butt visiting for the second time and Michael Adelizzi junior- AKA Jamie.

As a prelude to the 60 second round Howard Bullock delivered the Education Slot and explained the dangers of reducing quotations given at the request of the customer and suggesting ways of meeting such a request by revising what you offer the customer with any price deduction. This has the benefit of not devaluing your product, meeting the customer request and thereby closing the deal. The emphasis therefore should be on producing good quality valued service.

This theme was taken up in the 60 second round. Initially by Dawn Ribnell who produced the quote of the week… “I don’t do cheap work…” taken up later by Kevin Brooks who told of a client who did not accept his quote went with the cheapest quote produced only to come back to Kevin to put right and finish the job. Graham Thurston told of people coming to him after initially rejecting quotations. Scott Griffiths emphasised the importance of the good quality websites that he produces based on willingness for him to keep up to date with current trends. Chris Sadler told of a commission that he had extended through good quality work but this was after he had described a more interesting project that involved photographing “a gorgeous girl completely naked”. I do trust his artistic integrity ensured that she could not have been in any way viewed as a sex object. So much for worthiness, Chris had introduced an a element of levity which was picked up by Brian Painter with his description with the full effects of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. His liberal use of the “F” word might give you the wrong impression. In this particular case the “F” word was flatulence. Stress apparently is very relevant and he can relieve this stress through his hypnotherapy. He explained that he was, in providing the appropriate treatment, not just going through the motions. Our pilgrim requires little encouragement but I cannot help but feel that the heartfelt apology from Kevin Radford was what set him off today. Kevin made it absolutely plain that he had wrongly intimated Brian having some lack of facility through old age.. but he then went on to talk about classic cars in good working condition kept under a blanket but also insured by RMK.

Nick Cooke turned up the opportunity of promoting his business and explained the operations that he had endured to enable him to stand up before us without glasses. The treatment is not quite over yet but it was good to see him stumbling around with such energy.

As I explained earlier it was Howard Bullock who had set the tone with his Ed Slot. It was therefore by contrast that his 60 seconds referred to blended solutions. This was not a reference to a “smoothy”… what’s a smoothy say you?… well it could be either a fruit drink or Mr Bullock himself but no, what he was referring to were technical terms apparently relating to pensions, annuities and mixing it all up for a good return.

My own favourite 60 seconds this week was John Probert’s poem. This budding Bard and pretender to the throne of Hadleigh produced some rhyme that struck a chord with me. I am now aware that I can use Utility Warehouse card to obtain discount in ASK, which restaurant in Billericay High Street I do attend from time to time but have never realised the discount benefits that Utility Warehouse have negotiated. I will not make that same mistake again.

If Nick Cooke did not use his glasses Paul Booth did. His 60 seconds was interrupted with a 3 card trick using glasses of the “drinking out of“ variety. Once again Paul Booth portrayed himself as transparent as ever.

So wither the Oscar, Jason made a judgment in favour of Graham Thurston. I have to say I agreed with the award but for different reasons. Graham, a persistent “hand in pockets” man seems to have cured himself through sheer strength of character and technique. What technique you say?…well the technique is to stand up and before delivering your 60 seconds move behind your chair. If you then grasp the top of your chair it is impossible to put your hands in your pockets. This technique however did not enter Jason’s head in considering and awarding the Oscar to Graham . It was the loudness of his shirt that did the trick. A walking advertisement for his carpets if ever there was one, well done Graham.

Whilst everybody was talking seriously about quality and not going for the cheaper option, Richard Reed broke the trend and told us of some terrific holiday offers which were cheap and which are what we are all looking for. Thank goodness for sanity.

Enough of this self indulgence, I will move on from the 60 second round. Paul reported on an excellent Synergy Team Meeting from the Finance Group and we then moved on to the 10 minute presentation which was delivered by Dean Caldon of Redstone. This was his first 10 minutes and was presented very professionally with screen and moving images. A very good performance.

When we entered the referrals and testimonials section we were confronted with 25 referrals but recorded business was slightly down on last week but inevitably so. After 2 weeks of this month we are not far off £70.000.00 worth of business passed so far. One more good week and we should be closing in on August figures which of course hit the dizzy heights of £130,000.00.

In Terry Maylin’s absence there was no one to hammer on about the Christmas Dinner arrangements for the 21st December so I took up the cudgels.

The invitation has also been sent out to the Billericay group and we have 3 definites from them. As with the Billericay Group, I would ask you all to make sure you have responded one way or the other to Terry so that we can be more certain about the numbers at this stage and he can make the booking. For those of you who have not committed, please let us know one way or the other or indeed if you are still undecided let us know that. We can cope with positive indecision.

Paul Booth is currently in the course of selecting some unfetching dresses from a local charity establishment which will receive a donation so that we can borrow them for the first week of November. You can make this exercise purely charitable and totally unnecessary if you all make sure you have brought a guest during October.

I look forward in anticipation to next week’s meeting.