We arrived as day was dawning with a clear blue sky and the prospect of the warmest day of the year so far. Such was the prospect of our emergence from winter that Scott Griffiths celebrated with granola and Ben Golding fortified himself with a sausage sandwich upon which he lavished his surgical skills in removing the crusts. It was however brown bread, and he did eat it all up.
Performance League
This was the first week of March, February’s results were out with two notable features. Almost everyone had achieved the benchmark, and I had won with 303 points. Matt Barry was second with 299 points and Sarah Smith third on 255.
Education Slot
Last week it was ‘getting in visitors’, this week 1-2-1s. Jane Malyon was prompted by noticing a question on the renewal forms as to who you would wish to be better connected to. If you supply an answer to this, don’t keep it to yourself. Arrange a 1-2-1. It goes to the heart of the EBF ethos. The better you know fellow members the better able you are to pass referrals therefore the better chance you have of receiving them!
Membership Matters
Steve Chilton was inducted and Sylvia Nevada received her membership certificate. More of them later.
60-Second Presentation Round
Blake Hammond was passing judgement this week. He therefore went first, muttering something about a pink octopus. You can see that I didn’t have a great start to this round, that is all I remember in relation to Blake’s contribution and when he was followed by Matt Barry and he was celebrating making a new appointment in his business, I can remember that the lady came from the Ukraine but I can’t remember her name. To be fair, Matt did clarify but I forgot to write it down. If you think my brain is softening, then that only ties in with Paul Corrigan’s theme, water softeners, something about resin beads.
Sally Waters reminded us that it was International Women’s Day which is something that was taken up later by Paul Dulieu who is organising a podcast with members of the group who apparently need to be women to qualify. Watch out for that. It’s happening tomorrow at 12:30.
Mike Skinner came at things from a slightly different angle this week. Dream clients for him all those who can provide him with work and recommendations. He’s looking for larger organisations and used as an example Essex County Council.
Further and inevitable topicality finally referenced the war that started at the weekend. Energy increases have been this high is 40% on fixed term deals. Utility Warehouse is at 24%, they will save you money whatever the circumstances.
It is World Book Day and Catherine Foley used it as an opportunity to produce a metaphorical piece urging the importance of getting into a book early to both fully appreciate it and get the most out of it. The same goes for her services. Don’t wait for the approach of an examination or resit, get her involved at the outset. It was perhaps appropriate that she was followed by Toby Acton who picked up on the World Book Day theme and gave us several quotations from Dr Zeuss. I think he just about out metaphored Catherine…… but it was a close-run thing. They should continue to sit next to each other is they seem to bring out what’s best in the celebration of the metaphor.
Just when we thought that World Book Day had no more legs, who should emerge as its champion but Paul Dulieu. His celebrations of weddings and funerals always tell a story of celebration.
Financial advisor Howard Bullock is currently on sabbatical, so Terry Maylin stepped into the breach. In the pursuit of commercial debts Terry can earn you interest at 11.75% together with compensation full late payment. Running up a debt and having to chase it through the courts is perhaps a slightly high-risk strategy but you won’t get better returns!
Jane Malyon finally rounded things off with an alliterative reference to her finger food for funerals pitch.
Blake Hammond awarded the Oscar to metaphor man Toby and, for his Dr Zeuss reference, congratulations Toby!
Meeting Secretaries Report
Really good numbers this week. Scott Griffiths reported £35,000 worth of business recorded last month. But in the first week of March not only were there 16 referrals but £34,000 worth of business recorded already, let’s try and have a record March!
3 minute Presentations by Silvia Nedeva and Stephen Chilton
A departure this week from the usual. A sort of cross between the 10 minute presentation and the Q and A, that sometimes replaces it. Two new members were given an early opportunity of 3 minutes each to describe their business to all members as soon as possible after their joining. Both of them gave an outline of their backgrounds and the sort of work they do and there followed questions. Most members commented as to how this was an effective use of the 10 minute slot.
Referrals and Testimonials
A great end to the meeting demonstrating how active the group is at present which was also supported by Scott Griffiths’ re introduction of the Referral Reality Check which shows referrals turning into worthwhile business opportunities.
Really enjoyed that slightly different format today and it was great to hear from our 2 new members and to be able to ask them questions. We should repeat that when we have new members!
A great meeting and blog (but I will have to rise to the challenge if I’ve been out-metaphored by Toby!) Good to hear more from Steve and Silvia before they’re thrown in to the 10 minute presentation!
Another great meeting. Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit more about me and my company.
Looking forward to the next one!
A great meeting and what a great idea to have Steve and Silvia tell us a little bit more about their businesses. I enjoyed this new set up, a great way to welcome new people. Thank you Jane for your ed slot, a great reminder for us all.
Great to be back with the EBF crew this morning! ☕️ Jane Malyon’s education session was a highlight—really thought-provoking stuff on business relevance. If you’re looking for high-quality referrals and a welcoming community in Essex, this is the place to be every Thursday morning
This was a great meeting. Well done to Toby for winning the Oscar for his 60 seconds. Also, it was helpful to hear more about Stephen and Silvia’s respective businesses.