Scott Pape - 22nd March 2011

Thanks Ausure for sponsoring such a talented presenter.
Scott Pape kept the 170 guests enthralled with his humour, interactive demonstration on means to accumulate wealth and charismatic personality. We all knew of his media roles as the Barefoot Investor but few knew of his commitment to his volunteer work with youth; improving their financial literacy skills to help them appreciate the value of saving, the dangers of debt and the disastrous results of using a credit card unless they are always able to pay it off each month.

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"What a sensational "networking and getting to meet new members" night it was last night!!! The place was a buzz and only got very, very positive feedback listening to the comments on the bus on the way back!"
This is how Jan Morrison summed up the night so the last minute changes must have been well received. The paddlesteamer became a bus when a tree fell on Morrisons mooring and a boat could not dock there. Congratulations to the event committee for coping so well with unforseen circumstances requiring them to come up with a plan B.

Enjoy the photos as a reminder of the event.

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Cindy Newstead

Breakfast  at Radcliffe’s  Monday December 6^th

Sixty members enjoyed starting the day with a scrumptious breakfast at Radcliffes and learning some tips from Cindy Newstead on how to create the best image.

 

Did you know that customers make their impression in the first 30 seconds, based on the environment and, the appearance of staff and their body language? 

 

 Four brave members volunteered to have Cindy provide feedback on their clothing; explaining which colour and style suited their body shape.

 

One of our MBN members, Susie Murray is also a style and colour consultant.

 

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Major event at Rich River Gold Club Resort.  Thursday November 4^th 2010 with Justin Herald .

Thanks to KVM Design and Printing for sponsoring this fabulous night.

 

Unorthodox, humorous, inspiring, intuitive and entertaining are just some of the words that come to mind after hearing Justin share his story of how he went from no job and less than a dollar in his pocket to being one of Australia’s most acclaimed business person, author, public speaker, business  mentor and philanthropist.

 
Justin Herald has never used a business plan and his over riding objective in business as in life is to have fun, retain his personality/identity and have a go. The reason for printing his first attitude T Shirt was to antagonize a stuffy cantankerous lady and in achieving this goal he created a clothing line that developed into a $20 million/ year business.

 
He may not have followed the traditional business management processes but he definitely epitomizes customer service. His success centred on listening to the customer , treating every potential customer with enthusiasm and respect ( irrespective of how they dressed, spoke or were likely to spend ) and developing a relationship with the customer which lead to their promotion of him and his products or  business.

 
Justin’s success was so well noted that he was named the “INTERNATIONAL ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR” for 2005.  He recently was also awarded the Future Leaders Award, which recognises him as being one of the 50 most influential leaders of the next generation in Australia.

 

He has just launched “Intimidate Industries” which is his new Sunglass brand which already is a highly sort after brand before it even hits the stores, as well as owning numerous other highly successful businesses.

 
He has his own column in numerous magazines and in papers nationally in Australia. His articles have a weekly readership of over 5.5 Million people. His website justinherald.com receives over 30,000 hits a day. He also is the author of 8 international best selling books.

Justin is regarded as one of Australia’s most sought after speakers with engagements book all over the country and overseas speaking in front of 150,000 people each year.  Thank you Justin for so generously sharing your unique time, story and experiences with us. 

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Understanding People to Improve Your Business

“Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS for a fantastic session on Thursday. The guest speakers for the afternoon sessions were very informative and Andrew was FANTASTIC....lots of laugh and interesting information to think about. “

This is an email a member received from a member. Feedback is always appreciated and any feedback from other members would be appreciated too, even if not as positive as this one. This was the first time MBN had tried an expanded program and thanks to everyone for supporting it both through the members’ expo bag and attendances.

Murray Business Network would like to acknowledge and thank Industry & Investment NSW for supporting this event. 

 

 

The following written report and photos will be a reminder or reflection for the members who did attend and provide a picture of the day for any members who could not attend.

Understanding People to Improve Your Business

3-3.45 Customer Service that builds business; Debra Templar
4-4.45 Managing Yourself and Your Staff: Isha Knill
5-5.45 Marketing You and Your Business: Debra Templar
7.00 Special guest presenter: Andrew Horabin

 
Debra Templar’s Sessions
Seventy members participated in each of Debra Templar’s seminars on Customer Service and Marketing and were inspired by her enthusiasm, knowledge and expertise.

Particpants’ comments sum up her sessions.
Very humorous whilst all relevant.
Can’t wait to receive her powerpoint presentation and links to sites she recommends.
Social media: never thought of using it but perhaps I should.
I need to develop a relevant set of KPI s so I can really know where or how I get best value for my marketing dollars.
Must remember the WIIFM principle. What’s In It For Me? That is the crucial factor for the customer.
Did not appreciate the significance of electronic media. I must make sure my business can be found.

Thanks Debra for sharing your passion and experience in the retail business and providing practical tips to all our members on how to improve customer service and marketing themselves and their business.

Isha Knill. Managing Yourself and Your Staff.
Isha Knill provided a free book called Attracting Freedom where she describes the physical and personal journey from Zimbabwe to Deniliquin. Her session on Managing Yourself and Your Staff encouraged participants to question their assumptions about any staff issue and reflect on their own thinking, values and role in the issue. Isha encourages people to examine how their behaviour impacts on others and to modify their own behaviour to get the desired outcome in staff performance.

Andrew Horabin
Andrew Horabin; what a great presenter. Andrew ticks all the boxes; he was humorous from start to finish and had every person in the room involved both physically and mentally in his presentation so they could better understand his lessons on communication.

Can you remember the ratios he stressed; communication is 7% verbal, 38% vocal and 55% body language?
And who would have realized your business is the same. Your business has body language too; barriers, openness, presents an image. Is the body language of your business creating the engaging image you want or are there barriers?
Did you realize that you should not hold or maintain contact with something you are trying to sell as you want a customer to feel a sense of ownership and not see you as owning or claiming it?
Do you have an open stance, with your shoulders, legs and arms all positive and open, creating an impression of confidence, honesty and friendliness?
Does your body language match both what you say and how you say it?
To improve communication, especially in difficult or conflict situations you can increase empathy by mirroring the others body language.
Sitting conformably means a person will remember more of a conversation; another tool to use in conflict situations.
Do you realize the importance of context and ensure you set the scene so what you say is communicated effectively?

So many invaluable points and all integrated into playing Simon Says, word games, role plays, laughing a lot and having a good time. But isn’t that how we learn; integrating all our sense in an enjoyable experience.

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MEMBERS SOCIAL NIGHT: THURSDAY JULY 8^TH.
WINE TASTING AT THE CLOCKTOWER APARTMENTS

 

July 8^th may have been a cold and uninviting night but luckily this did not deter members from attending the MBN social event at the Clocktower Apartments. Sixty members enjoyed excellent food, a variety of wine and non stop conversation.

 

Helen Hoefnagels generously provided the venue and many guests accepted her invitation to tour the renovated building. Members were fascinated to see the restoration and transformation from post office and mail sorting venue to its original grandeur: now operating as accommodation and conference/ private function facility.

 

Two MBN members, Morrison’s Restaurant and Winery and Stevens Brook Estate each provided a wide range of quality local wines to taste and a bottle for a lucky door prize.  Matthew Wright, the new CEO of Murray Human Services and Mark Ryan from Successful Resumes, were the lucky members to have their business card drawn for these prizes.

 

Everyone commented on the varied, plentiful and tasty food provided by Radcliffe’s/ LG Catering.

 

Member only social nights are always an excellent networking opportunity and an enjoyable way for new members to meet other members. From the noise level and effort needed to gain everyone’s attention for the formal part of the evening, members were all successfully engaged in networking and or socializing.

 

The following new members were all welcomed and introduced;

Dee Coote: Dee’s Book keeping

Adrian Foster: idata

Susan Glennan: Susan Glennan Interior Design

Louise Arnott: Sureways Employment

Charles L King Real Estate

Beth Baker: Clark Rubber

 

The night was a huge success and special thanks to:

• Helen Hoefnagels (Georgian and Clocktower Apartments) for hosting the event in the beautiful Clocktower Apartment complex.
• Jacqui Stevens (Stevens Brook Estate) and Simon Reid (Morrison’s Winery Restaurant) for sharing their wines, time and expertise.
• Lynden and staff at Radcliffe’s/ LG Catering for the delicious food and service.
• the Events committee for organizing such a successful night.

 

Hopefully the photos illustrate the ambiance and success of the night.

Bernard Salt: "The Outlook for Echuca / Moama" 25/5/10
On Tuesday the 25th of May the Murray Business Network hosted BERNARD SALT at Radcliffe’s. Our sincere thanks to Ausure Insurance and Finance for hosting this wonderful night.

Bernard Salt is a leading commentator and advisor on consumer, cultural and demographic trends and has earned an international reputation as a trend forecaster for business and government. Bernard is the best selling author of The Big Shift and The Big Picture, and newspaper columnist with The Australian and Herald Sun newspapers.

Bernard analysed past and current economic and demographic trends to predict future trends and painted a positive picture for anyone having a business in the Shire of Murray or Campaspe.

Bernard was engaged because we had heard he gave entertaining presentations with humour and invaluable information relating to consumer trends. He lived up to every testimonial. The 180 people were provided with positive information about our area and specific data for planning for the future of their business and an understanding of the forces operating in our area.

He stressed that today Shires need to promote not only their physical, economic and social benefits but use big events to gain regional, state and National recognition to create the head space recognised now as critical in economic and social development of an area.

Some member comments and photos illustrate the success of the night.

“Best guest presentation conducted by Murray Business Network”

“How lucky are to have such a renowned, respected and talented presenter come to our town, having researched our area and customized data specifically for us”

“I could not think of a question at the end of his presentation because I was spellbound and still taking in all the information. Now I can think of many questions to ask him. I will have to read his books.”

“I found his presentation both illuminating and positive, except for one aspect. My husband was a Mathoura boy and I was from Melbourne so I thought he must have been pretty impressed with me to travel so far for 3 years. Now I know the farmer came from a girl drought zone so was desperate.”
 

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MEMBERS ONLY SOCIAL NIGHT. Mystery Bus Tour: Thursday April 22.

Forty four members boarded the bus not knowing where they were going to spend the next three hours or what they would be doing. The noise on the bus indicated they were out to have a lively night, away from the kids, work and commitments.

Those who had visited Billabong Ranch guessed where we were heading once we were out past Echuca Village. Those of us who had not been there learnt a lot more about the business when Kerrie Aquisto gave us a tour and explained the range of activities and facilitates they offer. It is impressive to see what they have achieved in the eight years and hard to believe they started their business from a bare paddock and lots of ideas.

They are open to the public on weekends plus cater for conferences, children’s camps, weddings, and groups with the varied activities and animal nursery available. They also conduct Vocational Educational Training in equine studies.

Some settled for food, drinks and networking, but most of us also took the opportunity to show our talent (or lack of talent) at mini golf, archery or rock climbing. You might be able to recognise some members in the photos. Although you would have to know the back view of a member fairly well to be able to name the rock climbers.

Thanks Kerrie and Richard for a great night and thanks to all the members who made the night such a success.

What a great night. There were a lot of apologies with the night clashing with other commitments and the first night of twilight tennis. Nice to know that many MBN members keep fit and enjoy this tennis comp. Now we know we can make sure it does not clash next year.  Those who attended appreciated the varied and tasty food and also the drinks supplied by Radcliffes who are a silver sponsor and sponsored the night. They all enthusiastically participated in the bingo networking activity with everyone proving and improving their networking skills. We'll add some photos so you can share the night's ambiance.

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