David Lile, Manager – Franchise Operations, Quest Apartment Hotels (NZ) Ltd
David Lile, Manager – Franchise Operations, Quest Apartment Hotels (NZ) Ltd
Recently we asked Graham Southwell, National Director for BNI New Zealand, to speak at the Quest Annual Conference. It was the second time we asked Graham to speak at this annual event and he discussed the value of networking a local area to Quest franchise owners.
Quest Apartment Hotels has over 150 properties in New Zealand, Fiji and Australia, located in CBDs, suburban and regional areas with proximity to head offices, business centres, servicing the corporate domestic business traveller.
It’s all about relationships
Having success with our businesses is all about the quality of the relationships and this was the key theme of this year’s annual conference. Quest businesses need to connect with customers, suppliers and other businesses in their local community. Those that are most successful are experts in their local area marketing. Put simply, this means they need to play a consistent part in their local community by being engaged and visible.
Quest best practice recommends and obligates our network to engage with their local area on an ongoing basis through various activities. Graham’s presentation emphasised the value of BNI to this process through the BNI weekly network meetings.
The challenges franchisees face
The BNI meetings provide our franchisees with convenient, efficient access to key people in the local community in a structured, regular format. The key factors for Quest are:
- Convenient – Meetings are held within the local area and are organised for you
- Efficient – In the time it takes to have a traditional meeting with a local business, we can meet with several local contacts.
- Structured – Everyone has varying levels of confidence when it comes to getting out into the community and talking to new people. The structure of the BNI system helps to get the introductions and conversations started.
- Regular – a key cornerstone to building successful relationships is frequency. Regular contact helps to build rapport and relationships
Graham Southwell, National Director for BNI New Zealand comments…
For the second time in two years, I have been fortunate enough to discuss BNI’s structured networking process at the annual Quest conference.
What is BNI?
BNI provides a positive, supportive, and structured environment for the development and exchange of quality business referrals. BNI helps its members to build a network of likeminded qualified business professionals focused on developing mutually beneficial relationships that lead to more business.
BNI New Zealand was formed in 1999 and is the country’s largest structured business networking organisation for small to medium businesses. In 2016, with over 2600 members and 112 groups around the country, members of BNI New Zealand generated in excess of $73M worth of business for each other.
One of BNI’s core values is Givers Gain®, a philosophy based on the law of reciprocity. In the context of networking groups, people who adopt this philosophy dedicate themselves to giving business to their fellow networkers rather than making their foremost concern getting business for themselves. In doing so, other people naturally become eager to repay their kindness by sending them business in return. What goes around comes around, if I help you, you’ll help me, and we will both benefit as a result.
How does BNI work?
- Weekly meetings last for 90 minutes and happen every week at a breakfast meeting.
- During meetings members discuss their businesses and exchange qualified referrals.
- Only one person from each profession is accepted into each BNI chapter, so you never compete for business.
BNI is the most time efficient way to network and meet with business influencers every week. This allows you to draw on the support of other businesspeople with significant experience from a large range of industries. It’s all about reciprocity; I support you and you support me.
During my presentation I drew on my experience as a valuer in London and spoke to the room about how I marketed my operation by offering free valuations to different businesses. By offering other businesses something of value, you can also build your own business.
Quest Conference 2017
Supporting charities
Quest is a national supporter to Hospice New Zealand. With this in mind; I mentioned the Inspiring Communities Report that explores the best practices in terms of collaborating with charites and not for profit groups. I let the audience know that BNI provides a better way to connect with the business community and the philosophy of Givers Gain® enriching both the local community and the audience’s own businesses. BNI and Quest share a core competency that is to engage with the local community.
Group Shot – Quest Conference 2017
It was wonderful to meet all the Quest owners and management staff. Hopefully my presentation shone a light on what we do at BNI and will mean that some will take the opportunity to visit their local BNI chapter. I may be a bit biased, but I can’t think of a better way to connect with your local business community.
