J25 BNI Derby Business Networking

Synopsis

This week Dr. Misner joins us from Bermuda with special guest Richard Swan, the composer who created the BNI Song that’s attracted so much attention in BNI Podcast 106 and on YouTube. Richard saw the value of BNI from the time one of his students introduced him to the Tower Hill chapter. His band, Cornucopia, has gotten wonderful gigs through BNI.

Many artists aren’t willing to make the commitment to BNI; they’re too focused on their art and not focused enough on their business. Many musicians are just going to bed at the time Richard gets up to go to his BNI meeting, but networking is just as important to performers and creative people as to anyone else.

The best referrals for Richard’s band are weddings and parties in the UK.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Complete Transcription of BNI Podcast BNI Podcast 114 -

Priscilla:
Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Official BNI Podcast brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the Net for networking downloadables.

I’m Priscilla Rice, and I’m coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkley, California, and I am joined on the phone today by the founder and the chairman of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner.

Hello, Ivan. How are you?

Ivan:
I’m doing great, Priscilla. Thank you.

Priscilla:
And where are you?

Ivan:
Well, this week I’m in Bermuda for the Transformational Leadership Council. It’s the organization that was started by Jack Canfield, who wrote Chicken Soup for the Soul, and he invited me to participate a few years ago. And I’ve been an active member for the last few years, and we just have to slum it in these horrible places like Bermuda to hold these conferences.

Priscilla:
Wow!

Ivan:
It will be a great week here.

Priscilla:
That sounds fantastic. Who do you have on our show today?

Ivan:
I am really, really pleased to have as guest on our podcast today Richard Swan. Richard is a composer and song writer. He’s based out of London. He runs a company called Cornucopia; it’s a high quality wedding and function band that has played at events such as the Lords Taverner’s Ball and the UK celebration in honor of Barak Obama’s election. But more importantly, Richard is a BNI member, and he did what is now that world renowned BNI Song.

And I’ve got to tell you, I’ve heard lots of people do lots of songs for BNI, but I can honestly say this is the coolest BNI song I have ever heard. We played it in BNI Podcast #106, What’s Your Story. There was a link to the BNI Song by Richard Swan, and we’ll make sure and have a link here on this podcast so it again. But I’m really honored to have Richard on the podcast with us.

Richard, hello?

Richard:
Hello, Ivan.

Ivan:
It’s great to have you. We have a pretty short podcast, so let me ask you a question. Tell me about your experience in being invited into BNI and then your experience once you’ve been a member.

Richard:
I used to be a teacher, and one of my ex-pupils, I met up with her in a café and we were having a chat. And she told me about this organization that her mother was part of and that I might be interested in. So her mom gave me a ring, Sue from my chapter.

Ivan:
Sue Singer, right? She’s a Web designer?

Richard:
She’s a Web designer, and she invited me along. And I kind of braced myself for the early start and went along. Really, from the word “go,” it was a no-brainer. I looked around and thought this is a really obvious thing for me to do here to get more business. Really, a nice bunch of people, and I went along twice, and I decided definitely on the second time I definitely wanted to join. That’s the Tower Hill chapter, and I’ve been there ever since and absolutely love it.

It’s been fantastic for me, really, in terms of business. The band has played – through BNI, the band’s got gigs like the NatWest Charity Ball at the Hilton at Christmas, and we did the Royal British Legions Ex-serviceman’s Dinner recently. And it’s paid for itself several times over, actually. It has been a fantastic experience.

Ivan:
Can I ask you about writing the song? You met Laura Hurren, who’s the BNI director in the London area, and she, I believe, suggested that you open up a big breakfast with a song, and that’s what led you to doing the BNI Song, yes?

Richard:
Yeah, well, when I was in University, I used to parody songs in the kind of Weird Al Yankovic kind of style. And I was just kind of fiddling around with words and thought that American Pie would a good thing to rip off. And I spent, I suppose, a day kind of fiddling around with the words, and it was all a big laugh, really. And opened up the big breakfast and was absolutely deluged afterwards with, “Can I have your business card; you much record this.” So I put it on YouTube, little expecting the kind of reaction that I would get.

Ivan:
Now, when it came to my attention, you had a few hundred viewings; now there are tens of thousands of viewings up at YouTube. We’ll have the link to the YouTube recording on this podcast.

So you’ve got to be a little surprised with the number of people who have gone to it and watched it.

Richard:
Absolutely gut smacked. I just could not believe, watching the statistics grow, I was – it was funny. There’s a little bit of fame with it now, because I do other networking events as well, and people recognize me.

Ivan:
Nice. Well, you joke around that you just fiddled around with it a little bit, but I’ve got to tell you that was a very, very creative song. I’m in awe of anybody’s ability to write songs like that and to perform them the way you did. It was very creative, and you really incorporated not only the content of what happens at BNI, but the spirit of BNI. And I’ve got to commend you. I was really moved by the song. It was very well done.

Richard:
Thank you. I love lyrics; I really love words as well as music. I like to try and be as creative as possible, and it’s fun. And I like performing as well.

Ivan:
Well, you’re clearly very talented. I could have spent an entire year working on this song and not done half as well. You fiddled around with it and came up with something that was really great, and I’m just so impressed with it.

Richard:
Thank you.

Ivan:
So one of the things I wouldn’t mind chatting about for a second is the fact that people that are in very artistic fields – we have a number of, literally, artists who paint or they sculpt. We have some singers in BNI, bands, a few, that are in BNI. And they tend to be very artistic and not focus on the business side of the art. And I’m real impressed that you are involved in BNI, because a lot of art related professions, they’re not willing to do the commitment to BNI. BNI is a huge commitment. So can you take a moment or two and just talk about that, as an artist working a business organization.

Richard:
Certainly. To be quite honest, I’m quite happy about the fact that there’s not many of the musicians in it, because it’s better for me! But I saw that as an opportunity, really, and felt, well, I can commit if it means the success of my business. I can commit to an early start on a Friday morning and weekly, a weekly early start. That’s not a problem, because it’s a small price to pay, really, for business success, I think. A lot of musicians are just going to bed while I’m getting up for BNI.

I just think it makes sense; it really does make sense. I agree with you that there’s a lot of artistic people who don’t really have that idea of how to push their businesses. And I think sometimes if somebody’s an exceptional musician, sometimes it’s hard to sustain both aspects, really. A lot of brilliant musicians I know just sit at home and wait for the phone to ring, and it doesn’t because nobody knows about them.

But I supposed I’ve discovered a little bit of business flare, which I didn’t realize I had, and I’ve really enjoyed it. Actually, BNI has really opened up my eyes to all the other ways of networking. I’m a fan of your books, and I’ve got The 29% Solution. It makes so much sense to use every opportunity you can to network, and I didn’t know networking existed really a year ago, before I joined BNI, and now I do. I’ve got BNI to thank for that.

Ivan:
Well, thanks, Richard. I appreciate you saying that, and I think what you described as your focus and willingness to do business even though some of your contemporaries are going to bed at the time that you’re starting a meeting is really the same thing that makes it work for the normal business professional, focusing on building relationships with people as a way of generating referrals. Anyone in business needs that, whether they’re an artist in business or an insurance agent in business; it’s all about building those relationships. I think artists sometimes lose the business side. Just being a father of an artist, my daughter paints, and getting her to focus on the business side is always the challenge. It seems that you really did that, and I appreciate that.

Richard:
I was coaching somebody today, actually. I’m just trying to explain to her how you do have to build relationships with people who count in order to make a success of what you do.

Ivan:
Well, along that line, Richard, then let me ask you: What is a good referral for you? Because clearly, you’ve really helped the BNI organization, and you and I have talked, and I thanked you for this song in the past. I want to publicly thank you on this podcast, because it’s really a great song, and it really gets the heart. And I think that the mission of the organization, in one sound to the tune of American Pie, which I think is great.

What would be a good referral for you and your band?

Richard:
A great referral for me would be – it depends which country you’re in. If you’re in the UK, a great referral for me would be somebody who’s getting married, but I would love to meet somebody along the lines of Donald Trump or some celebrity who holds big parties, really, because we have a fabulous band who could play for them.

On a personal level, I write a lot and write for TV and film, and I would like to do more of that. And you can do that in any country because of the Internet. So those would be great referrals for me.

Ivan:
Excellent. And how would somebody connect with you? What would be the best way to connect with you?

Richard:
The easiest way to connect would be to go onto the Web side, which is www.cornucopiamusic.co.uk. That’s C-O-R-N-U-C-O-P-I-A Music.co.uk. There’s all the contact (inaudible) are on there, and there’s live video and audio as well of the band.

Ivan:
Well, excellent.

To the members listening to this podcast, if you’ve got a great referral, please connect with Richard, tell him that you’re a BNI member, and he would be glad to work with BNI members all around the world, particularly in Europe.

You’re located in the greater London area, is that right, Richard?

Richard:
That’s right, yep. We travel everywhere.

Ivan:
Sure, absolutely. Well, listen, again, thank you so much. Great interview today. I appreciate your time.

I’ll turn it back over to you, Priscilla.

Priscilla:
Okay, great. Thank you, Dr. Misner, and thank you, Richard. It was a real pleasure hearing you talk and having you on the show.

Well, that’s it for this week, and I just want to remind the listeners that this podcast has been brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the Net for networking downloadables. Thanks so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we hope you’ll join us next week for another exciting BNI Podcast of The Official BNI Podcast.