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By Catherine Lea
News reporter
 

An East Yorkshire business networking group is celebrating after setting a number of records.

 Its performance has earned the Beverley branch of business network International (BNI) top slot in the organisation’s Yorkshire and Lincolnshire league table. The group has set new records for business referrals, the number of visitors attending events and the number of businesses applying to join.

 In the past year, membership has swelled from 19 to 29 and the meeting venue has moved to Beverley racecourse. BNI allows only one person from each trade or profession to join one of its groups. Over the past 6 months, the Beverley group has passed more than 800 business referrals between its members, who are on track to generate more than £300,000 of business for each other this year. he performance has placed the group in the top 10 of BNI groups across the UK. 

Helen Bissett, membership co-ordinator, said the group’s success was down to being run like a business, by setting goals and achieving results. She said: “All of our members make a commitment when they join to actively participate in seeking referrals for other members.”

“Each week, members come ready to make a contribution to the meeting in form of a business referral, testimonial or a confirmed visitor.”
  
The group meets every Thursday and is looking for people in trades including painters and decorators, garden landscapers, event management and florists. Jan Chidley, of recognition express in Market Weighton, joined the group in June after launching in May. She said: “The business is going really well, far better than I ever anticipated it would, especially when people keep going on about the credit crunch.”
 

“The BNI has definitely been a huge help to me. From the referrals I have had so far from the other members, I have converted almost all of them to orders. This has been fantastic in helping me build up my customer base.  Everyone has a really positive attitude and we also have fun.  At the end of the day, we are all trying to do our best for each other and it really works.”