Ivan R. Misner's Blog, page 124

Have You Been Overlooking This Important Step in Your Networking Efforts?

I recorded this video a few years back for an organization interested in learning about business networking and when I ran across it last week, I thought it would be good information to share here as what I discuss is still just as important as ever. If you don’t know what a Contact Sphere is, I urge you to watch this short video because developing a Contact Sphere is one of the most important steps in business networking.  After watching the video, think about who might be a good fit for you in creating a Contact Sphere and if you ...

Welcome to International Networking Week!

This week marks the 7th annual celebration of International Networking Week which is recognized each year by thousands of people around the world. International Networking Week is about celebrating the key role that networking plays in the development and success of business around the world.  It is about creating an awareness relating to the process of networking.  Not just any kind of networking, but what I call “relationship networking”–an approach to doing business based on building long-term, successful, genuine relationships with people strategically through the networking process. International Networking Week has been acknowledged by many governmental organizations (including a joint ...

The Most Crucial Component for Referral Success

At a recent Referral Institute Conference, I was interviewed by Tiffanie Kellog (Trainer for the Referral Institute in Tampa, Florida) about the most crucial component for referral success.  Before you watch this short video where I give Tiffanie my answer, try to come up with a couple of possibilities for what my answer may likely be.  After watching the video, I would love for you to share in the comment forum below what your initial guess or guesses were regarding what you thought my answer was going to be.  I’m very interested to see how many people had a pretty ...

Knowledge Networking vs. Referral Networking

Most people are involved in at least two types of formal networking groups.  The first is intraprofessional networking, or “Knowledge Networking,” as Megatrends author John Naisbitt calls it.  Knowledge Networks foster self-help, information exchange, improved productivity and work life, and shared resources, according to Naisbitt, who cited networking as one of the ten megatrends impacting our society. The second type of networking is interprofessional networking: multidisciplinary professionals and occupational types who network to increase each other’s business.  In fact, the primary purpose of most interprofessional networking groups is to increase one another’s business through referrals. In good interprofessional networking, participants ...

Easing into Networking

Professionals in business are truly professionals because they’re great at their chosen career, but they often don’t look forward to getting out of the workplace and networking.  In this brief video, I talk to Sarah Owen, referral marketing expert and Master Franchisee for the Referral Institute in the UK, and she offers some real-life, highly effective, and simple-to-implement tips on making the move from the office into networking events. Do you have any tips or suggestions to add to what Sarah talks about in this video?  If so, please share them with us in the comment forum below–thanks! To find ...

Get Ready for International Networking Week 2013!

International Networking Week®  2013 is almost here and with it comes tremendous opportunity for  businesspeople across the globe to grow business through the development  of powerful new connections! International Networking Week®  is an initiative of BNI® and its focus is to celebrate the key role that networking plays in the  development and successs of business around the world.  It’s about  creating an awareness of the process of networking.  Not just any kind  of networking, but “relationship networking”–an approach to doing  business based on building long-term, successful relationships with  people through the networking process. Over the past several years, International Networking Week ...

Are You Taking Advantage of the Communication Opportunities at Your Fingertips?

In this extremely brief video,  I talk to Roger Green of Applied Transformation, Inc. about the amazing opportunities we have at our fingertips when it comes to communicating through technology. Not too long ago, it was almost unheard of to be able to connect directly with executives of companies if you didn’t already know them but today, thanks to technology, the communication hierarchy has been virtually flattened and the opportunities this presents are huge.  Are you taking advantage of the capabilities to connect which technology and social media have made a reality? I highly encourage you to challenge yourself to ...

Building Your Network Effectively–Where to Start . . .

If you’re having a hard time building your network because you’re concerned people can’t seem to understand or relate to your business, it’s helpful to remember that before you can begin to network effectively, you need to find a way to explain your business in a way that people will easily understand.  We ALL need to heed this rule of thumb and be able to clearly and simply communicate what it is that we do by pinpointing key aspects of our business for our potential referral sources. My advice to anyone confused about how to clearly explain what it is ...

Movie Producer Barnet Bain: Emotionally-Charged Connections are Crucial to Your Success

Last October, I posted a video I did with referral marketing expert Eddie Esposito on emotionally-charged connections (CLICK HERE to view that video).  On a recent vacation in Bali, I had the opportunity to do this new, five-minute video with movie producer Barnet Bain (producer of the Academy Award winning film “What Dreams May Come”) which is a perfect follow-up video to the one I did previously with Eddie. Here, Barnet shares his two-step process for unlocking the key to being able to connect emotionally with others in a way that always focuses on helping and supporting them which Bain ...

Lollipop Entrepreneur

Understanding your behavioral style and how it relates to your networking is extremely valuable.  Most importantly, learning how to identify behavioral styles in others and learning how to adapt your own approach to those different styles can really make a difference in your referability. Often times your behavioral style can be observed at a fairly young age.  When I was 11 years old, I missed the bus to school one day. The school was only a little over two miles away and I had time, so I started walking. Along the way I passed a gas station that had a ...