Ivan R. Misner's Blog, page 132

No Knight in Shining Armor?

This blog is an excerpt from the book Business Networking and Sex (not what you think), the book I co-authored with Frank De Raffele and Hazel Walker.  Enjoy! Bill asks Candace out on a date. They have a great time. They then start to date regularly. Six months later, while driving home from their dinner date Candace says, “Do you realize that tonight is our sixth-month anniversary?” For a few seconds, there is silence in the car and to Candace it seems like deafening silence. She thinks to herself, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he’s ...

Top Tips for Overcoming Timidity from “The Once Timid Networker”

At a networking event just a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to record this video with a good friend of mine, Tara Schmakel (also known as “The Once Timid Networker”), who offers her top four tips for overcoming timidness–something the majority of networkers face at one point or another. Tara has plenty of additional information and resources for both painfully timid networkers and networkers who simply face moments of timidity once in a while and if you’d like to find out more, please visit Tara’s website: www.TheOnceTimidNetworker.com. If you’ve struggled with timidness and have any anecdotes of ...

Expose Yourself!–”Navigating the VCP Process(R) to Networking” Series

TR Garland (pictured with me in the photo below) is a friend of mine and co-author of one of my most recent #1 best-selling books called “Building The Ultimate Network.”  He’s also considered a top trainer for the Referral Institute.  For some time now, we’ve both observed a need to drill down on one of the most important and foundational concepts to networking – The VCP Process®.  Four months ago, we started a much-anticipated 12-part monthly series of blog posts which addresses this and contains some very timely information for networkers across the globe.  Today, we’re proud to share with ...

Business Networking & Sex: Survey Says . . . Time Spent Networking

In this short video, I share a portion of the results from the survey of 12,000 businesspeople on which my most recent book, Business Networking and Sex: Not What You Think, is based.   The results I discuss here indicate that there is a very powerful, direct linear correlation between the time spent networking and business success. You’ll also hear some colorful comments in the video relating to the book and my co-authors (e.g., “Frank, you’re a bad, bad boy . . .” ). After watching the video, please leave a comment explaining whether you feel the indication of the ...

Preparing to Network in Asia?–Consider These Valuable Tips

Last week I posted a blog about how cultural differences play into global networking and how understanding those differences becomes very important as we do business around the world. On a related note, I’d like to offer some valuable tips I’ve picked up from a handful of networking experts in Asian countries–today I’ll focus on China and Vietnam and in the coming weeks, I’ll revisit this topic and provide the additional advice which comes from experts in Malaysia and Japan. One of China’s leading experts on networking, Jihong Hall (pictured with me below), says that “face is everything to the ...

The #1 Question You Should Be Asking Yourself

It’s a given that we all want to be happy and successful in whatever career path we choose to follow–but how do we get there?  The path may be different for each one of us, but the #1 question we should be asking ourselves in order to set out on the correct course for achieving happiness and success is the same for each of us . . .What is my passion? In this video, presented by Applied Transformation, Inc., I talk with Roger Green about the overwhelming importance of identifying your passion, following your passion, and then always looking for ...

How Do Cultural Differences Play into Global Networking?

Understanding cultural differences when doing business around the world is  becoming more important in a global society.  Even within large countries like the United States, there are definitely differences from one region to another.  When you go beyond that and look at one country vs. another, the differences become even more impactful on business. When we concentrate on similarities with each other in business, the differences aren’t that important.  Problems arise when the differences appear to be all there are.  When entrepreneurs focus on the perceived differences between each other in business, these differences can become stumbling blocks to developing ...

The Transformation of Business Networking

In this short video, presented by Applied Transformation, Inc., I talk with Roger Green about how business networking has transformed within the last 25-30 years and about how my 1993 doctoral dissertation on business networking was the first of its kind. What are your thoughts on how business networking has transformed?  What changes have you personally experienced/noticed in the networking world from the time you started on your networking journey up to this point?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Four More Referral Sources to Tap into for Business Growth

A week ago today, I outlined a brief description of each of the first four of the eight referral sources.  I encouraged blog readers to spend the past week taking action in developing at least two of those referral sources and promised that this week I would explain the last four referral sources.  * Remember, the more you learn about each referral source, the more referral sources you will develop; the more referral sources you develop, the more referrals you will get and the more your business will grow!             The Eight Referral Sources: Sources ...

Business Networking and Sex: Survey Says . . . Transactional vs. Relational

In this short video, I share a portion of the results from the survey of 12,000 businesspeople on which my most recent book, Business Networking and Sex: Not What You Think, is based.   The results I discuss here indicate that men and women act differently when it comes to the VCP Process®, transactions, and relationships. Based on your experience, would you say these results jive with what you’ve found to be true in the networking world?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section–I’d love to hear them!