Ivan R. Misner's Blog, page 137

Where There Are Systems There's Success

I'm excited to tell all the readers of this blog that my next book, Business Networking And Sex (not what you think), will be released in January.  There was a substantial amount of survey data(*) that my co-authors and I were unable to use in the book so we plan on sharing much of that data on the BusinessNetworkingAndSex.com blog.  The information below is a great example of some very interesting findings that did not make it into the book. The following table shows the response to a question about having a "system to track money" in relation to whether or not the respondent ...

International Networking Week® 2012–New Video

  The new video for International Networking Week 2012 has just been released! This short, 9-minute video, sponsored by Referral Institute (www.ReferralInstitute.com) and Entrepreneur Press (www.Entrepreneur.com), explains how the week of February 6th-12th, 2012 will bring about great opportunities for businesspeople around the world and increase worldwide awareness about the powerful benefits of business networking. 2012 will mark the 6th annual celebration of International Networking Week which is now recognized by many countries across the globe, with thousands of events being held during the celebratory Week.  One of the main goals of the Week is to help businesspeople everywhere build ...

What Do You Do When People You Don't Know Ask For Business?

            I received an e-mail this year from a man named Robert and it contained an excellent question.  The full message read: Good morning, Dr. Misner. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. When it comes to networking and being a connector, how do you handle requests from people you barely know (or don't know at all) who ask you to give them the names of your contacts so they can connect with those people for their own ventures or projects? For example, I received a message from a woman I ...

Five Steps for Getting the Most from LinkedIn

I've been following the development of online business networking for several years now; particularly at the inception of sites like Ecademy.com and LinkedIn.  That said,  I'd like to state for the record: If you've had any lingering thoughts that social media is just a fad, you may want to lose them. Are you aware that LinkedIn's IPO (Initial Public Offering) has a valuation of 4.3 billion (USD)?  That's right, I said BILLION.  If you haven't been taking social media seriously, perhaps it's time to start. While there are indeed many competitors to LinkedIn, it has certainly–for now–risen to the top ...

Tom Connellan: Improving Your Personal & Professional Life Is a Piece of Cake!

(Dr. Thomas K. Connellan, New York Times Bestselling Author) I've been recommending a book by Tom Connellan, Inside the Magic Kingdom, for years and I have great respect and admiration for Tom's wisdom and his work–today, I'd like to share with you a guest blog written by Tom.   The Next Big Thing Is Small, Completely under Your Control Something You Can Do Right Now Which Produces Massive Results in 71 Days Could you improve some aspect of your personal or professional life by 1% by this time tomorrow?  Of course you could! At the close of my keynotes over ...

4 Steps to Building Social Capital

Social capital, otherwise known as the value behind your social contacts, can be an extremely important resource in both business and life.  If you take as much care in raising and investing your social capital as you do your financial capital, you'll experience benefits that can greatly enrich your life as well as multiply your material returns many times over. In this short video, I explain that you don't have to purposely become a networker to reap the benefits of social capital and I outline the four key steps to successfully building social capital. Do you have a standout story ...

What Are You Waiting For?

The best referral efforts I've seen happen by design, not by accident or wishful thinking.  Many business people view word of mouth somewhat like the weather: "Sure, it's important, but what can I do about it?" Referrals and word of mouth can be planned and nurtured.  Anyone, including business owners, entrepreneurs, sales representatives, staff employees, even individuals serving in a volunteer capacity in any field, can accomplish plenty with a well-structured and systematically executed referral plan for a business. All too often I have seen business people waiting for business to walk through the door.  They think because they are good at ...

The Networking Attribute That Equals Success and How to Get It

At a recent event in San Diego, I asked one of the best networkers in the United States, Kathryn Lodal, to talk about the ability to be truly engaged, the attribute she considers to be the most important in a networker. In this video, Kathryn and I discuss the importance of being genuinely engaged and involved in the networking process and Kathryn explains the three most critical aspects in becoming an engaged networker. Watch the video now and then offer your thoughts about it in the comments section . . . what do you think about Kathryn's three traits of ...

Online Networks Lag Behind Other Networking Efforts

As part of the survey for the book, Business Networking And Sex (not what you think), my co-authors and I asked several questions which weren't used in the final manuscript.  The survey was open to the public and was conducted with over 12,000 business people from every populated continent in the world.  One of the questions we didn't use in the book was "What types of organizations do you belong to?" (note that respondents were able to pick more than one). We also asked a question that was used in the manuscript in various places: "Has networking played a role in your success?"  We got ...

If You Don't Have One, People Could Be Avoiding You . . .

Have you ever been to a networking event and purposely avoided someone you really wanted to talk to because you were embarrassed you couldn't remember their name?  Well, if you're not wearing a name badge at networking events, other people could be avoiding you for this very reason! In this short video, my friend Kevin Barber and I explain why name badges are an extremely important tool for effective networking and why you should always be sure to wear a name badge at networking events. Do you have an exemplary story that demonstrates how name badges have come in handy ...