Relationships | Dr. Ivan Misner®

26Dec2013

Are You on the Right Track with Career Networking?string(50) "Are You on the Right Track with Career Networking?"

Despite what a lot of people might think, there are actually many more similarities between business networking and career networking. In this short video, I point out some of the key similarities between these two types of networking and explain the ideal time for people to start thinking about their career needs and making efforts toward career networking.

Watch the video now to learn the five magic words that can completely change the dynamic of potentially challenging conversations and open the way to form important, lasting connections and beneficial relationships in your networking efforts and throughout your career.

Also, if you have a story about how you have used basic networking skills within your job, before you were looking for a job, or as you were starting a job, I’d really love to hear from you. Please share your story in the comment forum below and be sure to submit your story at www.SubmitYourNetworkingStory.com. When you submit your story via SubmitYourNetworkingStory.com, it will be considered for inclusion in the upcoming networking book I’m writing with Jack Canfield and Gautam Ganglani. Thanks in advance for your participation–I’m looking forward to reading your stories!

19Dec2013

New International Networking Week® Video for 2014string(50) "New International Networking Week® Video for 2014"

December 19, 2013

Ivan Misner

2014, BNI, February 3-7, Stewart Emery, Success Built to Last, Who's In Your Room Announcement, Building Relationships, Business, Collaboration, Community, Connections, Global Business, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referral Institute, Relationships 3

The new video for International Networking Week® 2014 has just been released!

This short, six-and-a-half-minute video, sponsored by the Referral Institute, explains how the week of February 3rd-7th, 2014 will bring about great opportunities for businesspeople around the world and increase worldwide awareness about the powerful benefits of business networking.

2014 will mark the 8th annual celebration of International Networking Week which is now recognized by many countries across the globe, with thousands of events being held during the week. One of the main goals of the week is to help businesspeople everywhere build their networking skills and expand the opportunities within their reach. In the video, I talk about Stewart Emery’s “Who’s in Your Room?” concept within a networking context and how International Networking Week presents a great opportunity to reassess the people currently in your life and reach out to people who you want in your ‘room’ but may have lost contact with or need to build a relationship with.

I hope you enjoy the video and that you’re as excited as I am about participating in the global celebration of International Networking Week come February. After watching the video, please share your thoughts on it, and on International Networking Week in general, in the comment forum below. I’m looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

16Dec2013

For Long Term Networking Payoff, Take Small Steps . . .string(55) "For Long Term Networking Payoff, Take Small Steps . . ."

December 16, 2013

Ivan Misner

Building Relationships, payoff, Small Steps, Strategic Alliances Building Relationships, Business, Collaboration, Connections, Growth, Marketing/Sales, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Profitability, Relationships, Strategy, Success

A few years back, I was speaking to a friend of mine who is a partner in an international consulting and training company. We discovered that we had a mutual acquaintance who is a bestselling author and fairly well-known speaker. In our discussion, we found out that he had contacted each of us individually to see if there were any possibilities for some type of strategic alliance with our companies.

We were both open to that possibility but couldn’t see any immediate and dramatic way our companies could link up with his and do any specific projects at that time. Both of us were also a bit amused to then discover that we were summarily “dropped” from his radar (no response to e-mails or other attempts to connect) after that.

We got the sense that he was looking for the one big alliance that would help his company soar to the next level. That realization started a conversation about the difference in the relationship between the two of us.

Ironically, we had had the same type of phone call with each other just 18 months earlier and came to the same conclusion. There was nothing on a grand scale we could do together at that moment. The difference, however, was the rest of the story.

We agreed to stay in touch. And then we did. We connected several times over the year and met in person on several occasions. During that time, we found some simple ways to help each other and gradually enhanced the relationship. This was in sharp contrast to the third party we had talked to individually. When this person didn’t see any big payoff, we became persona non grata to him. On the other hand, the two of us found ways to help each other gradually and, even to this day, continue to build on our relationship.

We came to the conclusion that most people who are successful at networking and creating strong strategic alliances view the process as a series of small actions taken with many people to create a long-term positive growth for your company. The process is more of a marathon than a sprint. Throughout the race, you form alliances and help each other over the long haul.

Have you had a similar experience? If so, how has this played out in your business? Please share your thoughts in the comment forum below. Thanks!

9Dec2013

Referral Marketing: Know the Risks, Reap the Rewardsstring(52) "Referral Marketing: Know the Risks, Reap the Rewards"

December 9, 2013

Ivan Misner

Building Relationships, referral marketing, reputation, rewards, Risks Advertising, Building Relationships, Business, Connections, Credibility, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referrals, Relationships, Risk Takiing, Word of Mouth 2

In a radio interview I once did, the host of the program asked me whether I consider referral marketing the safest form of advertising. Without the slightest hesitation, I confidently answered, “By all means, no.” Based on his response, I’m sure he was shocked by that answer.

I went on to explain that I believe very strongly in the tremendous benefits that word-of –mouth marketing can bring. However, there are unique risks associated with referral advertising that are not an issue in commercial or other forms of advertising.

When you give a referral, you give a little of your reputation away. If the business you’ve referred someone to does a good job, it helps your reputation. But if it does a poor job, your reputation may be hurt.

As I said, the payoffs of referral marketing are immense—when it’s done correctly. But referral marketing involves a really big risk: giving away a piece of your reputation every time you give a referral to someone. When you tell a valued customer that a friend of yours is going to take good care of them, you must have confidence in that friend.

But what happens if your friend lets your customer down? It comes back to haunt you. Your customer begins to lose faith in you and, because of that loss of faith, you just might lose that customer down the road. This is why it’s so important to develop strong relationships with those to whom you’re referring business and vice versa. Once those strong connections are forged you can rest easy, knowing when you tell someone a business associate or a networking partner is going to take good care of him or her, that’s what will happen.

Do you have a story others might learn from about a time when referral marketing really paid off for you, or a story about how you experienced the unique risks associated with referral marketing firsthand? Please share your experiences in the comment forum below. I’d love to hear from you–thanks!

28Nov2013

Are You Unintentionally Abusing Your Relationships?string(51) "Are You Unintentionally Abusing Your Relationships?"

November 28, 2013

Ivan Misner

Faux Pas, Networking Book, Premature Solicitation, relationships, Submit Your Story Building Relationships, Connections, Credibility, Faux Pas, Follow up, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Relationships, Success, Video Blog 2

Many people in the United States are celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday today–a time when we get together with friends and family to celebrate all that we’re thankful for. In thinking about the things I’m grateful for, the meaningful, trusted relationships I’ve built with so many amazing people around the world throughout my networking career are top of mind. These relationships are invaluable to me and I know that investing in them and always respecting them is the key to maintaining trust and reaping the maximum benefits from my networking efforts.

In light of this, I thought I’d share this short video where I tell a story about what can happen when people don’t respect their relationships with their fellow networkers. Abusing the relationship is probably the biggest mistake people can make when networking . . . not following up, confusing networking with direct selling, and premature solicitation are all faux pas when it comes to networking but abusing the relationship is the worst faux pas of all.

The fact is, we all screw up when we first start networking–I know I did! The ticket to networking success, however, is learning–recognizing what we’ve done wrong so that we can understand how to do it right.

Do you have a story about how you learned from a networking faux pas you made in the past, or from being on the receiving end of someone else’s faux pas? If so, please go to www.SubmitYourNetworkingStory.com and share your story for consideration of inclusion in the upcoming networking book I’m writing with Jack Canfield, and Gautam Ganglani. Also, I’d love for you to briefly summarize your story in the comment forum below as well. Thanks in advance for your participation!

15Nov2013

How to Make the Most of Holiday Season Networking Opportunitiesstring(63) "How to Make the Most of Holiday Season Networking Opportunities"

November 15, 2013

Ivan Misner

holidays, Networking, networking opportunities Building Relationships, Connections, Giving, Goals, Ivan Misner, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referral Institute, Referrals, Relationships, Video Blog, Word of Mouth 4

With the holidays quickly approaching, I asked my friend and partner in the Referral Institute, Dawn Lyons, to share her thoughts on the unique networking opportunities which she feels go hand-in-hand with the coming of the holiday season.

From intimate family dinners, to office parties, to festive social gatherings, the holidays tend to bring people together more than any other time of year. In this video, Dawn explains how to make the most of the networking opportunities which come along with people gathering together to celebrate during this time of year.

Watch the video now for great tips on how to maximize your networking effectiveness during the upcoming season by asking specific questions and finding powerful ways to give to others.

Do you have a particularly effective holiday networking tactic or strategy? Do you often give a certain seasonal gift to your business associates that really goes over well, or a certain way of investing in and strengthening your relationship with friends and family members who you haven’t seen in a while? If so, please share it in the comment forum below. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this–thanks!

7Nov2013

Building Social Capital Is the Groundwork for Future Payoffstring(59) "Building Social Capital Is the Groundwork for Future Payoff"

In a video blog I posted recently, I talk about the Law of Reciprocity which is one aspect of social capital theory. In today’s video, I specifically address what social capital is and why investing in social capital is one of the best investments you can make in order to secure future success for yourself and others with whom you network.

My friend Alex, whom I mention in this video, is a master at building social capital and there isn’t a person who knows him who wouldn’t help him in an instant in any way they could if he asked them to. Alex has an expansive support system comprised of a diverse array of people who are all willing and eager to help him succeed and it’s all because he dedicates himself 100% to investing in the relationships he builds with those around him. If you could use a support system like Alex has (which I already know you could because we ALL could), then start creating ways to build social capital with those in your network at every opportunity.

Perhaps you’ve already got a story about social capital that’s similar to the one I share in this video about Alex, or a story about how you’ve built great social capital with someone who is now just itching to help you in any way they can. If so, please go to www.SubmitYourNetworkingStory.com and share your story for consideration of inclusion in the upcoming networking book I’m writing with Jack Canfield, and Gautam Ganglani. Also, I’d love for you to briefly summarize your story in the comment forum below as well. Thanks in advance for your participation!

24Oct2013

Think “That Online Networking Stuff” Is Just for “Young People”?–Think Again . . .string(112) "Think “That Online Networking Stuff” Is Just for “Young People”?–Think Again . . ."

October 24, 2013

Ivan Misner

face-to-face networking, Millennials, Networking Book, Networking Stories Book, Building Relationships, Connections, Credibility, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Online Networking, Profitability, Relationships, VCP Process, Video Blog, Visibility, Word of Mouth 6

Many of my video blogs of late, including this one, focus on topics that Jack Canfield, Gautam Ganglani, and I will be focusing on in our upcoming book about networking. I’m posting these videos to share my own thoughts and stories about different networking topics because Jack, Gautam, and I are looking for personal story submissions from networkers across the globe and these videos give examples of the kind of stories we’re looking for.

In this particular video, I talk about different aspects of online networking in relation to face-to-face networking. It seems that younger networkers (mostly those belonging to the millennial generation) are often all about online networking and don’t see the point in face-to-face; whereas networkers from the older generations tend to be completely on board with face-to-face networking but see online efforts as a fad or a waste of time. One of the things I emphasize in this video, however, is that networkers today should never take an “either” face-to-face “or” online networking stance–instead, for maximum results and increased opportunity, they should take a “both/and” stance, integrating each type of networking into their overall referral marketing strategy.

If you have a story similar to the one I share in the video about making powerful connections online, please visit www.SubmitYourNetworkingStory.com to submit your story for a chance to be published in the upcoming networking book which I mention above. Also, I’d love for you to briefly summarize your story in the comment forum below as well. Thanks in advance for your participation!

17Oct2013

Successful Networkers Build Deep Relationships–Know Your Contactsstring(71) "Successful Networkers Build Deep Relationships–Know Your Contacts"

If your network is a mile wide and an inch deep, the fact is it will simply never be very powerful. In this video, I talk about why investing the time and effort into really getting to know your contacts and building deep, trusted relationships with them is key to networking success.

Do you know your contacts’ hobbies? Do you know their family members’ names? If your answer is no, this means you’re not delving beneath the surface with your contacts and you’re not building fruitful relationships–you need to get to know your contacts much better.

Watch this short video now to learn how to build deeper, mutually beneficial relationships by using the GAINS Exchange, get relationship-building success strategies used by international sales expert & keynote speaker Harvey Mackay, and more.

Do you have a method or a tactic for getting to know your contacts better which has really seemed to work for you? If so, please share it in the comment forum below. I’m always interested in the tactics that networkers around the world have successfully used to achieve networking success and I’d love to hear your thoughts!

10Oct2013

The Butterfly Effect of Networking Explainedstring(44) "The Butterfly Effect of Networking Explained"

October 10, 2013

Ivan Misner

Butterfly Effect of Networking, Necker Island, Networking Book, Networking Stories, Richard Branson, Story Submissions Book, Butterfly Effect of Networking, Connections, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referrals, Relationships, Video Blog 7

The Butterfly Effect is part of chaos theory, which is a part of mathematics. It basically proposes that the flapping of the wings of a butterfly alter something extremely minute but which starts a domino effect of altering one thing after another until something finally gets altered which actually changes the weather. So what does the Butterfly Effect have to do with networking? Take 5 minutes to watch this video and find out! I tell a pretty powerful story about how the Butterfly Effect caused some very unexpected things to happen in my life, resulting in an amazing experience.

As I’ve mentioned in a couple of my recent video blog posts, Jack Canfield, Gautam Ganglani, and I are currently working together on a book about networking. Today’s video is one of several short videos I’ll be posting which cover networking topics we will be focusing on in the book. These videos are the result of brainstorming sessions for the book and, ultimately, we want to gather stories from networkers like you who have experience with the different topics I discuss in these videos.

If you have a story relating to the ‘Butterfly Effect of Networking’ which demonstrates the power of this concept in a significant or remarkable way, please visit www.SubmitYourNetworkingStory.com to submit your story for a chance to be published in the upcoming book on networking that Jack Canfield, Gautam Ganglani, and I will be publishing. Also, I’d love for you to briefly summarize your story in the comment forum below as well. Thanks in advance for your participation!

3Oct2013

The Darkside of the VCP Process®string(33) "The Darkside of the VCP Process®"

The dark side of the VCP Process® occurs when people get disconnected from what networking is really all about–they’re not carrying out the VCP Process as it is meant to be carried out and that’s when everything goes wrong.

As I mentioned in the video blog I posted last week, Jack Canfield, Gautam Ganglani, and I are currently working together on a book about networking. Today’s video is, again, one of several short videos I’ll be posting which cover networking topics that we will be focusing on in the book. These videos are the result of brainstorming sessions for the book and in this particular video, I explain the networking disconnect–the unfortunate occurrence which takes place when everybody comes to a networking event to sell yet nobody comes to buy.

If you have a story relating to the ‘networking disconnect’ which fits the criteria I describe in the video, please visit www.SubmitYourNetworkingStory.com to submit your story for a chance to be published in the upcoming book on networking that Jack Canfield, Gautam Ganglani, and I will be publishing. Also, I’d love for you to briefly summarize your story in the comment forum below as well. Thanks in advance for your participation!

30Sep2013

8 Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering a Sponsorship Opportunitystring(70) "8 Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering a Sponsorship Opportunity"

Local communities and organizations–be they service clubs or professional groups–depend on sponsorships to make ends meet at some of their events. This is also true for association trade shows and exhibitions. In most cases, the dollar amounts for sponsoring events of this sort are modest–ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

How many times have you been asked to be a sponsor? How many times have you offered to sponsor a select event in order to help out someone in your network? Both situations have the potential to give you huge exposure if done well. In addition, sponsoring an event for someone on your word-of-mouth marketing team enhances the relationship, because you are helping that person meet a goal.

When you consider which people you will network with and where, you’re being selective. Choose carefully, too, when you’re thinking about sponsoring an event. Is it a good investment of your time and money? Whether you’re being recruited or are volunteering, ask yourself the following questions before deciding . . .

What is the target market for this event?
What kind of exposure do I get for my investment?
Can I get this kind of exposure without this investment?
Do I get direct access to the audience?
Does it make sense for me to be there?
Which business or networking goal does it help me complete?
Are other sponsors my competitors?
How does this enhance my credibility with the person I’m helping?
Why wouldn’t I do it?

All of these questions help you determine the value of a sponsorship opportunity. Now, imagine one day being in charge of putting on a huge event. Suddenly, someone from your network steps forward to offer you a substantial sponsorship because she heard through the grapevine that your event needed money. How would you feel about that person? You can create that same feeling toward yourself in someone else by offering that exact gift. Be selective, and offer your support in person. In effect, you are making a tidy “deposit” in your relationship bank account. This act of generosity definitely comes back to you in time, but for now it simply nurtures the relationship by helping someone in your network meet her goals.

This week, think of the people in your network. Who do you know that is planning an event–a conference, an open house, a 10K fundraiser–who could use your financial support? To strengthen your relationship with this individual, offer as much help from your business as you can provide.

Have you sponsored an event in the past? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience and how it impacted your relationship with the person in charge of the event. Please share your story in the comment forum below. Thanks!

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