networking event | Dr. Ivan Misner®

21Jul2022

Walking into a Networking Event – Where Do You Start?string(55) "Walking into a Networking Event – Where Do You Start?"

July 21, 2022

BNI chapters, Global Convention, introverts, Master Class, networking event BNI, Networking, Video Blog 3

Many people walk into a business networking event, look at all the people standing around, and wonder, “Where do I start?” I think a lot of people feel that way. Sometimes I feel that way, too, when I walk into a room. I’ve learned some tips to help networkers get more comfortable meeting new people at these events.
This video is part of my Master Class from the BNI® 2021 Global Convention.

Look for Open Groups of People

When you walk into any networking event, you want to look for the open twos and open threes. You want to see people who are standing slightly askew, so that you can just walk on up and introduce yourself without feeling like you interrupted a private or closed conversation. This is a subtle and significant technique to determine where to go to begin networking when you go to an event or mixer.

It is also an effective practice for networking groups, such as BNI chapters. The leadership team can remind members to always stand in open stances because it’s very inclusive. It makes people feel welcome when they can easily step in and have a conversation with the members.

A Suggestion for Introverts

For those of you who are introverts, consider this. It is actually easier to join a larger open group of people at a networking event. I know it seems counterintuitive, however it’s true. If you can find an open four or open five or six, it’s easy to slip in unnoticed and then just slide into the conversation after a while. This is often easier than joining an open two or an open three.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful for your next business networking event or chapter meeting. I’d love to hear about your experience with finding and joining open groups of people at events.

13Jun2022

The Power of One Conversationstring(29) "The Power of One Conversation"

June 13, 2022

Ivan Misner

networking event, networking group, Power of One Conversation, Power of One Invitation BNI, Business, Givers Gain, Referrals 1

Sometimes one conversation can create the pebble-in-the-pond dynamic that changes people’s lives. It may be a kind word to someone you know who is feeling overwhelmed or despondent. It may be a helpful gesture to someone you don’t know who needed to feel noticed that day. It can even be an invitation to a business networking event. This is the story of one such invitation.

The Power of One Invitation

A realtor in the U.S. was attending a local Chamber of Commerce mixer where a woman introduced herself and they began talking. At the end of the conversation she said, “I am part of a business networking group and we have breakfast every Wednesday morning. I’d love to invite you to breakfast, would you like to come?” He replied, “Absolutely.” On the following Wednesday he attended the meeting and was very impressed. He felt welcomed when he arrived and was pleasantly surprised with the structured way the meeting was run and with the business referrals that were being passed between the members. After the meeting, he chatted with some of them, and they invited him back for a second visit the following week.

The next week when he returned to the networking group, he found out that there could only be ONE residential realtor in that chapter. The member who was the realtor happened to be someone he knew, and she said to him, “You ought to think about starting your own chapter.” She then gave him the name and contact information of the person who could answer any questions if he wanted to find out more about it.

He called that day and after an hour-long conversation they decided to start a new BNI® chapter. That chapter grew into a group of businesspeople who built deep professional relationships with each other. Along with passing referrals that turn into revenue for each other’s companies, they care about and support each other.

A Culture of Caring

When devastating wildfires went through their community, 900 houses were lost. Several of the chapter members and their families were among those evacuated from their homes. Their fellow BNI members welcomed them into their homes, giving them a place to stay during those fires.

Yes, that one conversation between two attendees of a networking event was very powerful. It brought together dozens of people who created a group with a culture of caring and of welcoming visitors. They’ve passed referrals that have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in closed business for the members of the group. That one conversation grew into a caring community that goes beyond a weekly chapter meeting. It brought together people who support each other with a Givers Gain® attitude and a genuine desire to help each other succeed.

Do you have a networking story about one conversation? I invite you to share it here.

25Feb2016

Three Essential Questions to Ask When Looking for Networking Eventsstring(67) "Three Essential Questions to Ask When Looking for Networking Events"

February 25, 2016

Ivan Misner

brennan scanlon, networking event Book, Education, Networking 1

Attending enough and the right events for networking your business can be hard. How do you know which events will be a waste of your time, and which will benefit you in the long run?

Figuring out a plan to help you pick the right events is an important step to making sure you’re not wasting time. While you have to spend a few minutes up front, you’ll save hours in time that you won’t spend at events that won’t benefit you.

To develop this plan, you should ask yourself three questions:

Who are my best prospects?
Yes, you really do need to ask yourself this. Believe it or not, it is more common for people not to know. This is a prime reason why businesspeople waste their time attending every networking event under the sun – they just don’t know who they want to do business with. One you nail down your prospects and the types of people who tend to work well for you, you can move on to the next question.
Where can I meet my best prospects – or people who will introduce me to my prospects?
If your business is geared toward a specific type of person, some events will be more effective uses of your time than others. If your business is geared toward executives at large businesses, attending a Chamber mixer after-hours is a waste of time – these people probably won’t be there. Nail down where your ideal prospects go, and attend those types of meetings.
Who, exactly, do I want to meet?
You don’t know who other people know, and guessing would be a waste of your time. So, to best get in contact with the people you need, you need to know how to describe them. If you can tell your contacts what kind of consumer you’re looking for, in as much detail as possible, you’ll be able to get connected easier.

These three steps are detailed fully in “Avoiding the Networking Disconnect: The Three Rs to Reconnect,” my most-recent book with Brennan Scanlon.

Who are your best prospects? Where are you meeting them? Share your tips in the comments below!

21Jan2013

Get Ready for International Networking Week 2013!string(49) "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 has been gaining momentum worldwide and for the past few years, the Week has been recognized by tens of thousands of people around the world and acknowledged by many governmental agencies and high profile organizations.

The number of people participating in this year’s celebration of International Networking Week®, through hundreds of large events and thousands of smaller events, is expected to be even greater than it was in 2012.

You can join in the celebration of the Week by:

Watching the 2013 International Networking Week Video by CLICKING HERE. Please feel free to share the link with everyone in your network and post it on any websites you may have.
Visiting www.InternationalNetworkingWeek.com for more information and a list of worldwide events.
Participating in this year’s recommended special International Networking Week networking exercise by bringing an individual who has been a significant influence on your business/life to the networking meeting or event you’ll be attending during International Networking Week. For full details, please click on the link below.

SPECIAL NETWORKING EXERCISE–INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING WEEK 2013

How are you planning on celebrating International Networking Week? I’d love to hear your ideas on additional ways to celebrate this year so please leave your thoughts in the comment forum below. Thanks!

7Oct2010

Bob Burg’s 10 Networking Questions That Work Every Timestring(61) "Bob Burg’s 10 Networking Questions That Work Every Time"

My good friend, networking expert Bob Burg, has 10 questions he personally uses when networking that he believes every networker should memorize.

Bob explains that these questions are not designed to be probing or sales-oriented in any way; they are all friendly, fun to answer, and will tell you something about the way the person answering them thinks. You’ll never need or have the time to ask all 10 questions during any one conversation but, still, you should internalize them. Know them well enough that you are able to ask the ones you deem appropriate for the particular conversation and time frame.

Here are the 10 questions:

1. How did you get started in the (______) business?

2. What do you enjoy most about your profession?

3. What separates you and your company from the competition?

4. What advice would you give someone just starting out in the (______) business?

5. What one thing would you do with your business if you knew you could not fail?

6. What significant changes have you seen take place in your profession through the years?

7. What do you see as the coming trends in the (______) business?

8. Describe the strangest or funniest incident you’ve experienced in your business?

9. What ways have you found to be the most effective for promoting your business?

10. What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?

Like Bob says, you’re not going to get to ask more than a few of these questions during an initial conversation, so don’t worry about sounding like you’re conducting an interrogation. These are feel-good questions people enjoy answering, and they are meant to establish an initial rapport. So next time you’re at a networking event, try using a few of these questions and then come back and leave a comment about how using them worked out for you; I’m more than willing to bet you’ll be pleased with the results.