Make a Plan

Make a Networking Strategy Planstring(31) "Make a Networking Strategy Plan"

November 14, 2019
, Dream Big, Goals, Networking

A dream without a plan is just a fantasy. It is your thoughts about believing in your dream which will lead to achieving your dreams. However, first, you would need to develop a networking strategy.  Make a plan that will work for you based upon these three essential questions:

Who Are My Best Prospects?

It’s important to know that each target market will have a strategy that requires you to network in different places. If you’re not sure who your target market is, look at your list of past clients. What industries were they in? How long had they been in business? Were your clients even businesses to begin with, or have you worked mostly with consumers?

Once you’ve put together a profile of your past clients, ask people close to you for patterns you may have overlooked and get their input on who might be a good fit for your business.

Where Can I Meet My Best Prospects?

As you begin targeting specific niche markets, there are other venues and opportunities that fall outside the typical networking event.  Here are some examples of specific target markets and where you should network to find people in these markets:

  • Small-business owners–chamber of commerce, local business association, referral groups, and social media pages,
  • Representatives from big corporations in your area–service clubs, nonprofit groups, and volunteer work
  • Consumers–your kids’ events: Little League, School activities, and so forth

Whom, Exactly, Do I Want To Meet?

Even if you can’t name the people you want to meet, the better you can describe them, the greater the chance you’ll get to meet your ideal contact. Be as specific as possible when asking for contact because it focuses the other person’s attention on details that are more likely to remind him of a specific person rather than if you asked, “Do you know anyone who needs my services?”

Networking works.  It’s just a matter of developing a strategy that puts you in contact with the right people. That’s exactly what the three questions above will help you do. However, you must take action to achieve your goals.

Dream Big

Dream Bigstring(9) "Dream Big"

November 11, 2019
, , , , , , , , , , , Dream Big, INSPIRE, Law of Attraction 2

Our 2019 BNI Global Convention just wrapped up. I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who joined us from around the world at this exciting event in Warsaw, Poland.  Dziękuję Ci. This year’s convention is all about our theme, Dream Big. Therefore, I want to share a few thoughts for those of you not in BNI on how you can reach your goals when you dream, believe, and achieve…

Dream Big

Do you dare to dream? If so, you are a results-oriented person. Dream big to help you transform your own life, both personally and professionally, and contribute to making the world a better place.

Marcia Wieder, CEO, and Founder of Dream University was our keynote speaker at our 2019 Global Convention. She spoke about the entrepreneurial mindset of having a dream for your business and how to successfully realize that dream.  I met Marcia through the Transformational Leadership Council which we are both members of and, let me tell you, Marcia is truly the best of the best of when it comes to understanding this facet of your business. Please watch this video to learn more.

Marcia explains that in business, dreaming is serious business; it’s the driving force for transformation and without vision, many companies fail.

Make a plan.

A dream without a plan is just a fantasy. It is your thoughts about believing in your dream which will lead to achieving your dreams.

In the book, “Psycho-Cybernetics” by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, he recommends “steering your mind to a productive, useful goal so you can reach the greatest port in the world, peace of mind”. If you believe in yourself and believe that you can achieve your goals. you will. However, you need to take the next step.

The “Law of Attraction” is the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person’s life. This belief is based on the ideas that people and their thoughts are made from pure energy, and that a process of like energy attracting like energy exists through which a person can improve their health, wealth, and personal relationships.

Take action.

The Law of Attraction is powerful. However, “action” is part of the word attraction. Therefore, you must take action to achieve your dreams. I firmly believe taking action (beyond simply showing up) is key to achieve real results. Making a plan is meaningless if you don’t shift toward action. You can’t make improvements through thought alone. You can also start to achieve your dreams with these six simplest actions you can take.

Reach your goals and create a better life when you dream, believe, and achieve…

 

 

How to Set Goals for the Year Aheadstring(35) "How to Set Goals for the Year Ahead"

December 18, 2014
, , , , Business, Goals, personal story, Self Development, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Success, Video Blog 3

As 2014 draws to a close, many people are beginning to think about what goals they would like to accomplish in the coming year. In light of this, I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you how I personally go about setting and achieving my own goals.

Watch the video now to get my top three tips on how to plan your goals and what actions to consistently take in order to achieve success when it comes to reaching your goals.  Also, I’d love to hear what tactics have worked for you in regard to goal accomplishment so please share your thoughts and ideas in the comment forum below.  Thanks!

With All Due Respect for the Mayans . . .string(41) "With All Due Respect for the Mayans . . ."

December 31, 2012
Business, Management, Recommendation, Self Development, Strategic Planning 4

With all due respect to the Mayans, 🙂 it appears that we need to give some thought to our plans for 2013.

Each year, a few days before New Year’s Eve, I head off to my mountain retreat in Big Bear Lake, California, to recharge my batteries.  Getting away to the mountains is something I’ve done for almost two decades.  It’s a great opportunity to spend time with the family and prepare for the onslaught of the coming year.

It’s also a good time to give some thought to the vision I have have for my business and life over the next year.

It’s hard to hit a target you’re not aiming at. The end of the year is a great time to think about some of your plans and goals for the next 12 months (and beyond). Even if all you have is a couple days, take the time at the end of every year to slow down and do some “vision making” for your business.  Remember that a successful businessperson needs to work “on” the business as well as “in” the business. Work “on” your business this month by creating your vision for next year.

It’s also good to include some personal goals in your planning.  Some of the business and personal goals I set for next year include:

  1. Regular dates with my wife.
  2. Several mid-week visits to our Lake House
  3. Several business/personal trips this year.
  4. Turn business trips into more fun trips.
  5. Complete at least one new book.
  6. Refinance a commercial property.
  7. Review a strategic plan regarding one of my businesses.
  8.  Continue to support charitable causes.
  9.  Work more “on” the business and less “in” the business.

What goals do you have for 2013?  Also, do you take a little time off at the end of the year to think about it?  Share your ideas here.

Year-End is Time for Vision Makingstring(34) "Year-End is Time for Vision Making"

December 26, 2011
Blogs, Management, Recommendation, Self Development, Success, System, Uncategorized 7

Each year, a few days before New Year’s Eve, I head off to my mountain retreat in Big Bear Lake, California, to recharge my batteries. It’s a great opportunity to spend time with the family and prepare for the onslaught of the coming year.

It’s also a good time to give some thought to the vision you have for your business and life over the next year.

It’s hard to hit a target you’re not aiming at. The new year is a great time to think about some of your plans and goals for the next 12 months (and beyond). Even if all you have is a couple days, take the time at the end of every year to slow down and do some “vision making” for your business. Remember that a successful businessperson needs to work “on” the business as well as “in” the business. Work “on” your business this month by creating your vision for 2012.

This is what I did back in the mid 1980’s when I had some time to reflect on this little networking enterprise that I started, called BNI.  It was during one of these year-end retreats that I created an organization chart for my company as part of my 5 year plan.  At the time, I had two part-time employees.  However, I created an organization chart with 15 different boxes on it.  I put my name in about 11 or 12 of the boxes for the areas I was responsible for and I put my part-timer’s names in the boxes for the areas they were responsible for.

Over the next 5 years, I scratched my name out of each box and put someone else’s name in that box as I hired someone to handle that area.  It was a great exercise that helped me achieve my goals over the next 5 years and it came from one of my year-end retreats.  Clearing your mind and thinking about your the future of your business can be a very good thing this time of year.  Even if you only have a couple days – get away and do some vision making.

If you use this time of year to think about your goals for the future, tell me what you do here in my blog.

Have a great New Year!

Ivan