November/December 2006
Art of Networking
BNI's Misner Tapped by 'Chicken Soup' Co-author Jack Canfield for Transformational Leadership Council
Wednesday September 20, 6:00 am ET
BNI Founder and Chairman Dr. Ivan Misner is one of the founding members of Jack Canfield's Transformational Leadership Council. Canfield, co-author of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series, established the Council to gather "thought leaders" and experts in the field of personal transformation together to share ideas, successes and challenges, and support each other in making a greater impact with their work.
The TLC meets twice a year to share strategies and techniques. Misner was invited to participate after meeting Canfield in New Orleans, where both were speakers for the CoachVille Conference.
Misner, an expert in referral networking and word-of-mouth marketing, immediately saw the power of Canfield's idea for the TLC. "It's a valuable opportunity to connect with people of vision who are doing compelling work," says Misner.
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Xtraordinary Living BlogSaturday, September 16th
Episode #15 of the Xtraordinary Living podcast is out. The topic is Building Relationships.
Just as Productive Learning & Leisure places an emphasis in our courses on "extraordinary relationships," we spoke with Dr. Misner about his view of the importance of building and creating extraordinary relationships in business and our personal life.
In this 15th episode you will hear:
- How Dr. Misner started BNI in 1985, and the fact that over 4.4 million referrals were passed last year generating over $1.7 billion for BNI members around the world.
- The best referral Dr. Misner ever received in BNI as a member.
- Why in this day and age, we need to create a virtual Main Street.
- The role communication plays in cultivating strong relationships.
- And much more!
Succeeding in a Varied Business CultureAccountingWEB.com - September 15, 2006 - Today, many people do business outside of their own country, either in person or by some form of communication, and this can prove to be a dicey proposition. Even in the United States there are differences in customs between states and regions. A word that is translated incorrectly or a custom broken unintentionally can have disastrous consequences which could result in the loss of an important contact and/or business, so it is important to know the customs of the area or country before you begin.
Dr. Ivan Misner, the Founder and Chairman of BNI, an international referral networking organization, is an expert in the field and a best selling author. He offers some tips and information to help with successful networking in different cultures.
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"Isn't Word of Mouth Marketing Always Working for Me?"Not necessarily, say the authors of a new book called, Truth or Delusion: Busting Networking's Biggest Myths.
Here's an interesting trick our minds can play on us when we're running a small business. It's kind of like a mirage that makes us think we're seeing water in the middle of a hot desert. Our business mind says: "I'm getting free word of mouth marketing every day, and it's not costing me any time or effort."
Don't fall for that mirage, warn the authors of a new book called, Truth or Delusion: Busting Networking's Biggest Myths (Nelson Business, ISBN 0785223207). "Yes, you're getting word of mouth every day," explains New York Times best-selling author Dr. Ivan Misner. "It just may not be the kind you're thinking of—the good kind. The message you're sending out may not be clear. It may be too vague. It may even be—surprise!—negative."
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Referring to SuccessAlthough Dr Ivan Misner has been called the "Father of Modern Networking" by Ecademy.com and the "Networking Guru" by Entrepreneur magazine, when he embarked on his consulting business in the mid 1980s he didn't envision when he set up BNI (Business Network International) that it would become what is now regarded as the largest business networking organization in the world.
"You know, when I started this, I would like to say that I had this long-term vision that this was going to grow into the great organization that it's become," says Dr. Misner, "But I didn't."
"I just wanted to make some contacts with people and I thought that by forming a club where the members would pass on referrals to one another would be a great way to do it."
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How to be THAT Guy
I recently attended a conference (not BNI) where author Scott Ginsberg was the keynote speaker. During his presentation, Scott referenced BNI many times. In addition, in his excellent book "How to be That Guy," (http://www.hellomynameisscott.com) Ivan Misner and BNI are mentioned on page 155.
I just wanted to share that with the BNI membership.
Submitted by Deanna Tucci Schmitt, BNI Western Pennsylvania
BNI: where the networking possibilities are endless
Michelle Weinberg was looking to develop new networking possibilities for her Green Lake advertising and specialty-merchandising company, Design One. Disappointed by the lack of a local chamber of commerce and with previous experiences with various networking groups, she began searching on-line for an alternative.
She found Business Networking International (BNI), a group whose purpose is "to share contacts, ideas and referrals" according to their webpage.
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Making connections that pay
Networking group can turn a wallflower into Toastmaster, member says.
Thanks to a business connection made at a Carson City networking group, Jim Bryant Jr. got his assets in line and is planning to retire.
"And then I can take over the company," said his son, 27-year-old Jim Bryant III. That should happen in about a year.
The Bryants are among about 32 members of the Business Network International group that meets at Grandma Hattie's for breakfast every Thursday. They're charismatic and energetic, taking business networking almost to the level of a religious commitment.
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A place for networking
Local business professionals believe that the early bird gets the worm.
Which is why at 7 a.m. on Sept. 27 more 70 people hoping to get a leg up in their field gathered at Pierre's in South Brunswick to learn about Business Network International.
BNI is a business and professional networking organization that allows only one person per profession to join a chapter.
"I think it's a worthwhile organization," the Jamesburg-Monroe chapter founder and president, Bob Soden, of Dayton, said. "What better way to grow a business than by referrals? It's really that simple."
Jamesburg started the local BNI chapter, called the Falcons, in August. The fledging chapter held the breakfast meeting last week to spark an interest in the organization and to serve as a membership drive.
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