The Official BNI Podcast

Here are 7 factors that contributed to the growth of BNI. Dr. Misner didn't learn them in business school.

Here are some tips for positioning yourself as a professional when you go to networking events.

Synopsis There’s a perception in the media that people hate networking. But when Dr. Misner conducted a survey of 12,000 people for his book Business Networking and Sex–Not What You Think, only 6% said they were not comfortable networking. That means 94% of people surveyed like networking. So why is there a perception that people […]

Has your business reached a plateau? Are you struggling to succeed in a recession? Ivan Misner and John Assaraf address these issues and more.

Direct response marketing expert and podcaster Seth Greene joins Dr. Misner to talk about using podcasting to get referrals.

To succeed at networking, you need to be self-aware, selfless, and selfish. Ask "How can I help you?" but also "How can I help you refer business to me?"

Research by BNI chapters shows that attendance matters: by decreasing absences, you will increase referrals passed in the chapter.

Synopsis Bob Burg joins Dr. Misner on the expanded edition of his book The Go-Giver, which has sold half a million copies. The book is perfect for BNI members because its basic premise is that shifting one's focus from getting to giving is financially profitable. The Law of Influence states that your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first. The most successful salespeople are other-focused and always look for ways to give value. There are "Go-Takers" out there who are only out for themselves, and we don't want to do business with them if we don't have to. When dealing with Go-Takers, you can remain a Go-Giver and still protect yourself. There's nothing that says a Go-Giver should be taken advantage of. If you haven't read this book yet, head over to Burg.com and get your copy now. If you have read the book, share your insights from reading it. Brought to you by Networking Now. Complete Transcript of Episode 435 - Priscilla: Hello everyone and welcome back to the Official BNI Podcast, brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the net for networking downloadables. I am Priscilla Rice, and I am coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. I am joined on the phone today by the Founder and the Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello, Ivan. How are you today? Ivan: I am doing great, Priscilla, and I am really excited because I have a long time friend of mine and a friend of the organization. His name is Bob Burg. He is a sought after speaker. He has spoken at a BNI conference. He is the author of a number of books on marketing and influence. His book, The Go-Giver is co-authored with John David Mann. The Go-Giver is probably mentioned more to me than just about any other book as I travel around the world. A lot of people know The Go-Giver and the reason for it has sold over half a million parties and is translated into 21 languages. Bob has recently done an update to the book, and he had Ariana Huffington do the forward. If you do a search here on the podcast, you will see Bob Burg mentioned more than any other expert on networking. He is a really good friend and a great friend of BNI's. Bob, welcome to the podcast. Bob: Thank you, Dr. Ivan. And my other claim to fame is I am one of the people who has your first book ever written in his library. Highlighted, notated and everything else. Ivan: You don't mean World's Best Known- you mean Networking for Success? Bob: Oh yeah. A very, very, very first one. It was like in a binder type- not a binder, but you know what I mean. Ivan: A three ring binder and a spiral binder. Bob: It was a spiral binder. Ivan: My friend, you and 19 other people have that book, I think. Bob: Absolutely. Absolutely. Ivan: It sold like 20 copies, I think. It just- but I will tell you my claim to fame on that. It was the first book, to my knowledge, that was written on networking. It was done in 1989. I was never able to find anything else. So I am glad we are still friends after you got that. Bob: Actually, it was a great book. Absolutely. I loved it. It is a treasure, of course. I have a Misner section, so it takes its proud place right there. Ivan: I need to send you a new one. We can talk about that later. I want to talk about The Go-Giver. It is a great book, Bob. I probably hear more people talk about The Go-Giver than anything else in terms of a book that is networking related. People mention you as I travel around. They mention your book. We really appreciate you. When people ask, "Do you recommend any other book on networking?" I always recommend Endless Referrals and The Go-Giver. We really appreciate you. I have said this many times.

This podcast is a rebroadcast of Episode 136. Synopsis Dr. Misner’s secret to creating balance in your life is this: “Forget about balance. You’ll never have it.” The good news is that harmony in your life is possible. “Balance” assumes equal time on everything that’s important. Harmony is not balanced, but it’s complete as a whole. Here are some keys to a life that’s in harmony. Be Here Now Set time aside for the things that really matter. Find ways to integrate different parts of your life When you’re 70 years old, you’re not going to wish you spent more time at the office Harmony is created where harmony is sought. What do you do to create harmony in your life? Leave a comment and let us know. Brought to you by Networking Now. Complete Transcription of BNI Podcast Episode 136 - Priscilla: Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Official BNI Podcast brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the Net for networking downloadables. I’m Priscilla Rice, and I’m coming to you from the beautiful Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkley, California, and I am joined on the phone today by the founder and the chairman of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello, Ivan. How are you? Ivan: I’m doing great, Priscilla. I’ve got a fun topic today. Priscilla: What’s that? Ivan: The Secret to Balance. Priscilla: Great. Ivan: I think this is a great topic for the beginning of a new year. People – the year is starting up, and they’re thinking about their lives, and so I thought this would be a really good topic to cover. Because personal and professional balance in our lives seems to be the ever elusive dream for many business people in trying to balance home, work, health, spirituality, free time seems almost impossible, something that business people have told me for years. Priscilla: Right. Ivan: Well, I’m really pleased to tell you that I think I’ve found the answer to creating balance in your life. Are you ready for this, Priscilla? Priscilla: Yes, please. Ivan: Write this down; here it is. Forget about balance; you’ll never have it! Priscilla: Okay. Ivan: I spoke at a conference once, and they were asking me about balance, and I said that publicly. And I heard this woman from the front row go, “Oh, no!” She was so upset, “No balance, that can’t be; it’s not right.” But there is good news. Although I don’t think balance is possible, I do believe you can create harmony in your life, and this differentiation is more than just semantics. It’s really a critical approach to looking at life that can free you up to see the world in a different way. Balance assumes that we spend an equal amount of time in all or most areas of our life. It’s like the image of the scales where everything is completely in balance and equal, and it assumes that we have to have a certain portion of each week devoted in some equal measure to every item that’s important in our life. Well, the problem with that is that almost no one can really achieve that, especially entrepreneurs and professionals and sales people. We tend to live such hectic, busy lives that it’s incredibly difficult to fit it all in. So what do we do about it? For me, it’s about creating harmony. Just look at the image that represents harmony. It’s a swirling circle, and it seems – by its very nature, it looks like it’s out of balance if you’re just looking at one-half of it or the other half of it. Even its image is lopsided when you look at one aspect at a time. But the whole feels complete, and this is the way to look at the issue. At least it’s the way that I’ve looked at it that’s really worked for me. Sometimes I work crazy, long hours for days in a row or I may be on the road traveling for business for many days at a time. On the other hand,

Many BNI members feel nervous before giving their 10-minute presentations. Ivan Misner shares techniques for overcoming fear of public speaking.

How do you handle complaints about a fellow BNI member? Dr. Ivan Misner explains in this "Ask Ivan" episode of the Official BNI Podcast.

Tiffanie Kellog joins Dr. Misner to explain how your BNI name tag could be hurting your networking efforts.

Dr. Misner recently received an e-mail from someone who wanted to get the benefit of BNI without actually attending the weekly meetings. This is like wanting to win an Olympic medal without having to go through exhaustive physical training. None of us can do less and get the same results.

People say "It never hurts to ask," but it DOES hurt to ask for a referral before you develop a relationship. Take time to educate people about what you do and how to refer you before you ask for a referral.

Dr. Misner thinks incentives for referrals are a good idea---but money is not a good incentive. Exercise your creativity and offer something unique.