Summary: This is a rebroadcast of Episode 138. Synopsis BNI conducted a survey for the book Masters of Networking that asked business professionals what the most important traits of a master networker were. The most important trait was following up on referrals. Not giving them, following up on them. See Week 20 in The 29% Solution, âFollow Up Today,â for a networking follow-up report card. Remember, the best system for following up is the one youâre going to use. There are many kinds of follow-up. You should follow up when you meet a person, not just when you get a referral. Following up is part of building a relationship, not just closing a deal. Leave us a comment to tell us about your experiences with following up. Brought to you by Networking Now. Complete Transcription of BNI Podcast Episode 138 - 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. Iâm Priscilla Rice, and Iâm coming to you from 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, and where are you? Ivan: Doing great, Priscilla! And this week Iâm at the Transformational Leadership Council in Puerto Rico. This is Jack Canfieldâs network that I was invited to many years ago, and Iâve been a member. Weâre in Puerto Rico this week for their conference. Priscilla: That sounds great! Well, what do you have to share with us? Ivan: Well, today I want to talk about the Number 1 Trait of a Master Networker. Many years ago I wrote a book called Masters of Networking, and we did a survey. It was one of the contributions. My wife and I did this article that was in the book, and the article was based on a survey that she and I did almost 2,000 business professionals from several countries, and it was published in Masters of Networking. We asked business professionals what they felt were some of the most important traits of a master networker, and the number one trait that came back was that master networkers follow up on the referrals that theyâre given. So giving referrals, giving referrals didnât even show up in the top five. But I thought it was interesting that the number one trait was following up on the referrals that you get, and the reason for this top ranking is that, in my opinion, if you present opportunities to someone who consistently fails to follow up successfully, whether itâs a simple piece of information, a special contact, or a qualified business referral, itâs no secret that youâre eventually going stop wasting your time on that person. Theyâre an embarrassment to you. Because when you give a referral, you give a little bit of your reputation away. Priscilla: Right. Ivan: If it works out well, it enhances your reputation. If it doesnât work out well, it hurts your reputation. And so following up is so, so very important. I talk about it in The 29% Solution at length, and I recommend, if you have a copy of the book, pick it up and take a look at Week #20, Week #20, which is on page 114 of The 29% Solution. And Week #20 is Follow Up Today. It talks about the fact that good follow-up is not just doing whatâs required or what youâve promised to do, it also involves going beyond what is expected. One last thing, and then Iâd like to maybe just open it up and chat a little bit about this, if we can. Iâm often asked, Priscilla, âWhatâs the more effective system for following up and staying in touch with your clients?â Do you have any ideas, whatâs the most effective system to follow up? Priscilla: I think I know. Ivan: What do you think? Priscilla: I would guess it would be a personal note. Ivan: It could very well be. Hereâs my answer. Itâs very simple, and itâs very surprising.
