Summary: Synopsis Dr. Misner received this question from a BNI member. (Keep those questions coming!) "I've reached out to my group to make a connection with the CEO of a startup company that I know I can help. So far, my members don't have a connection inside the company. Other than a cold call, what would you suggest is the best way to contact the CEO?" Cold calls are definitely not recommended. Keep plugging away with your chapter and also connect with your own personal network and with BNI Connect. Be laser specific about who you want to meet when you give your 30-second infomercial: "I am looking to meet Sam Smith at XYZ company. Does anyone know Sam? Does anyone know someone who works at XYZ company?" Ask your leadership team about doing the Reciprocity Ring exercise. This may take time. It took Dr. Misner the better part of a year to connect with Harvey Mackay. Finally one day a BNI member who was driving Dr. Misner to the airport said "I know Harvey. In fact, I know his assistant very well. I'd be glad to make an introduction." That was all it took to get in the door. Just a reminder that you never know who they know. Be specific and be persistent, and eventually you'll succeed. Brought to you by Networking Now. Podcast intro recorded by Tony Wolfe. Complete Transcript of BNI Podcast Episode 299 - 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, CA. I am joined on the phone today by the Founder and Chairman of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello Ivan. How are you and where are you? Ivan: Hello, Priscilla. I am doing great, and this week, I am in Scandinavia for BNI, visiting chapters throughout the Scandinavian regions of the organization. I love coming back to visit. As a matter of fact, I will be spending some time at the Ice Hotel. Priscilla: Oh, I remember last year, you shared pictures, I think it was on Facebook, and I got to see you in the Ice Hotel. Ivan: Yep, and I will be there again. This time, however, the Ice Hotel is actually a member of BNI. Priscilla: Wow. Really? Cool. That's neat. So what do you have to share with us today? Ivan: This week, I have another question from a BNI member. By the way, I love the questions on various topics. This one is really a good one. Here, the member is asking me the following question: âI have reached out to my group to help me make a connection with the CEO of a start-up company that I know I can help. So far, members don't have a connection inside the company. Other than a cold call, what would you suggest is the best way to contact the CEO?â The short answer is a cold call is not worth it. Do cold calls work? Yeah, sometimes if you are really good at it. But it's not the way I would prefer to do business. My advice is keep plugging away with the chapter. The more ways that you can ask the question and periodically bring it up to your group, the better. Of course, you know, reconnect with your own personal network, as well as your BNI group.Here is the key: you want to be laser-specific about who you are connecting with. So you want to specifically say, âI am looking to find someone who knows _________ (fill in the blank) with XYZ company. If there is anyone in the group who knows someone who might know them- does anyone know someone that might work at XYZ company? That is a great referral for me if I can have a lead in the door.â I discovered this with an exercise that we have in BNI. If you have a chance, ask your BNI Director to do the reciprocity ring exercise. If they don't know what I am referring to, it is available from BNI headquarters for Directors to do. The reciprocity ring exercise. Basically, members stand up and say, âThis is a referral I am looking for.
