The New Year is a great time to envision what you want your networking efforts to yield over the next 12 months.  This generally begins with setting some goals or objectives.  However, you can’t really gauge your success at something unless you measure your progress.  Hence, you achieve what you measure.

I have collected hard data on this topic that I would like to share with you. It comes from my new book being released this month: Business Networking and Sex. (For the record – the book is about how “gender” relates to networking, but a book called Business Networking and Gender would be... well, can you hear the crickets chirping now?) In this book, one of the things I highlight is tracking business and how that activity relates to networking success.

The book was based on a survey of 12,000 business people from around the world.  The following table shows the response to a question about how having a “system to track money” related to whether the respondent felt networking “played a role in [their] success.”

As you can clearly see in this chart, people who had a system to track their business were more likely to have felt that networking played a role in their success. Even more notably, those who did not feel that networking played a role in their success were almost twice as likely not to have a system for tracking their business! Click here to view the chart.

This is a powerful finding for people who wish to develop a referral-based business. Clearly, those people who do not use systems to track their business are much more likely to feel unsuccessful in their networking efforts.

What does this mean for you?  Simply: Track the referrals you get and the value of those referrals.  Even better – you should get your entire BNI chapter to join you in this endeavor.

To help you, we have developed a thorough description of how to go about measuring this process.  Attached, you will find a protocol* that you can use to track not only the value of the referrals you get but also your 1-to-1s and the education you are getting with your BNI group.

Would you like to have your best year ever in BNI?  If the answer is yes, then the action you need to take is simple.  Read this protocol and apply it in your chapter starting this month.

I’d love to hear from you about how you think you can apply this in your group and/or if you have been tracking your business--tell me how it has helped you in BNI.

(*) NOTE: The attached tracking protocol was developed by many people with input from several countries.  However, the biggest thanks must go to John Meyer, Dan Georgevich, and Tom Fleming for their substantial involvement in the development of this material.

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. His newest book, Business Networking and Sex (not what you think), can be viewed at www.businessnetworkingandsex.com. Dr. Misner is also the Senior Partner of the Referral Institute, an international referral training company.

Most often in business we are acquainted with associates, co-workers, and customers on a purely professional level. We know their views about the job and product, their approach to problem-solving, their temperaments, and a bit about their personalities.

This is all good. But think a moment: With whom do we do business? With people we know, like, and trust. The way to develop trust is through relationship-building, yet the unfortunate truth is that most of us do this over time, and accidentally at best.

The fact is that by systematically developing your relationships throughout the year, you will also be developing your referrals, contacts, and profitability.

Why make the choice to devote time to deepening these relationships? There are a myriad of benefits, including the following. You will:

• Forge a closer working relationship;


• Gain access to networks, clients, or to doors you need opened;


• Better understand how you can help your customers, clients, and networking partners;


• Tap into a much broader knowledge base;


• Become more profitable;


• Assist in achieving your short- and long-term goals;


• Educate others on exactly what you do and how to specifically help you; and,


• Increase your referrals.

The secret word in all of this is “systematic.” BNI’s 1-to-1 Planner provides you with time-proven, successful steps you can follow to achieve greater results in less time. And the steps are really quite simple.

1. Set a Date and Time to Meet. This can be as casual as a morning coffee shop stop, getting together after work hours, or staying after your chapter meeting for some one-on-one time. While any location that affords you uninterrupted time to talk will work, the best place to meet is at your partner’s place of business, because you can learn more about their business if you are physically present.

2. Prepare. Don’t just “wing it.” Fill out the worksheets, including your Bio, GAINS profile, Contact Sphere, and Last 10 Customers worksheet. Take the time to jot some notes, define your goals, and be ready with some questions. Always start with the end in mind. What do you hope to take away from your meeting?

3. Meet. Learn as much as possible using your notes as a way to get started. We have two ears and one mouth and are more successful when we remember to use them proportionately! Be an active listener, be engaged, and take notes on what your partner says.

4. Commit and Agree on Goals. This is the oft-neglected step, but crucial to the process. Make a commitment to help your partner with a referral, a short-term goal, an introduction, or even something as simple as forwarding some information to help them.

While some professionals will want to dig deep and work hard at forging deep and mutually-beneficial relationships with other professionals and customers, others may wish to focus on developing stronger ties with co-workers, vendors, or suppliers to improve work relationships. Either way, chances are you have a little preparation to do. Spend more time with the people you already know and concentrate first on learning and sharing their goals, accomplishments, interests, networks, and skills. You may be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your name comes up when an opportunity arises!

Susan M. Goodsell is an Executive Director for BNI Riverside & San Bernardino Counties, CA, a National Training Director, and also works as Support Services Coordinator for BNI HQ. 

Sometimes it takes an offhanded remark by someone to make us realize what we actually have in our hands.

In a recent 1-to-1, a former BNI member asked if the business I am helping my son to expand has any real potential for profitability. Surprised by the question, my first thought was that I would not be devoting so much of my time and effort to marketing something I thought was pointless.

A business owner for a long time, I know the work it takes to build a profitable and successful business. So, I thought for a moment about how best to answer that question. I ultimately decided that any business venture can be successful if you have a winning combination: the right network and the right attitude.

The New Year is an opportune time to take stock of where your business is and where you want it to go during the next year—and beyond. The New Year brings new goals, new challenges, and new successes. By being part of your BNI chapter, you have already advantageously positioned yourself.

The Right Network Is in Your Hands

We all know that it is very difficult to build a business alone. Many of you started your business because you are passionate about what you do. Your business is meaningful to you, and that is elemental to your success.

Your satisfied customers will help you build your business as they spread the word of your good products and service. However, they have no vested interest in your success, other than they want you to remain in business so you can continue to service them. Your BNI network is different. Your business is important to each member of your chapter.

Your BNI Network Has a Vested Interest: Your Success and Theirs!

The bottom line is that your fellow BNI members have truly embraced Givers Gain^®.  Simply stated: What goes around, comes back around. That being the case, members will expend more effort to help knowing that they in turn will also be helped, directly and indirectly. As a BNI member, your business has the potential to grow even faster because you are an integral part of a group of professionals who become each others’ trusted advisors. In addition, you become part of each others’ marketing teams.

This works because you and your chapter members share a common goal: Success. Your fellow BNI members want you to succeed, because, ultimately, your success benefits them, as well. But it’s more than that. You will notice that the majority of the people you meet through BNI, whether in your own chapter or others, own the attitude of giving.

Where else is that attitude prevalent? In your own field, while there may be some people with whom you associate, in the end they are your competition. So you may ultimately find that you hold back some of your enthusiasm and ideas.

That is not the case in BNI.

In BNI the goal is for everyone to succeed; you become each others’ sounding board, critics, advisors, and word-of-mouth partners. You cheer on each other as you reach your goals, and you help one another stay on the path to success when challenges may otherwise derail you.

Own Your Passion

While having the right network in place will help you reach your goals, you must also have the right attitude. Remember why you started your business. Feel the passion that meant so much to you in the beginning and own it! When you are excited about your business and embrace the ideal of sharing and supporting your networking partners, they will want to return the same to you.

Your passion is obvious in your attitude. You display it by coming to your meetings regularly; setting the stage with solid 45-second introductions; giving well-prepared 10-minute presentations; and, participating in productive 1-to-1s. The process allows for others to learn about you while you learn about them, thus creating the atmosphere for sharing.

Your attitude is also very telling when things are not going as well as you anticipated. We all hit a slump every now and then. Stay away from pity parties and negative statements. Many times, we hear people say that things are “amazing” or “unbelievable.” Some of us may have even said that a time or two.

What people don’t know is that it is unbelievable that you are still in business because times are tough. Keep your eye on the end result, your success and that of others. Your network will be there to support you. So use your challenges as learning experiences. Grow from them, and hold your head up and remember that you are meant to be successful.

Perpetuating Growth

A new year is a beginning—and whether you are new to BNI or have been a member for years, you can have your best year yet by enthusiastically displaying your optimistic and giving attitude. Proactively help build your network with others who, like you, are seeking to grow, understand the art of working as a team, and have a positive attitude.

As I return to the original question of whether there is enough potential for me, or anyone for that matter, to pursue a particular business, my answer is this: It doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks as long as we have the right network in place and our attitude is focused on success. Those are undeniably my keys to success, and they can be yours, too.

 

Here are seven goal-setting questions for you to ask and answer over and over again.  I suggest that you take a pad of paper and write out your responses.

Question Number One:

What are your five most important values in life?


This question is intended to help you clarify what is really important to you, and by extension, what is less important, or unimportant.  Once you have identified the five most important values in life for you, organize them in order of priority, from number one, the most important, through number five, the least important.

Question Number Two:

What are your three most important goals in life, right now?


This is called the “quick list” method.  When you only have 30 seconds to write down your three most important goals, your subconscious quickly sorts out your goals.  Your top three will just pop into your consciousness.  With only 30 seconds, you will be as accurate as if you had 30 minutes.

Question Number Three:

What would you do, how would you spend your time, if you learned today that you only had six months to live?


This is another value question to help you clarify what is really important to you. When your time is limited, even if only in your imagination, you become aware of whom and what you really care about.

Question Number Four:

What would you do if you won $1 million, tax free, in the lottery tomorrow?


How would you change your life?  What would you buy?  What would you start doing, or stop doing?  This is really a question to help you decide what you’d do if you had all the time and money you need, and if you had virtually no fear of failure at all.

Question Number Five:

What have you always wanted to do, but been afraid to attempt?


This question helps you see more clearly how your fears are blocking you from doing what you really want to do.

Question Number Six:

What do you most enjoy doing?  What gives you your greatest feeling of self-esteem and personal satisfaction?


This is another values question that may indicate where you should explore to find your “heart’s desire.”  You will always be most happy doing what you most love to do, and what you most love to do is invariably the activity that makes you feel the most alive and fulfilled.  The most successful men and women in America are invariably doing what they really enjoy, most of the time.

Question Number Seven:

What one great thing would you dare to dream if you knew you would not fail?


Imagine that a genie appears and grants you one wish.  The genie guarantees that you will be absolutely, completely successful in any one thing that you attempt to do, big or small, short- or long-term.  If you were absolutely guaranteed success in any one thing, what one exciting goal would you set for yourself?

Action Exercise

Study the answers on your pad of paper.  This paper represents your future goals.  Determine each day to look at what you wrote and shape your life the way you see it on that paper.

Brian Tracy’s Free PDF report Goals! Report

Learn the techniques that will help you get everything you want, faster than you ever thought possible.  With Brian Tracy’s Goals! Report, learn how to take complete charge of your life and everything that happens to you. To download this amazing gift, click here: Get your report!

Family can make your life more productive when you are a family-centered entrepreneur by playing into these three tips. Watch this video to learn how to work with your family to gain more productivity with them.

Yes, the year is new once again, and our hearts must follow this tradition if we are ever to understand what it means to create anew, and why creating is so important to each and every one of us.

I have written so many of these messages for so many years, that when it was suggested that I give it a go again, I paused before saying yes, as all I could hear was my same old voice, saying the same old things. And, frankly, I couldn’t bear the sound of it.

Do you know what I mean, dear readers?  Have you had the very same experience year after year on or about New Year’s, or the day before that, or the days to follow?  It’s why I say to you that the year is new once again, because it actually is, but even more important because it most definitely is, despite how old we habitually make it.

The simple truth is that you and I, and all the others on this lovely planet, have never been here before, not at this time, not at this exact moment, not in this very rare and unique place and time.  No, never.  And because we have never been here before, despite our dungeon determination to believe as if we have, we could discover how new this day actually is.

So, stop here, right now, even as you read this.

Stop here, right now, and feel the presence of each moment, one following upon each other, like crystal drops of water dripping into a well.  One.  Then one.  Then one, again.  Each one new.  Each one a sparkling moment. Each one as still and as astonishing as the very first one, as the only one of its kind on earth.

And with the drip of the water comes the sound.  Separated from every other sound on earth.  Can you hear it?  Can you actually hear it?  That is the sound of the New Year.  Of the only New Year you will ever hear.  As God made it, here and now, as He intended for us to hear it.  To experience it.  To be here, now, just now, and only now, to say, Happy New Year.  To everyone.

Michael E. Gerber has been named by INC magazine as “The World’s #1 Small Business Guru.”  His NY Times Bestselling E-Myth books rank among the top ten business books worldwide for all time.  His Michael E. Gerber Companies have coached, mentored and trained tens of thousands of small business owners in 145 countries to transform the way they work and grow.  His mission is to transform the state of small business worldwide. Read more about Michael Gerber here.

International Networking Week ®, February 6th-10th, 2012, is approaching quickly. To highlight this event as well as the importance of networking, Dr. Ivan Misner and his Business Networking and Sex co-authors, Frank De Raffele and Hazel Walker, have recorded a special video.Watch and listen as Ivan, Frank, and Hazel offer a few pointers on where to focus your efforts in order to make the most of the upcoming week-long celebration of business networking and the opportunities it offers.

For those who may be unfamiliar with International Networking Week, the purpose of the event is to raise the profile of networking in the wider community, recognizing it as an essential tool for success in today's business climate—in every part of the world.

Watch the video now and be sure to distribute the video link widely and immediately to fellow BNI members as well as non-members. Also feel free to post the link on any websites you may have.

Forbes magazine's Frieda Klotz interviewed BNI's founder, Ivan Misner, about how gender affects networking skills and shares what she learned.

Click here to read the full article.

 

The Chicago Tribune has published the first article written on the highly-anticipated, upcoming book Business Networking and Sex (not what you think), co-authored by Ivan Misner, Frank De Raffele, and Hazel Walker.

Read the full article here, entitled “I Just Work Here: Networking's Gender Gap," written by Rex Huppke.

Business Network International’s (BNI) recent golf day held  by the BNI Pulse chapter in Polokwane, South Africa, raised R15 000 in aid of Help In Every Burden (Hieb). Read the full article here.

The 500 BNI members in Merseyside’s 20 chapters, under executive director Terry Hamill, have shown the biggest rise in business deals out of 15,000 UK members of global networking group BNI (Business Network International).

Calculations based on invoiced referrals between Merseyside BNI members showed a s9.3m total for the year to November 1 a 282% rise, making it the largest increase in qualified and invoiced business referrals in the country, against a national average of 39%.

Read the entire article here.

The day started like any other Tuesday morning: Get up early; rush to a local restaurant; join the other faithful members of the BNI Waukesha Networking Professionals chapter.  But it wasn’t an ordinary day. But it would take years before I finally realized the impact of that day.

You see, that particular Tuesday, Bill stood up to give his 60-second presentation, and he made an interesting choice.  Instead of talking about his business, as he had over and over again, he spoke about an issue close to his heart.  He told us about refugees and the challenges they face as they start new lives in the US.  He was committed to finding volunteers to help with their resettlement.

We all know that Givers Gain, but it doesn't always come back in the way you might expect.  Sometimes return takes a long time.  On this day, Bill showed that he was not just about business, but that he also had a soft spot for humanity.  I gained a lot of respect for Bill that day.  And, it's certainly true that I have used Bill's services and recommended him many times since.  But that's not the main part of this story.

Bill's story started to work in me.  I did not take any significant action for a couple years, but when I finally did, I was ready to jump in with both feet.

I started calling people at my church until we had a team of ten people who had agreed to help a family of five who would arrive soon from Bosnia.  When they arrived, we went to work.  Our goal was to help them become self-sufficient, working, contributing members of our society as fast as we could.

Everything went well, except for finding a job for the father/husband.  That final piece took more than a year.  But when he got a good job, we celebrated!

Then we went back to work.  A mom and five kids from Afghanistan arrived.  We helped them as we had with the first family.  Every step of the way we learned what had to be done.  I began speaking to other groups about what we had been doing, trying to pass on the resettlement success formula.

It's been ten years since the first family arrived.  My team has helped eight families start a new life in our community.  Many are already U.S. citizens.  But the story does not end there.

Recently, I finished writing a how-to book about refugee resettlement so that more volunteers would be able to help more refugees get started on a path to success in the U.S.  Rather than being able to impact the lives of a single family at a time, this book allows me to help dozens, or hundreds, or even thousands of families at once.  That's leverage.  And that's the power that comes from sharing something meaningful.

Thanks Bill.  And thanks BNI.  That Tuesday morning networking meeting made a huge difference in my life and now continues to help many more--coming from all over the world.

Jeffrey Kirk is the author of 10 Million To 1: Refugee Resettlement – A How-to Guide.  It's available at book retailers everywhere, including Amazon.com.

Before the latest international conference, Dr. Misner presented a call to action in his podcast: all members are welcome to attend the conference. It worked. I booked an earlier flight to LA from Mill Valley (SF Bay). I already was scheduled to fly on a flight later that day for a UCLA Anderson reunion to be held in Palos Verdes over the weekend. When I consulted a BNI colleague about whether to bump the arrival time, her resounding answer was, "Go for it."

Immediately, I rescheduled my flight for the earliest one out of Oakland, adjusted early morning childcare for my three kids (which required my husband to move an early meeting), and registered with Lonie Misner-Feigerle. I didn't get to Long Beach until after the session started, but was welcomed by Lonie.

Between sessions, I caught up with Dr. Misner, recounting how I ended up at the conference. He kindly took a picture with me, and offered to put it in BNI Connect and provide a link back to my site, A.Point.Marketing. I am part of a new, thriving BNI chapter in Dawn Lyons' SF Bay region, launched in July under the guidance of Betty Jo Waxman. My business is also growing steadily. In fact, this week I am on the verge of closing two of the largest proposals I have had to date, and both have come through BNI referrals.

Many thanks to the BNI team and Dr. Misner for making my first conference memorable—and meaningful.

“I’d like to tell members that they are all invited to any Member’s Day we do at our international conferences.  It was a pleasure having Ann there at this one.”—Ivan Misner

Looking back on 2011 and the growth of our organization, I am reminded that there are a great number of people to thank. One of the critical factors for our success this year was undoubtedly our membership in BNI, specifically its referral system.  My special thanks to BNI for the referrals that we have received.  We have been able to convert more than 90 percent of those referrals into business.

Rodney Sanders,
Ren’s Business Consulting

Good morning, I’m Debbie Dowling your director it’s true.
Helping members make more money is what I’m here to do.

Whether it’s your Sales Manager Minute, Showcase Presentation, or understanding your Contact Sphere.

We can schedule a one-to-one so I can help you since that’s why I’m here.

BNI Connect Global, Podcasts, SuccessNet and MSP.
Are just a few other ways of connectivity.

So if BNI success and making more money is what you seek
Call me and we can meet any day of the week.

If you need my information it’s not that hard
It’s all right here on my business card.

Sometimes I’m busy with my 5 kids, there is a lot to do
So within 24 hours or less I’ll get back to you.

 

This is a great webinar! Chris Wise interviews Dr. Misner on "Networking Like a Pro". This hour long special is full of valuable tips from Ivan about networking strategy, the VCP process, the butterfly effect with Sir Richard Branson, secrets of the masters, and more.

Education coordinators: You'll find quite a bit of content to use at your meetings!

Make sure to listen to the last 60 seconds, during which Chris mentions a very special gift to BNI members who listen to the webinar!

Have you ever noticed that shopping styles are completely different between men and women? In this humorous video, the authors of Business Networking and Sex (Not What You Think) explain the very different ways in which men and women shop. Watch the video here.

More than 130 million people have a LinkedIn profile. Most of them don't know what to do with it, although it is a fantastic tool to find new customers, employees, partners, experts, or investors.

To help those of us who are unsure how to capitalize on this tool, Jan Vermeiren and Bert Verdonck are giving away 1 million copies of the second edition of their international bestseller How to REALLY use LinkedIn.

The book is completely revised, with inclusion of important new chapters, which include the following:

• 6 passive, 7 active, and 11 proactive strategies to find new customers or new employees.


• 42 tips to create an attractive profile.


• 15 strategies to raise your visibility and credibility by personal branding.


• 7 strategies for BNI members to dramatically increase their "return of investment".


• The power of combining online and offline networking: how to get the most out of the events as an organizer and as a participant.


• 11 strategies for organizations: how they can benefit from LinkedIn company-wide, including the brand new LinkedIn Strategy Matrix© for organizations.

Finally there is the new free “Video & Tools Library” with video tips, assessments, tools, and webinar recordings.

You can download your copy at http://www.how-to-really-use-linkedin.com

Jan and Bert are also raising $1 million for charity. Check out their website for more details.

Mari Smith's new book, The New Relationship Marketing, recently hit the bookshelves, and it is a must-read for anyone in business today. As Ivan Misner said in the endorsement, “This really is your golden ticket to not only understanding but also effectively capitalizing on the world of social media in terms of relationship marketing and business growth.”

Get The New Relationship Marketing: How to Build a Large, Loyal, Profitable Network Using the Social Web at Amazon.com.

Ivan Misner joins small business expert Jim Blasingame to report that a global survey reveals that civic clubs are for service, not high percentage networking opportunities, on “The Small Business Advocate Show.” Listen to the full interview here.

• More energy than ever in our chapter.


• Every member is more profitable and is getting better and more frequent referrals.


• We’re leaving our egos at the door.


• We’re playing to win and holding each other accountable.


• We are reaching $1 million in closed business for the first time in our 15-year history.


• We tripled closed business and doubled 1-to-1s.


• We’ve grown by 70% in less than a year.


• No more cliques.


• No more going through the motions.

These are just some of the comments you heard from chapters On the Fast Track in SuccessNet 2011. Now it’s your turn. Inspire and motivate others to have their best year yet! Submit your story about how Fast Track helped take your chapter to the next level, or submit a story with the reasons why your chapter is looking to Fast Track for fast and lasting results.

We will select a winner from each category and publish them in the February and March SuccessNet issues. Plus, everyone who submits a story will enter a raffle to win a free set of CDs for either BNI Networking Secrets or the BNI Visitor Experience program—whichever program your chapter hasn’t done—so you can keep on winning. Send your story to flynnandsara@delfuego.com, or call us if you have any questions: 512-576-0556.

Highlights from SuccessNet 2011 – On the Fast Track

BNI Inner Circle – Westlake Village, CA - Grew by four, tripled 1-to-1s, doubled the number of referrals, and did more booked business in the 18 weeks of Fast Track than their average per year for their 4-year history.

BNI Elite Professionals – Sunny Isles, FL - 71% growth, highest energy ever in the chapter, grew booked business from $30,000 to $340,000.

BNI Referral Connection – Cincinnati, Ohio – In 15 weeks of Fast Track - Increased closed business by $80,079, increased attendance by 28%, and 1-to-1s went from a total of 63 in 2010 to 173 in the 15 weeks of Fast Track in 2011.

BNI Leading Edge – Kalamazoo, Michigan – Purchased 50 CDs for $40/each, a chapter investment of $2,000, and made a $900,000 increase in closed business. “I’ll take that kind of investment all day long,” said the chapter’s president.

BNI Conejo Valley in CA – Grew by 60% in less than a year. Seasoned members said it was the best thing to happen to the chapter in a long time.

Get set to win in 2012! Give and gain. For more information go to the Fast Track site: bni.delfuego.com