My latest book, Networking Like A Pro: Turning Contacts Into Connections, which I co-authored with David Alexander, has officially been released–and it hit No. 1 on the Amazon.com Bestsellers list last week! Here is a brief peek at the kind of information we offer in Networking Like A Pro: FIVE QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU LEAVE A LASTING IMPRESSION 1. “What Do You Like Best about What You Do?” This leads to more interesting conversation about the other person’s business, his likes and dislikes, hi...

A good friend of mine, Patti Salvucci, runs dozens of networking groups in the Boston area.  A while back, Patti was visiting one of the groups she oversees, and she made an unlikely and very remarkable connection.  This is one powerful story . . . A true master networker, Patti arrived early for the networking meeting in the private meeting room at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.  She noticed an older gentleman setting up coffee mugs for the meeting and when she struck up a conversation with him, she was...

If you haven’t yet visited AskIvanMisner.com, now is the time to log on and let me know what’s on your mind!  Ask me any question you have about how to build your personal and professional network, and your question might be one of the questions I answer on the upcoming Feb. 16 Ask Ivan Misner Teleseminar! If you’re not familiar with AskIvanMisner.com or with the accompanying teleseminars, let me explain.  On the third Tuesday of each month, I conduct a FREE teleseminar, co-hosted by my friend Al...

Master networkers know that genuinely helping people is a huge part of networking because building social capital is key, and master networkers know the importance of giving. This is exactly why I founded my international networking organization, BNI, on the philosophy that Givers Gain–meaning, if I help you build your business and accomplish your goals, you’ll naturally want to do the same for me.  Sometimes, however, situations occur that call on all of us to help–situations that are bigger t...

Entrepreneur magazine’s Growth 2.0 Conference is being held in Miami Beach, Fla., on January 26. If it’s geographically possible for you to attend, I strongly encourage you to go.  The event is bursting with educational value, opportunities to network and–get ready for this –registration is FREE! If you can make it out to the conference, I’d love to have the opportunity to meet you. So please take a moment to introduce yourself during one of the conference’s networking sessions ...

Last week I promised I’d write a blog this week continuing the discussion on building networking skills.  So, as promised, in this blog I’ll be explaining a little bit about a few things you should do once you’ve given some thought to your networking strengths and weaknesses. As you read through these tips, think about ways you can develop these ideas into a networking strategy that makes the most of your strengths and helps you work on your weaknesses. 1. Become the host. Whether you’ve ...

Social capital works for everybody, not just people who set out purposefully to become networkers. A colleague of mine works in a profession–writing and editing–that entails a minimum of day-to-day interaction with others. He handles a limited number of projects, usually no more than two or three books at a time, and works long hours and days in isolation.  He surfaces occasionally to communicate with an author or publisher about details. You might say he works in a cave with only a few air holes. How do...

What I’m about to share with you is a very simple, yet very often overlooked networking step. I’ve witnessed a lot of people jump straight into networking without taking the time to sit down and simply identify what their strengths are. And I’ve got news for you–if you don’t know what your strengths are, then you can’t outline an effective strategy. And without an effective networking strategy, you’re going to end up wasting a lot of valuable time. Here’s the thing . . ...