A New Twist on a Simple Technique to Refer Networking Partners 03/28/11

If you’re a good networker, you know that by looking for ways to refer those in your network and referring them any chance you get, they’ll be anxious to return the favor and you will get more referrals as a result. This video talks about how my friend Mohammad Favakeh, owner of Monte Carlo Chauffeured Transportation (www.mctlimo.com), has put a new and interesting twist on a technique which I’ve been recommending for years that makes it easy for people to refer their networking partners. Watch the ...

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No Faux Pas in India! 02/14/11

I’m headed to India this week to speak for BNI in Mumbai and Bangalore. I look forward to meeting many people and having the chance to help them increase their business through referrals. I’ve traveled to dozens of countries to speak and teach my philosophy of Givers Gain® in business. However, this is my first time to visit this exotic country. I’ve discovered that it is very important to get “briefed” by others before speaking around the world. I learned the hard way in one countr...

Becoming a Notable Networker–Tips and Insights 09/30/10

If you really want to succeed at networking, take a look at the following tips and insights: Notable Networkers are people who are skilled at networking and committed to the idea that givers gain. By helping other businesses get new clients or customers, they get new business sent their way. The key to building a word-of-mouth-based business is mutual support, not necessarily friendship. Organizations that network effectively provide opportunities to develop and exchange quality business referrals. Being a member of...

Using the Power of Networking to Go Global 09/27/10

We now live in a fully global society, and referral networking has become a prominent marketing strategy in this global society for one reason: It works. The idea of growing your business through word-of-mouth marketing is a concept that crosses cultural, ethnic and political boundaries because we all speak the language of referrals, and we all want to do business based on trust. Referral networking is a cost-effective way to get in front of new clients worldwide, and it’s a much better way to keep a business p...

A True Givers Gain Achievement 09/02/10

In 1998, my wife Elisabeth and I co-founded the BNI-Misner Foundation, a nonprofit program supporting charitable causes. We created the foundation because we truly believe in the philosophy of Givers Gain, on which we founded BNI, our worldwide business networking organization. Simply put, Givers Gain means that if you help others, others will want to help you in return (think “what goes around comes around”). Now, thanks largely to the generosity and kindness of BNI members and directors around t...

Whoopee in the Cornfields 05/24/10

Here’s the thing with networking: If you want to get more business, you have to be willing to give business to other businesspeople. That’s why I founded my networking organization, BNI, on the central, guiding philosophy of giving benefit to others–Givers Gain®. It’s an ethical theme that is common to all religions, all cultures: Treat others the way you want to be treated. If you want to get referrals, do the best job you can of giving referrals to others. I’d like to share with...

What You Need to Know about the Law of Reciprocity 05/10/10

The term reciprocity is at the center of relationship networking, but it is often misunderstood. Webster’s dictionary defines reciprocity as “a mutual or cooperative interchange of favors or privileges,” as when actions taken for the benefit of others are returned in kind. This leads many inexperienced networkers to expect an immediate return for any actions they take on behalf of another. Givers gain, right? Wrong. Not every act of giving will be immediately rewarded by the recipient, and if y...