bizopoly

Don't forget to signup to our newsletter, and get bonus material dedicated to making you more successful, absolutely FREE!

“People who concentrate entirely on the material and financial aspects of business fail to realize that in the end all business is conducted through personal relationships.” ~ Dr. Ivan Misner

What a day!

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I knew that I was going to meet Dr. Ivan Misner; especially with such a small group of people, seven to be exact.  All I could think about was speaking about my business for sixty seconds, and I thought about that upcoming minute literally for days.  As a BNI member I am very familiar with the concept of standing up and declaring to a group of people what business I am in and what business I am looking for.

So, what made this group different?  Admittedly, it all had to do with delivering this message in front of the Founder and Chairman of BNI.  I was absolutely terrified that I would say something wrong, that I would stumble, stutter, and fall flat on my face in what I considered the most important sixty seconds.

Just call me Ivan…

The relationship, I get it now!  I understand how powerful relationships really are in business, and it all came from a simple shift in thinking.  When I entered the room, sat down, and prepared myself for powerful nuggets of wisdom, I was still struggling with that sixty seconds.  I was also struggling with the realization that I might have walked right past Jack Canfield, so click here to go on a tangent story about a goal realized and an opportunity lost.  Back to the story…Low and behold, Bob Smith, our Executive Director, suggested everyone give a sixty second introduction.  I was doomed!  So much thought about what I was going to say, yet I still was not confident in my message.

The two hours seemed to slip by as if only moments, but I heard powerful stories of personal experience, answers to intricate questions, and most importantly an extended introduction.  Ivan spent time getting to know all of us as individuals, and then reinforced that by letting us get to know him as an individual.

If I were asked to do my sixty seconds at the end of that two hours I would have stood up and delivered one of those real powerful sixty second presentations that many members have seen personally.  I would have had no fear, no second thoughts, and I would have been completely confident in my words.  And maybe I would have even remembered to ask him the question I had about social networking online and BNI…

What was the difference?  The relationship.  Once Dr. Misner became Ivan I no longer had any trepidation about speaking.  I felt as if I had known Ivan for years.

The Outsider

Think of the visitor in any BNI meeting.  They are the outsider, typically the visitor only has a relationship with the person that invited them.  What an intimidating place for most people to be in.  As a member, I know that I often forget what it was like to be a visitor.

Being an outsider is never where anyone wants to be, and this leads me to yet another valuable lesson that came out of this meeting.  The hidden elements of a meeting.  Look at the agenda and find all the places before the sixty second introductions where a visitor is welcomed and where they are encouraged to forge new relationships with the group members.  It starts with the open networking at the beginning of the meeting, continues when they are personally welcomed by the president, and even when the business card box is passed.  This all becomes a part of the dialogue that makes a visitor feel welcome.

Ivan, thanks for making us all feel welcome.

Popularity: 94% [?]