Productive Networking Starts with Getting Results for Others

May 2, 2005 -- In the formative years of BNI, (Business Network International), the motto was “givers gain.” If you can produce referrals that produce business for others, you'll get business as a result. Now that personal networking may be less face-to-face than ever, BNI's selfless creed means more than ever.

“Really,” Misner says, “schmoozing over the phone or Internet isn't the same as face-to-face. A smile does little when you can’t see it. There's no such thing as a firm handshake with the keyboard. Yet millions of virtual transactions happen every day. And each of them is an opportunity for someone to give, and eventually get solid business referrals.”

If you listen to Misner, these less personal but more numerous interactions deserve the same attention as any other business relationship, and given it, can produce the same effects – namely referrals.

“An even bigger premium must be placed on the fundamentals,” says Misner. “When the only interaction between two people is over the phone or the Internet, the relationship can certainly still be fruitful. One way to insure you’re doing the most you can do, is to remember that givers gain. If you are able to give quality business-producing referrals, you'll likely get them, even from your online friends.”

“On one level,” Misner says, “the Internet has absolutely revolutionized the way we all communicate. In only a few short years, an entire technology, vocabulary, culture and marketplace has been born. Cyber entrepreneurs, customers and a whole new economy have evolved at blinding speed. But none of that has or will change the people on the end for the information superhighway. They still like getting good help – and will continue to give back gratefully.”

BNI (www.bni.com) is a referral networking organization, which at last count had over 3,600 individual chapters in 22 countries worldwide. BNI’s Founder & CEO, Dr. Ivan Misner is the author of several book’s including the NY Times best-seller, Masters of Networking, (www.MastersofNetworking.com) and the recently released #1 best-seller, Masters of Success (www.MastersofSuccess.biz).

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Michael Drew
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