Last week, one of the big items on my calendar of things to do was a marathon day of radio interviews beginning at 4a.m. As you can imagine, getting up at an hour when roosters haven’t even begun to think about warming up their vocal chords is not the most enticing of tasks. However, after stubbing my toe in the pitch blackness and yelping out a word I won’t mention here, I remembered that as the Founder & Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization, I had agreed to do these interviews at such an outrageous hour because it is my responsibility to do whatever needs to be done to network for the organization.
Now, can you imagine what would happen if I answered the interviewer’s first question—which is always “How are you doing today, Dr. Misner?�—by grumbling about how I had stubbed my toe and how I wished I was back in my warm bed? Well, what would happen is that people would be immediately turned off by my negative attitude and nobody would listen to me.
This brings me to my point that in order to be a master networker, you must always maintain a positive attitude no matter what. With over two decades of professional networking experience, one thing I’ve learned is how important it is to have a positive attitude in order to successfully network. And if I’m going to go around telling other people how to discipline and train themselves to network effectively, then I darn well better be walking the walk (or at least limping along, stubbed toe and all) and maintaining the positive attitude of a master networker.
Now that I’ve told you about the second most important trait of a master networker, I figure might as well give you the other nine. Here they are, ranked in order of their perceived importance to networking:
1. Follows up on referrals
2. Positive attitude
3. Enthusiastic/motivated
4. Trustworthy
5. Good listening skills
6. Networks always
7. Thanks people
8. Enjoys helping
9. Sincere
10. Works their network. Â
“Happy” Networking!
This entry was posted on Monday, November 12th, 2007 at 2:00 pm and is filed under BNI, Ivan Misner, Networking, Networking Prep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
7 Responses to “Attitude is Everything in Networking”
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November 13th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
there is the 11th most important trait of a master networker.
be ready to go internationally and have interviews on strange hours.
November 13th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
[...] – and I have built my business entirely on referrals based on those 3 points, in a network called Business Network International [...]
November 13th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Ivan
Thank you for all of your hard work. I joined BNI about 5 years ago and my business is now entirely referal based.
Lisa
November 14th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Hi there and good morning ! I ‘ve been up since 5:15
a.m. that is ..
Well I have a BNI meetng at 7 and I am the education coordinator.. I seem to wait ’til the morning of themeeting to clean some words of wisdom from the BNI website or your blog.
I’m gonna relay your 10 traits of a a successfull networker .. I just don’t know what you mean by “work your network” it may be sleep deprivation but I was sure what that actually meant ?
Thanks !!
November 19th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Attitude IS everything! When I joined my networking group, I was a brand-new business. I received help, advice, encouragement & support from all of these incredible, experienced people. More than once, I received nice remarks about my smile and my interest in the other members. Now, I get to help other new businesses in like fashion and I am quickest to help those who come in with a great attitude.
January 27th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Great reminders for all networkers!
October 25th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Tell me more about your networking business, maybe we can exchange ideas.