Mo asks Dr. Ivan Misner: What is your big idea on how business development experts can grow their book of business, their relationships, and their careers?

The quality of the people you surround yourself with determines the quality of your life.
Imagine that you live your life in one room with one door and it’s one-way entrance only. If that were true would you be more selective about the people that you let into your life?
The room is a metaphor for your mind, and when you have a relationship with someone, business or personal, their fingerprints are all over your brain for the rest of your life. This is why it’s vital to be very selective on the front end.
Your experiences with people, the good and the bad, will affect your decisions for the rest of your life.
You have to ask yourself whether a client is going to be worth the money and the psychic energy you are going to invest in the relationship.
The selectivity starts with understanding your personal values. If you don’t know what’s important in your life you will take anyone that comes to your door. Clients don’t have to have the exact same values as you, they just can’t be incongruent with the things you believe are the most important.
You’re better off turning down a client or an employee if you believe they will take you in the opposite direction of your personal values.
One of the most important values in Dr. Misner’s organization BNI is that giver’s gain. If you want to be able to get business from people you have to be willing to give them business.
Networking is not a get-rich-quick scheme, it’s a way to build a solid foundation for a strong, successful business. It’s an attitude and not an expectation.
Creating a great organizational culture changes that organization forever. Your business’s core values should be short and repeated constantly.

Mentioned in this Episode:

GrowBIGPlaybook.com

ivanmisner.com

bni.com

Dr. Ivan Misner on the Foundation of Business Development – What You Need To Succeed