Synopsis

One of the reasons for Dr. Misner’s success is his persistence. Like a dog with a bone, he never gives up. While you do need to let things go sometimes, determination gets you a long way in business. The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret went through 44 rejections before Dr. Misner found a publisher. It’s now been through four editions and sold more than 200,000 copies worldwide.

Excellence is not a single act. It’s a habit. If you want to be successful, think things through and then act on that like a dog with a bone. Often times, the more successful you are, the more failures you’ve had. If you believe in your objective, keep going.

Brought to you by the Networking for Success Channel on YouTube.

Complete Transcript of Episode 507 –

Priscilla:

Hello everybody and welcome back to the Official BNI Podcast, brought to you by the Networking for Success Channel on YouTube, which features Dr. Ivan Miser and many other networking experts. I am Priscilla Rice, and I am coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. I am joined on the phone today by the Founder and the Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello, Ivan, how are you and where are you?

Ivan:

I am in Charlotte, North Carolina this week for the the U.S. Conference. That is where BNI Headquarters has moved to. Although I live in Austin, our global headquarters has moved to Charlotte. That is where we are doing our conference. I am meeting lots of members and Directors from all over the U.S.

Priscilla:

That sounds a really good and interesting.

Ivan:

Yeah. The conferences are always fun. They are really good.

Priscilla:

So are you a dog with a bone?

Ivan:

I am absolutely a dog with a bone. This is part of kind of what I call the “Ivanisms Series.” I have been doing videos, a couple that I call Ivanisms. This is one of them. I am thinking about doing a book with all of these phrases and why they have worked for me.

So I am absolutely a dog with a bone. The lesson here is I never give up. Be like a dog with a bone. I have built a global company that operates in more than 70 countries. One of the reasons for my success is my persistence, tenacity and doggedness in dealing with challenges.

Priscilla, I can tell you I may not be the smartest man in a room or I may not be the most talented man in a room, but I am almost always the most determined man in a room.

As part of a commencement speech, Winston Churchill is believed to have once said, “Never, never, never ever give up.” I love this quote. Now, to be honest, though, the left side of my brain says when it comes to business, that is just not logical and people need to know when the time has come to give up.

Fortunately, my right brain generally wins the battle on this issue. You see, I may not, as I say, be the smartest guy in a room, but that determinedness, that doggedness has served me well in business. So as long as you can kind of get a sense of when it is time to let something go.

There are things that I have let go, but when I feel certain, when I have great information and feel confident in my vision and my goals, then I am a dog with a bone in my focus in not giving up.

So here is an example: In 1992, I completed the manuscript for The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret. 1992. The book came out in 1994. Over an 18 month period, I sent my manuscript out to 45 publishers all over North America. Out of the 45 publishers, I received 44 rejections to my submission.

Priscilla:

Oh no.

Ivan:

I swear.