Synopsis

Today’s podcast topic comes from the second edition of Dr. Misner’s book Networking Like a Pro, which is now available on Amazon.

If you want to build a powerful personal network, it’s really important to connect and engage with your network via the social media platforms that they use rather than the ones that you use.

Dr. Misner learned this lesson when his children moved out. His oldest daughter only responds to text messages, not email or telephone. His second daughter only wanted to communicate via WhatsApp. His son didn’t respond to any of these channels, but spent a lot of time on Steam. In order to talk to his son, Dr. Misner downloaded Steam and purchased a game so he could talk to his son.

This applies to face-to-face networking opportunities as well as to online networking opportunities. You have to go where your connections are instead of expecting them to come to where you are.

If your children–or your clients–have taught you about how to communicate more effectively and what platforms to do it on, share your story in the comments.

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

Complete Transcript of Episode 536 –

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 today?

Ivan:

I am doing fantastic, Priscilla, and I have kind of a fun topic. You have actually heard this when I saw you recently in the Bay areas, I think I told this story. I really enjoy this topic. We chatted before we went on here on the podcast and you said you enjoyed it. I said you’ve got to laugh in all the same places.

Priscilla:

That’s easy to do, Ivan, because you are very entertaining.

Ivan:

Well, thanks. I appreciate that. This is actually some material from a new book that I have – well, a second edition of a book. Networking Like a Pro is now out in its second edition, and this is some of the new material that is in Networking Like a Pro, Second Edition.

So, you want to build a powerful professional network. It is really important to connect and engage with your network via the social media platforms that they use more than the ones you use. Now, this is particularly important if you need to develop a relationship with someone and you want to get to know them professionally. I am here to tell you that you have to go where they are, not where you are.

I learned this lesson in a really unusual way. A few years ago, my children all moved out and were on their own. One at a time, they eventually moved out over a few years. And it soon struck me that I was communicating regularly with them in completely different ways.

Now, my eldest, would not respond to emails ever. She would not even answer the phone when I called her. I discovered, however, that when I texted her, she responded immediately. So I even tested this once by calling her. No answer. Then I texted her.