Networking Like a Pro: Turning Contacts into Connections [Paperback]

Ivan Misner (Author), David Alexander (Author), Brian Hilliard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

Master the Art of Networking!

Networking expert and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Ivan Misner along with David Alexander, and Brian Hilliard reveal key networking techniques to help you grow your business. Learn how to reach quality prospects, leverage your contacts, motivate ongoing referrals, track your success, and so much more!

“Networking Like A Pro is the most comprehensive book I’ve seen on networking—bar none. From beginning to end, Misner and his co-authors divulge networking concepts and strategies which will catapult you from an average networker to a master networker and empower you to achieve greatness in business and life.”
Jack Canfield, co-author of The Success Principles

“Wow! This book breaks the mold in professional networking. It’s practical, powerful ideas will accelerate your success in ways you cannot imagine.”
Brian Tracy, chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International

“Done well, effective networking is ‘the speed of trust’ in action. No one understands networking like Ivan Misner, so if you want to get the maximum results possible from your networking efforts, you need to read this book—period.”
Stephen M. R Covey, author of The New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller The Speed of Trust

“Dr. Ivan Misner is to networking what Michelangelo is to the Sistine Chapel. So, absolutely everything you’ve ever wanted to know about networking is guaranteed to be discussed in Dr. Misner’s new book, Networking Like A Pro. Save yourself a lifetime of networking trial and error; read this book!”
Dr. Tony Alessandra, author of The Platinum Rule and Hall-of-Fame Keynote Speaker

“The title says it all and this book surely does not disappoint. But don’t take my word for it; read Networking Like A Pro, apply the new knowledge you gain to your networking efforts, and the results you get will speak volumes more than I ever could.”
John Mclelland, CEO of iLearningGlobal

Includes the Networking Scorecard—an exclusive results-measuring system!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Ivan Misner is the founder and chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. He has written eleven books including three New York Times bestsellers.
Brian Hilliard specializes in helping busy entrepreneurs market their business in less than 90 days. He is the owner of Agito Consulting and a popular speaker.
David Alexander is the chief networking officer of Referrals4life, LLC., one of the largest BNI franchises in the world. David is also an author and keynote speaker.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Entrepreneur Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599183560
• ISBN-13: 978-1599183565
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Business & Investing > Business Life > Motivation & Self-Improvement

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Very narrow focus - disappointed reader August 28, 2011

By Y. Bhonker

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book following an MBA course I took on relationships in the workplace. I'm from a science background, where networking is almost a dirty word since it implies narrow interests where science is supposed to be about curiosity and the unbiased search for truth. I was hoping to get a better understanding of the networking process, the tools available both online and off and the tips and tricks that aren't obvious to those with reasonable people-skills.

Unfortunately the cons outweighed the pros on this one. Granted there are some nuggets to be found wihtin, but these are few and far between.

1) Excessive self-promotion - many of the references to other books are books written by Dr. Misner. BNI, the business referral network Dr. Misner founded is also mentioned often. Other popular references are to Misner's coauthors books, either coauthors on this book or other books. Granted that Misner is an expert on all things networking, but are there no others?
The prefix "Dr." is also mentioned very often before Misner's name. This may be a pet peeve of mine, but I can't help but get annoyed to see "Dr. Ivan Misner" so frequently in a book by Dr. Ivan Misner.
Bottom line, while Misner highlights credibility as an important part of networking, he does this poorly.

The book also opens with a story about a a BBC show called The Last Millionaire where the contestants are dropped off in the middle of Hong Kong with a little money and are expected to create a business to generate money from that starting amount. The winner in this story is the woman who was a member of BNI and got in touch with the local chapter to tap into their resources. This is exactly what Misner repeats NOT TO DO throughout the book - network for sheer profit (thought BNI got considerable press coverage in return :-)

2) Narrow focus - this book seems to have been written with small-to-medium sized local American businesses. Chamber of commerce events, Rotary meetings, referral networks (I'm pretty sure this one's a category that includes only Misner's BNI) - if you're a scientist in academia, a student on campus or part of a large company, this is entire irrelevant to you. You're not a business owner! You don't need contacts to generate business, you need contacts to leverage your career! This books offers no advice for you whatsoever.

3) Outdated - the year is 2011. This is the age of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and smart phones. Misner barely acknowledge the existence of these things, and does not mention communication by email or text messages at all (is it good? is it bad? when is it appropriate?). He mentions using a database to store contacts, and actually spends several pages explaining why it's necessary to lose the Rolodex and us a computer. This isn't 1996 - most business use computers to operate and most have their own website. Misner recommends a website for tracking referrals and once again takes the opportunity to promote an associate (credibility?).

Ultimately I learned more about networking in 25 page Harvard Business School case study about a entrepreneur named Heidi Roizen than I did from this 250 page book by three "masters".

I would recommend Me 2.0, Revised and Updated Edition: 4 Steps to Building Your Future instead. While it focuses on marketing yourself rather than outright networking, its target audience is much broader.

36 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a book: It's a Lifestyle January 6, 2010

By Ariel Kane

Format:Paperback

If you own only one book on Networking this should be the one. I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of this book since Dr. Misner was a guest on Being Here the Internet radio show my husband and I host, and we were delighted to read it. Ivan and his co-authors David Alexander and Brian Hilliard do a brilliant job laying out their core value that networking is not about getting leads and making contacts but about building meaningful connections.

Networking Like a Pro builds upon itself with real life examples from the authors' extensive experiences. It investigates your mindset about networking, moves on to strategies, shows how to make your network work for you and then gives you the secrets of the masters. And Dr. Ivan Misner is a master. I know that readers will also really love having access to Misner's Networking Scorecard so that they can measure the results of their networking efforts. I have already loaned my copy to a friend who is new to networking and was delighted to hear that by using the tools contained in Networking Like a Pro she just booked a major job. Perhaps just as important as the new ideas you will find in Ivan's book, you will also recognize the things that you are already doing that work so that you can reinforce them and network with confidence and consistency. More than just an engaging, informative read, Networking Like a Pro is a rewarding, meaningful lifestyle. Buy this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book December 8, 2011

By Jacob W. Day

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

A nice intro to networking with some solid plans you can execute easily. I would recommend it to anyone who is new at this.