Episode 170: “Get Your Act Together”

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Synopsis

Here are some tips for positioning yourself as a professional when you go to networking events.

1. Look the part. Don’t wear jeans to a professional networking event. Be well-rested if you’re going to a morning event. Shirts with company logos are appropriate. Brand yourself appropriately.
2. Make sure your body language sends the right message. Watch your posture, eye contact, and gestures.
3. Be prepared. Know where your business cards are.
4. Remember to smile. Studies have shown that this makes you seem more open and forthright.

This podcast is based on Dr Misner’s article “Get Your Act Together” at Entrepreneur.com.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Complete Transcription of BNI Podcast Episode 170 -

Priscilla:
Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Official BNI Podcast brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the Net for networking downloadables.

I’m Priscilla Rice, and I’m coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkley, California, and I’m joined on the phone today by the founder and the chairman of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner.

Hello, Ivan. How are you and where are you?

Ivan:
I am doing great, Priscilla. I’m back home. I’m at BNI headquarters this week. I did so much traveling over the last three months, about five different countries, all over the United States. I literally was at BNI headquarters one week over the last three months, so it’s good to be back here for a little while and start working on some of the projects I’ve got going.

Priscilla:
That sounds very exciting. I wish I had been in your suitcase!

Ivan:
Well, you know, member of BNI, if you have a chance go to my Facebook page, my personal page, unfortunately, has hit its limits, so look for the Fan page; it’s Ivan Misner Founder of BNI. Go to the Facebook page if you’d like to see what’s going on in the organization and where I’m at. Take a look at that. It’s Facebook.com/IvanMisner.BNIFounder. Join the Fan page, and you can follow.

I know you followed. You were talking about my trip to South Africa.

Priscilla:
Yeah, I saw some great pictures of the safari that you were on with Elizabeth.

Ivan:
Well, I invite the members to come to my Facebook page and sign up.

Priscilla:
Great! How do you reach your limit on Facebook? That sounds . . .

Ivan:
Well, personal page has limits; Fan page does not. So the limit is 5,000 people, and when I hit 5,000, it wouldn’t let me add anymore friends, so Friend Request me won’t do any good because I’m at my limit.

Priscilla:
Okay.

Ivan:
But the Fan page has no limit, so go there, because you’ll like it.

Priscilla:
Okay, great. So what is this podcast about?

Ivan:
This podcast is like Get Your Act Together, and it’s based on a blog that I wrote of Entrepreneur.com. And it’s really about the way that you position yourself, the way you look and come across. Let’s face it, as business people, we’ve got a lot going on, there are people to see, places to go, a whole lot of stuff to do. And to do this and look good and act presentable at the same time sometimes things slip through the cracks. Quick frankly, getting and keeping your act together can be a little overwhelming, for even the more organized people around. So I’m going to give you a few tips for BNI members.

First, look the part before going to a networking event. You’d be surprised how many people fall short in the fundamental area of appearance. If it’s Chamber of Commerce networking breakfast, don’t dress casually. Wear a suit or at least professional casual. You need to be well rested, clear headed when you’re attending morning networking sessions. Make a conscious effort to get plenty of sleep the night before. If you’re not a morning person, hit the sack early, earlier than usual so you don’t look like the walking dead the next morning. Regardless of how many cups of coffee you’ve had, people can tell if you’re not all there. So the way you come across is really important.

I know you had a question about the logos on shirts and how you look in terms of wearing logoed shirt. Do you want to share that?

Priscilla:
Yeah, well, in my chapter, we have somebody who you can actually order your logo or your shirt with your company name on it, and quite a few members have actually done that. For example, the carpet cleaner, the painter, the handyman, all kinds of service people have done that. And I think that it makes them look more professional to the customer as well as they seem to have a sense of pride about their own appearance when they’re wearing their shirt, and they wear it all the time. They always wear it to the meetings.

Ivan:
I absolutely agree with that. I think it’s a great thing. I think it’s sort of – in today’s day, we don’t have uniforms so much, but a shirt with a company logo on it is the next best thing; it’s probably better because it doesn’t look like a uniform yet it’s got your company branding on it. Make sure that you use your appropriate branding. I see with BNI, the BNI logo being used wrong in some cases, so use your correct company logo, and most organization can get that on the shirts very well.

BNI has a shirt with the BNI logo, and members, if you want to take a look at it – I’ve got several shirts like that myself, I love it, I wear it as much as I can – go to BNI.com and look at the BNI store; we have it.

What I’m talking about here, look the part if we’re going to a networking event. I think that’s definitely looking the part.

Priscilla:
I can just add one more thing, which is, if you are, for example, in a marketplace or someplace where the public is around you and you’re wearing your shirt and your logo and your brand, then you have a chance of getting work, actually. People will approach you.

Ivan:
You do, and BNI is the same way. I’ve worn the BNI shirt or a hat with BNI on it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people come up to me and say, “BNI! Hey, I’m a member of BNI, too! What chapter are you in?” And that’s always a lot of fun!

Priscilla:
That’s good! Yeah, that’s great! Okay.

Ivan:
Well, we’ve got three other things to go through quickly.

One is make sure your body language sends the right message. When it comes to forming networking relationships, most of the important information, trustworthiness, friendliness, sincerity, openness is communicated through nonverbal cues such as posture, facial expression, and hand gestures. So when you’re engaging in conversation, look the other person directly in the eye, stay focused on what he or she is saying, leaning a bit to the conversation rather than away from it, don’t stand rigid with your arms crossed. Make a good impression with body language. That’s the second tip.

Third is be prepared. Make sure you know which pocket your business cards are in. I know that sounds crazy, but I keep my business cards in my left pocket and I put your business cards in my right pocket, and I do that so that I’m not handing out other people’s business cards by mistake. And I keep my business in my left pocket of every coat I own.

So nothing screams that you’re ill prepared or disorganized than handing out other people’s business cards, so be prepared in going into a meeting.

Fourth, remember to smile. I know that’s crazy, but studies have shown that if you smile when you talk, you seem more open and forthright. And I can tell you, this is something I have difficulty with. Making sure to smile, but you’ve got to do it, you’ve got to come across friendly and engaging. Obviously, you don’t want to go overboard with this and you start grinning and shaking hands like a hyperactive clown just to show that you’re having a good time, but you want to look like you are engaged in the conversation, you’re glad to be there, and that’s where it’s important to let go of all the fires and issues that you’ve got going in your personal life and business life and focus on starting to build visibility and relationships in the group. So remember to smile. Perception is reality when it comes to meeting people for the first time. If people perceive you as not being friendly, they simply won’t be inclined to refer business to you or even get to the position of knowing you well enough to refer business to you regardless of the work you can actually do.

Keeping the above tips in mind go a long way towards creating the right impression, literally in the blink of an eye.

Priscilla:
Great! Well, those are all wonderful tips. You think you have anything else up your sleeve, or is that it?

Ivan:
Oh, I’ve always got more stuff, but we’ve probably run out of time today. The bottom line here for our BNI members is to just give a little thought before they come to a BNI meeting or other business events, give some thought to the way they look, give some thoughts to the way they come across, because I think the most important thing that I said is that perception is reality. They way you come across is so important. In all the studies ad surveys I’ve done, and I’ve done a survey asking, “What are the top characteristics of a master networker,” one of the top five is always attitude, they way you come across. Positive attitude is always one of the top five characteristics. So the way you look and the way you come across are absolutely critical for the beginning of the VCP process, the Visibility, Credibility portion of the VCP process.

Priscilla:
Okay, great! Thank you, Dr. Misner.

Ivan:
Thank you, Priscilla.

Priscilla:
Well, that’s it for this week. I’d just like to remind the listeners that this podcast has been brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the Net for networking downloadables.

This is Priscilla Rice. Thank you for listening, and we hope you’ll join us next week for another exciting episode of The Official BNI Podcast.