Networking, the art of cultivating relationships in the business community, has drawn more attention and dialogue than perhaps any other crucial aspect of conducting business over the last 20 years, and yet is surprisingly not taught in colleges and universities. Moreover, so much "advice" is batted about that it's often difficult for the average small-business owner or sales professional to determine just how much of what's been said about networking is fact and how much is myth.

But there is good news for the utterly confused. A new book, "Truth or Delusion? Busting Networking's Biggest Myths" (Nelson Business) by authors Ivan Misner, Ph.D., Mike Macedonio and Mike Garrison, spells out the ground rules for effective networking once and for all. The authors examine 49 dictums commonly used by the average business professional when describing their referral marketing strategy, and for each one, the authors either validate it as stone-cold truth or discard it as pure fallacy.

Some of the common ideas examined in the pages of "Truth or Delusion?" include:

• Networking is a fad. (Delusion)

• If you provide good customer service, people will care about you. (Delusion)

• You can network anywhere, anytime, on any occasion-even at a funeral. (Truth)

• There is an unlimited amount of referrals. (Truth)

• To be good at networking, you have to be a real "people person." (Delusion)

• When you give referrals to others, you can expect them to give referrals to you. (Delusion)

Throughout the book, the authors provide real-life examples from their clients' and their own professional experiences, and give readers action steps they can follow to incorporate effective networking tactics into their own business strategies.

The book draws from the knowledge and experience of three of the world's foremost experts in the field of business referrals-Dr. Misner is the founder and chairman of BNI (Business Network International), the largest business-networking organization in the world, which generates millions of referrals a year resulting in billions of dollars' worth of business for its members.

Networking is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it's about cultivating relationships to help build your career or business. If you keep this in mind, you can network anywhere, anytime, on any occasion-even at a funeral!



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