Networking Aerobics as prescribed by Dr. Ivan Misner

Networking Aerobics - Excerpt from the book “World’s best known marketing secrets”

In this Book, Dr. Ivan Misner has very appropriately drawn similarity between Networking and exercising; if you don’t keep at it, you lose what you’ve started to develop. Here are some tongue-in-cheek exercises extracted from this book that will tone up your networking abilities:

Dead-weight lifts: This is where you “lift” some dead weight (your body) out of bed, or off the couch, and go to the network meetings you need to e attending.

High hurdles: Overcoming the introduction jitters when you first start meeting people at a mixer. Almost everyone has to deal with the high hurdles at some time. The best approach to this is “jump in”.

Relays: This is the part of the meeting where you use your business card as a baton to be passed from person to person.

Leg lifts: Involves lifting your legs and walking around a networking event, not allowing yourself to stand idle for more than a couple of minutes.

Buttocks lift: This is a critical networking aerobics exercise involving lifting your tush off the seat and mingling.

The splits: This exercise dictates that if you are at a networking meeting that requires you to sit down for some part of the meeting, then you cannot sit between two people you already know.

Arm extension: An exercise in which you extend your arm, “press some flesh” (shake hands), and meet people.

Jaw flex: This immediately follows the arm extension – telling people who you are and what you do.

Lift and carry: After you’ve talked with each person, collect his or her card and carry this large stack home with you.

Arm curls: This is the most important exercise of all. A few days after the mixer, pick up a phone in either hand, turn the receiver to face you, curl it up to your ear, and call the people you recently met.

I loved this part of the book. The difference probably is that instead of loosing some weight, we all will end up adding some bank balances once we master these Aerobics.