Episode 896: The 5 Secrets of Successful People

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Official BNI Podcast – Episode 896: The 5 Secrets of Successful People

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Official BNI Podcast
• Host/Author: Dr. Ivan Misner
• Description: Referral marketing tips from Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI.
• Episode: Episode 896: The 5 Secrets of Successful People
• Release Date: February 5, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 896 of The Official BNI Podcast, host Dr. Ivan Misner delves into "The 5 Secrets of Successful People." This episode features an insightful conversation with YP Lai, an Amazon bestselling author, master global trainer, and national director for BNI Thailand and the Philippines. Together, they explore foundational principles that drive success in both personal and professional arenas, particularly within the realm of networking and referral marketing.

Meet the Guest: YP Lai

YP Lai brings over 30 years of corporate experience and a passion for mentoring BNI directors and members worldwide. As a certified dream coach and a respected figure within the BNI community, YP simplifies complex ideas into actionable strategies, making him an invaluable resource for those seeking to enhance their networking skills and business growth.

Notable Quote:

"BNI uses the universal law of success and the universal law of business."
— YP Lai [02:43]

The Five Secrets of Successful People

YP Lai outlines five key fundamentals that mirror principles encouraged within BNI but are universally applicable to achieving success. These secrets serve as a blueprint for business owners and professionals aiming to excel in their fields.

1. Turn Up to Impress

Key Points:

• Successful individuals don’t passively attend meetings; they prepare meticulously to ensure they deliver their best performance.
• Preparation involves understanding the meeting agenda, crafting impactful presentations, and engaging effectively with the audience.

Notable Quotes:

"All successful people turn up to impress. They prepare to make sure that whatever meetings, whatever presentations, they're always giving their 100% or even 110%."
— YP Lai [02:43]

"Don't wing it with your true weekly presentation. Don't just make it up as you're speaking, but to come in prepared."
— Dr. Ivan Misner [06:36]

2. Continuous Learning

Key Points:

• Lifelong learning is essential in the competitive business landscape.
• Upskilling helps professionals perform better, faster, and more efficiently than their competitors, preventing them from being left behind.

Notable Quote:

"Successful leaders are always learning. They're always upskilling themselves to do things better, faster, and cheaper than our competitors."
— YP Lai [02:43]

3. Building Connections

Key Points:

• Building connections extends beyond acquiring clients; it involves forging relationships with key stakeholders such as authorities, bankers, equity investors, and suppliers.
• Diversifying connections ensures business resilience by having alternative suppliers and financial support when needed.

Notable Quote:

"When we talk about building connections, you've got to build connections and relationships with authorities, the money people, your bankers, equity investors, so that when you need money to grow your business, they are there."
— YP Lai [04:00]

4. Understanding Industry Trends

Key Points:

• Staying informed about industry changes and trends is crucial to avoid being blindsided by shifts that can render a business irrelevant.
• Networking within one's industry provides insights into future developments and opportunities for adaptation.

Notable Quote:

"You got to know where your industry is heading... when they were not in tune with the changes in their industry, they got blindsided and suddenly they became irrelevant."
— YP Lai [04:30]

5. Networking to Get Clients

Key Points:

• Effective networking is a strategic approach to acquiring clients, not just a means to an end.
• Building genuine relationships leads to sustainable client acquisition and business growth.

Notable Quote:

"Networking to get clients is one of the five key fundamentals that we encourage BNI members to do."
— YP Lai [04:30]

The Power of One to Ones

Dr. Ivan Misner emphasizes the importance of one-to-one meetings in building deeper relationships within the BNI community.

Key Points:

• One-to-ones allow members to learn more about each other's personal and professional lives, fostering trust and stronger bonds.
• Preparing thoughtful questions and exchanging profiles in advance can make these meetings more productive and meaningful.

Notable Quotes:

"One to ones come in helpful and the gift exchange... turn up to impress by preparing and making meetings productive."
— YP Lai [05:40]

"When you know more things about somebody personally and professionally, you build a bond or a relationship with them. Wouldn't you agree?"
— Dr. Ivan Misner [07:19]

BNI's Traffic Lights System

YK Lai introduces BNI’s Traffic Lights system, a success tracking tool designed to help members assess and enhance their adherence to the five key fundamentals.

Key Points:

• Green: Indicates strong performance and alignment with the fundamentals.
• Yellow: Suggests good performance but with room for improvement.
• Red: Highlights areas that require immediate attention and development.
• The system serves as a success indicator rather than a punitive measure, encouraging continuous growth and accountability.

Notable Quotes:

"BNI has got the traffic lights, what we call the members traffic lights. It actually is a success indicator."
— YP Lai [08:39]

"Green, you're doing a great job if you're in the green. Yellow, you're doing pretty well. Red, you really need to start working on the fundamentals."
— Dr. Ivan Misner [09:22]

"Gray is showing that you haven't even started on that. That is what area you've got to start working on and build yourself in that fundamental until you become green."
— YP Lai [10:07]

Concluding Thoughts

The episode wraps up with a reinforcement of the importance of consistently applying the five secrets to achieve long-term success both within BNI and in broader business endeavors. YP Lai underscores that BNI is a success system that, while not plug-and-play, offers a structured approach to personal and professional growth through its fundamental principles.

Notable Quotes:

"BNI is a success system. BNI is not plug and play. But it's so easy to plug into the five key fundamentals and just do it and you'll be successful in your life and your business through BNI said."
— YP Lai [10:51]

"This is a success system by somebody who has had a lot of success in the organization."
— Dr. Ivan Misner [11:10]

Final Remarks

Dr. Ivan Misner and Priscilla Rice conclude the episode by thanking YP Lai for his invaluable insights and encouraging listeners to apply these five secrets to enhance their networking and business success. The episode underscores BNI’s commitment to fostering a community of continuous learners and effective networkers dedicated to mutual growth and success.

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Note: This summary captures the key discussions and insights from Episode 896 of The Official BNI Podcast. For a more comprehensive understanding, listening to the full episode is recommended.

Transcript

[Priscilla Rice]

Episode number 896, the Five Secrets of Successful People.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

You're listening to the official BI podcast with BI founder and chief visionary officer, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Stay tuned for networking and referral marketing tips from the man who's been called the father of modern networking, along with suggestions and insights into getting the most from your membership in the world's largest networking organization, bni.

[Priscilla Rice]

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the official B and I Podcast. I'm Priscilla Rice, and I'm coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. And I'm joined on the phone today by the founder and the Chief Visionary Officer of B and I, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Hello, Ivan. How are you and where are you?

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Well, I just did a board meeting in Charlotte where the BNI Global headquarters is. And for everyone listening to this, this week, this is International Networking Week, the week of first full week of February. So welcome to International Networking Week.

[Priscilla Rice]

Great.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

And I'm really excited to have somebody from our international team here today. His name is YP Lai. YP is an Amazon bestselling author, a master global trainer, a certified dream coach. I'm guessing that's with Michael Gerber.

[YP Lai]

No, that's with Marcia, one of our keynote speakers at the, I think the. The Poland Global convention.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Yeah, we've had some. Some pretty amazing speakers at the global conventions. So YP has trained thousands of business owners worldwide. He's a national director for BNI Thailand in the Philippines. He has over 30 years of corporate experience. I didn't know about this. This about you. YP trained as a civil engineer, and YP simplifies his complex ideas into actionable steps. He is absolutely a mentor to many, many B and I directors and members throughout the world. YP welcome to BNI Podcast.

[YP Lai]

Thank you. Thank you so much, Dr. Ivan. And it's pleasure to be here and good to, you know, hear you in person, Priscilla. I've been hearing so many podcasts.

[Priscilla Rice]

Oh, thank you.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Lots and lots of podcasts and wifey. We've known each other for many, many years. Just call me Ivan, please.

[YP Lai]

Okay, yeah, sure, Ivan.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

All right, so today's topic is the five secrets of successful people. So could you share with us the five key fundamentals that members often see as a BNI thing, but in fact, it's really what successful people do.

[YP Lai]

Okay, just before I share the five, you know, the five secrets, Alex said that, you know, if YP says, I don't believe in gravity, I go to the tallest building anywhere in the world and I jump down and what's going to happen to me, I'm going to go splat. Because whether I believe in it or not, you know, gravity is a universal law and it always work. Right? So the thing about BNI is BNI uses the universal law of success and the universal law of business. And so I see that these five key fundamentals that we always ask members to do is, is actually a fundament, a fundamental business principles, you know, so what are they? Number one, all successful people turn up to impress. They just don't turn up and let things happen. They prepare to make sure that whatever meetings, whatever presentations, they're always giving their 100% or even 110%. Second thing is that successful leaders are always learning. They're always learning. The business world is so competitive now. We have got to be always upskilling ourselves to do things better, faster and cheaper than our competitors. Otherwise we're going to get left behind. Then the third thing is building connections. Sometimes people think that building connections is all about networking to get clients, but I think it's more than that. You know, when we talk about building connections, you've got to build connections and relationship with authorities, the money people, your bankers, equity investors, you know, so that when you need money to grow your business, they are there with your suppliers. Okay, we know that, you know, in the last couple of years, many businesses had to fold up because the supplies went bankrupt and so on. So we always got to be networking for plan B, plan C, you know, alternative suppliers. Then the next one is another fourth level is your industry, people in your industry, because you got to know where your industry is heading sometimes, you know, you got all these big brand names that when they were not, you know, in tune with what the changes in their industry, they got blindsided and suddenly they become irrelevant. Huge telco companies, you know, films, you know, so all these situations where, you know, they got blindsided, they were not in touch, you know, of the changes or the trends in their industry. And the last one is of course networking to get clients. Okay, so these are the five things which I call the five key fundamentals that we encourage BNI members to do. Yeah, and if you can, I just.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Review those real quick for everybody, turn up to impress. Continuous learning, what we call lifelong learning in bni. Build connections and relationships, create value to, to your business associates, and last, help your clients to grow their business. Yeah, I know one of the things that you recommend on those five points is making sure to do one to ones. Do you want to talk about that for a moment?

[YP Lai]

Okay, sure. One to ones is actually, you know, a session where you get to learn more about the other person and find out, you know, what they are. You know, it could be at different levels. Okay. At initial level, find out a bit about them, their interest, their family, you know, what's, what's their hot buttons. Okay. And later on, as the trust and relationship builds, then you continue on to focus a lot more about their business. You know, what are the target markets? What are the leading questions that you can use to ask them? Questions. Yeah.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

So one of the things you mentioned related to turning up to impress is to prepare for the meetings. I mean, there's a couple of things that I have in mind. One is don't, don't wing it with your true weekly presentation. Don't just make it up as you're speaking, but to come in prepared. What else would you recommend? I'm sure you recommend being prepared for that.

[YP Lai]

Yeah. So there are various activities in bni. So you mentioned about the weekly presentation. There's a Fischer presentation. Even as you mentioned about one to ones, I always say that come prepared with questions. Okay. So in normal one to ones, I always encourage members, you know, to exchange their, their profiles, you know, the speaker profiles, their gains profile so that you can have a read of those questions. And then when we meet, it's not about finding the bad details. It's not finding about the bad details. It's like asking relevant questions from what you've gleaned from reading the profiles. You know, so this is actually bring it away even more productive as a one to one rather than just basic fact finding.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Yeah, right. And as you do, if you do more onetoos with somebody over the years, you really, you want to go deep, you know, you want to know. I mean, it amazes me how, you know, people don't really know if someone has kids, how old their kids are, how long they've been in business. You know, when you know more things about somebody personally and professionally, you build a bond or a relationship with them. Wouldn't you agree?

[YP Lai]

Yeah, definitely. Definitely. You know, sometimes in a chapter you ask the members, do you know your chapter members well? And everybody will raise their hand and say yes. Then you ask them, do you know whether they are married? You know, your members, are they married, do they have kids and so on. And they go, ah, right, yeah, yeah.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

And that's where the, that's where the one to ones come in. Helpful and the gift exchange. One of the things that I've been saying in recent years that I didn't say in the beginning is that I recommend if you're going to do the gains exchange that you do your goals first. Then I do my goals, then you do your accomplishments. Then I do my accomplishments. One of the problems I ran into in the early days was somebody, if you have an hour, somebody takes 45 minutes do going through their whole list and then the other person only has 15. So love one to ones but share go back and forth as you do it. Anything else you want to tag on to those five steps?

[YP Lai]

Actually, you know, one of the good things about BNI is that now these are the five key things that all successful business owners do. And BNI has got the traffic lights, what we call the members traffic lights. It actually is a success indicator. I don't see members traffic lights as a report card. I see that it's a success indicator. When I'm doing one of the five key fundamentals, well, it gives me a great, a green indicator to say that, hey, you're doing well, yp, keep it up. And for those that I'm just started not doing so well, I could get a rate indicator. So actually we've got a success system or success tracking system in BNI to help us focus on the five key fundamentals to make sure that we are successful in not only in BNI but also in our business and life. Yep.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Yeah. I mean in the things you're talking about, the, the turning up and lifelong learning and creating value, these are things that don't apply just to be an eye, as you said, they're things that apply to any successful business here with traffic lights, these, the traffic lights measure things that will help you be very successful within bni. And many of those things are like turning up, you know, showing up to the meeting. But there are other things. You know, green, you're, you're doing a great job if you're in the green. Yellow, you're doing pretty well. Red, you really need to start working on the fundamentals in gray. Yp, what do you think about the gray?

[YP Lai]

I would say gray is showing that you haven't even started on that. Okay. That is what area you've got to start working on and build yourself in that fundamental until you become green.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Yeah, yeah. So the things that you do to help move you up to traffic lights to certainly yellow and up to green are really important to help you be successful. I've had some people, maybe you've had this to YP that have said to me, well, you know, I can, I can just do things that manipulate it and I can move myself into the green and. Yeah, that's true, but you can. You can do it for a month, maybe two, but you can't do it for six months. You gotta actually be doing this stuff. We're out of time. Yp Any last thought before I hand it back over to Priscilla?

[YP Lai]

Okay, I just said that, you know, BNI is a. I mean, for those BNI members listening, this is a success system. BNI is not plug and play. But it's so easy to plug into the five key fundamentals and just do it and you'll be successful in your life and your business through bni said.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

By somebody who has had a lot of success in the organization. Yp thank you so much for being on BNI podcast.

[YP Lai]

Thank you.

[Dr. Ivan Meisner]

Over to you, Priscilla.

[Priscilla Rice]

Okay, great. Well, I think that's it for this week. Thank you both so much for the great information. This podcast is sponsored by MeisnerAudioProGrams.com these audio programs will provide you with the tools and the inspiration to powerfully enhance your B and I experience. So check out the great material that's available to [e-mail] and use the promo code IVAN5O for 50% off of everything. All of the proceeds go to the B and I Foundation. Thank you so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we look forward to having you join us again next week for another exciting episode of the official B and I podcast.