Power Networking: Secrets to Building Business Relationships, with Aanand Mehta

It's Time for Success: The Business Insights Podcast

In this episode, Sharon DeKoning talks with Aanand Mehta from BNI Alberta North. Their conversation delves into the critical role networking plays in business success. Aanand explains how networking serves as the foundation for building relationships, resources, and referrals. He shares a story of two BNI members whose networking efforts led them to secure major clients for each other, emphasizing the importance of relationship-building over direct selling.

Anand advises listeners, especially new networkers, to focus on being genuinely interested, following up after meetings, and giving before receiving. He highlights the value of attending both in-person and online events and underscores the global reach of BNI, which helps entrepreneurs connect across 80 countries through its resources and app.

The conversation also touches on key networking strategies, such as being present and mindful, building trust and credibility, and how introverts can excel in networking by taking a more strategic approach. Anand shares tips on how new entrepreneurs can get the most out of networking events and emphasizes that true networking goes beyond social media. He encourages listeners to attend BNI chapters to hone their skills and provides insights into BNI’s global presence, inviting people to connect via LinkedIn or through BNI Alberta’s website for further resources.

About Aanand Mehta

Aanand Mehta is a Co-Executive Director of BNI Alberta North. He was been a member of BNI for 9 years and a part of the regional management team for the past 3 years. He has a passion for working with Albertan entrepreneurs and professionals to build a culture of proactive and reciprocal business relationships. In 2018 he was recognized as Director of the Year and in 2019 was awarded the honour of the Givers Gain Award.

Before his role at BNI, Aanand co-founded Output—a company focused on improving the efficiencies of trades companies through new technology. Aanand is a volunteer with the Christopher Leadership Courses of Canada, instructing classes on effective public speaking & community leadership.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• BNI
• “The Introvert’s Edge” by Matthew Pollard

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Contact Sharon DeKoning | It's Time Promotions:

• Website: itpromo.ca
• LinkedIn: Sharon DeKoning
• Facebook: It’s Time Promotions
• Google: It’s Time Promotions
  
  

Contact Aanand Mehta | BNI Alberta:

• Website: bnialberta.ca
• LinkedIn: AanandMehta

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Transcript
Sharon DeKoning: [00:00:16] Thank you for joining us today on our It's time for Success: The Business Insights Podcast. We're with Aanand Mehta with BNI. I have met Aanand, a little bit of history between you and me, back in 2018 I had reached out to Anand, not knowing Anand. Actually, I'm going to back up a little bit. We have a business coach and he's out of Calgary, it's Action Edge business coaching, I was at a 90 day planning session. In this room, I get to sit with about 30 different businesses in the region. One of the guys beside me he says to me, Sharon, are you part of BNI? I'm like, no, what's BNI? Never heard of BNI ever. Being in a rural area, I've never heard of it. He told me at that meeting that it's about 80% of his business is networking, and he's a busy man so he is really appreciative of BNI getting him out of his comfort zone, and we'll go into a little bit more detail about that later. Since that meeting with that gentleman in our 90 day planning, I reached out to Aanand in 2018, I believe it was. Anand is the executive director of BNI Alberta North. Thank you for joining us today, Aanand.

Aanand Mehta: [00:01:28] It's my pleasure. Thank you so much for the invitation, Sharon.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:01:31] It's going to be fun and exciting. I'm very passionate about BNI, maybe it's because I've learned to step out of my comfort zone a little bit and doing those presentations are huge. As we've learned, networking is huge. That's what we need to chat about today, so our episode today is 'Power Networking: Secrets to Building Business Relationships'. If we could jump into a little bit of detail from your knowledge over all these years, can you tell us what role does networking play in a success of a business.

Aanand Mehta: [00:02:02] I think it's the absolute cornerstone of success in business. Everything that we do in business requires relationships, it requires resources, it requires word of mouth referrals, and that is all at its root. It all comes from networking. Especially as an entrepreneur or a solopreneur, you need to surround yourself with people that are going to either motivate you, be a sounding board, people to collaborate with, otherwise it's a really lonely world and you just cannot do it alone. So networking is absolutely a cornerstone of business. Not only for small businesses though, but it has a huge value and impact in larger organizations as well. There's that age old saying, it's all about who you know, and it's absolutely true if you want to grow. If you want to move your business in a positive direction, you definitely need to be out there networking.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:03:07] Sometimes I find that I can go and have coffee with my girlfriend and it's great. It's absolutely great, but having coffee with a fellow business owner, there are two different conversations, and I feel like I need both in my life.

Aanand Mehta: [00:03:20] Yeah, absolutely. I felt the same way. When you're in business, a lot of our friends are not necessarily in business along with us. They don't understand those challenges, the struggles, they don't necessarily understand the wins when we've achieved something monumental in our business. For them, they don't see the challenges so it's hard to also appreciate the big successes. Through that networking, through that coffee with a local business person, by meeting somebody that has also started their own business, you're getting their knowledge, their expertise, their resources. You can be each other's mentor, and help work through problems, adapt quicker. There's so much to be gained from building those types of relationships in the business community.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:04:16] I can go for coffee at one of our one-to-ones, and in particular, well almost every session, but in particular the last session, I was making mental notes like you wouldn't believe about sponsorships, how they do their sponsorships and donations, how it's a different letter that they implement. A light bulb went off, and that's just from having a coffee with fellow business people, getting to know him, getting to know that relationship and having those questions and that open door. They're fantastic. In business, we can't do it alone and I think networking really helps us.

Aanand Mehta: [00:04:47] Absolutely.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:04:48] Is there anybody in particular that you can share a story with us that networking helped their business and their entrepreneurships?

Aanand Mehta: [00:04:57] I have a lot of BNI related stories, but it's about networking ...