Book of the Week: Never Eat Alone

“Your network is your net worth. This book shows you how to add to your personal bottom line with better networking and bigger relationships…Buy this book!” – Tim Sanders, author of Love Is The Kill App
 
In the Digital Age we live in now, networking has never been easier.  However, it's also easier to forget the personal touch that makes networking effective.  If you have 4000 connections on LinkedIn, that's great, but if you don't actually know any of them or haven't really communicated with them, are you really "connected" to them at all?

If you're not a networker by nature- and most of us aren't- then this book is for you.  Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi is one of the most helpful books you'll ever read.

He speaks from experience, as a man who wanted to run companies, run for office, touch people's lives, and generally get to know everyone and anyone around him.  That's his secret: network by helping others, and it will, in turn, help you.  "I learned that real networking was about finding ways to make other people more successful. It was about working hard to give more than you get."  The people that you help will want to help you later, so it benefits you to help them now.

The book is chock-full of advice and Ferrazzi's own personal stories about his life and how he ascended to where he is today: Ferrazzi launched his career as the youngest Chief Marketing Officer in the Fortune 500 at Deloitte Consulting, and was later the CMO at Starwood Hotels, and now is considered one of the world’s foremost experts in professional relationship development. 

One of the most fascinating parts about reading his book is the apparent sincerity behind his networking: Ferrazzi clearly loves what he does.  He credits his success to actually enjoying what he's doing, whether it's meeting people at conferences or hosting small dinner parties at his house (and yes, he offers some great advice on throwing a dinner party in an informal and inexpensive way!)  This isn't a networking book that just suggests meeting as many people as possible- it's a book on how to be the kind of person that people will flock to, and how to get there with an optimistic attitude.  He means the book title literally- he firmly believes that mealtime- like every other time of day- is prime time for getting together with people, for business or pleasure, or a combination of the two. 

He doesn't, however, reject any of the digital advances in networking.  Ferrazzi is an avid fan of Twitter, and email is one of his preferred methods of communication, so he certainly doesn't believe that you need to see someone in person or speak to them on the phone to be effective.  Rather, he stresses making a personal connection rather than sending form emails to people on LinkedIn.  Meet at a conference?  Email with a follow up question about a discussion you had, or mention a shared hobby that you had discussed.  Networking, he believes, fails when it's done insincerely.

Some of his most valuable advice?

• Don't keep score: It's never simply about getting what you want. It's about getting what you want and making sure that the people who are important to you get what they want, too.
• "Ping" constantly: The Ins and Outs of reaching out to those in your circle of contacts all the time--not just when you need something. (My personal favorite bit of advice is when he suggests that, if you're pressed for time but want to let someone know you're thinking of them, you call them when you're almost certain to get their voicemail, thereby leaving them a reminder that you care, without taking up much time.)
• Never eat alone: The dynamics of status are the same whether you're working at a corporation or attending a society event-- "invisibility" is a fate worse than failure. (He offers great, practical tips for networking effectively at large conferences- hint: tossing business cards at everyone that comes within 5 feet of you is likely going to be ineffective.)

Watch a video of Keith Ferrazzi speaking on how to get started with networking.

 

Book description: Do you want to get ahead in life? Climb the ladder to personal success? The secret, master networker Keith Ferrazzi claims, is in reaching out to other people. As Ferrazzi discovered early in life, what distinguishes highly successful people from everyone else is the way they use the power of relationships--so that everyone wins. In "Never Eat Alone," Ferrazzi lays out the specific steps--and inner mindset--he uses to reach out to connect with the thousands of colleagues, friends, and associates in his address book, people he has helped and who have helped him.

Buy it here.
More on Keith Ferrazzi here.