Keith Ferrazzi’s book is dedicated to such a phenomenon as networking.
Networking can be defined as the establishment and maintenance of useful contacts, through which a person quickly solves their own and other people’s tasks. Few people are born with the ability of networking, usually, this ability comes with life experience.
Keith Ferrazzi in his book answers the following questions:
- How to make the right connections?
- What needs to be done to make these connections work?
- Where to find the right people?
- How to behave so that these people do not forget about you?
The book “Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And other secrets to success, one relationship at a time” consists of 5 parts and 33 chapters.
Section one. The Mind-Set
Decide for yourself what you want. The more specific the goal, the more you can do to achieve it. Ferrazzi offers a method for setting goals, which consists of 3 stages:
- The first stage: find your passion. Before you specify goals, deal with your dreams. Otherwise, it may happen that you will strive for a goal that does not give you any pleasure.
- The second step: putting goals to paper. Define your life mission and develop a plan to create a support network. The plan is divided into three parts. The first is devoted to the definition of objectives, the implementation of which will contribute to the realization of the mission. The second part links these goals to the people, institutions, and ways to help achieve them. The third determines the best ways to involve people who can help you achieve your goals.
- The third stage: create a personal “board of advisors”. Even the best plan will benefit from the fact that it is critically evaluated by someone from the outside. Consult with friends, advisors, mentor.
The author advises starting building your social circle before you need it. The environment is more likely to help you if they are already familiar with you and managed to love you.
Section two. The Skill Set
Before you meet a stranger, you need to find information about him and about the type of his occupation, his hobbies, and problems. The purpose of your communication to your acquaintance with a person is not forgotten and grew into friendship. Any acquaintance with new people should be considered as your next task, which provides additional opportunities. You can start with a phone call and an e-mail letter.
The author gives 4 rules of a “warm” telephone calls:
- Draft off a reference. To create an atmosphere of mutual trust by mentioning a mutual friend or an organization known to both interlocutors
- State your value. Describe how you can be useful. Make a useful suggestion
- Talk a little, say a lot. Make it quick, convenient, and definitive
- Offer a compromise. To show a willingness to compromise, agreeing to hold a meeting when it is convenient to the interlocutor
Keith Ferrazzi also gives recommendations on how to create a “warm” e-mail letter:
- Carefully consider the subject of the letter. Arouse interest in yourself
- Give time
- Be brief. Your letter should fit on the screen
- Make a clear “call to action”
- Read the letter out loud
- Check spelling
The author will pay attention to the role of the secretary in the company. Make a secretary your ally.
Forming a circle of friends, always remember that you never under any circumstances should not disappear from the field of view of their friends. Connect your social circle with someone else. Share your passions. Because infatuation has an infectious effect on others.
Make connections yourself and take an example from the masters of this business. The author gives several examples of professions where you can find masters of networking: restaurant owners, headhunters, lobbyists, politicians, journalists, etc.
The ability to conduct conversations is acquired with experience. If you are honest with people, they feel higher trust and begin to treat you with respect. Don’t forget about non-verbal communication. Be interesting-follow the news in the professional sphere and in the world.
Section three. Turning Connections into Compatriots
Health, wealth, and children – these are three things that always create a strong emotional connection between people. The only way to encourage people to do something for you is to recognize their value and importance. First of all, you should strive to ensure that the people you are interested in getting what they want.
Section four. Communications in the digital age
Your feed is a stream of data reflecting the work of living people. Develop a system that will help to track and sort their contents, and get used to distinguishing the signal from the noise. Make an acquaintance offline and support it online. Become the king of content.
Our life is full of accidents. The author advises learning how to use the opportunity, not to miss their opportunities. He also says that it is necessary to push yourself to such accidents, and not to wait until the moment comes.
Section five. Trading Up and Giving Back
Build your brand, you solve three very important tasks. It inspires confidence in you, speaks for itself and attracts more and more people willing to help. Broadcast your brand – write articles, conduct seminars and speak at conferences, keep a blog, be active in social networks.
In the digital age, when the Internet has erased geographical boundaries and linked hundreds of millions of people and computers around the world, there is no reason to continue living in isolation. The best way to increase your knowledge is to develop relationships with other people, actively cooperate with them, and have the right conversations at the right time.
And most importantly, the more you give, the more you get.
The book often contains the heading “Connectors’ Hall of Fame Profile” in which the author tells the stories of people, gives examples from their lives that confirm one or another thought of the author. Also, in front of each section there are quotes of famous people, who in a brief form reflect the essence of these parts.
Keith Ferrazzi gives many examples from his life, while he tells not only about the successful experience, but also about the mistakes that he made because of his youth and ignorance.
The book is written in easy and accessible language. In general, the book is suitable for everyone. After all, understanding that we live in society, and without the help of other people we can not do – is an important knowledge that can help not only in business but also in everyday life.
PS: if you love reading and want to read even more I advise you to read Marketing Readmiring Club.
