eAdvisor - Highlight

Real Power Means Never Eating Alone

In his new book, Never Eat Alone, successful consultant and networker, Keith Ferrazzi, demonstrates that networking leads to personal and professional success. He has developed a career from the old adage, "it is not what you know but who you know." According to Ferrazzi, connecting with others is THE most important business skill set you can learn.

Never Eat Alone states that "People do business with people they know and like. Ask any accomplished CEO or entrepreneur or professional how they achieved their success and what you'll mostly hear about are people who helped pave their way."

Growing up less affluent and socially connected than his peers, Ferrazzi quickly learned about the benefits of networking with people he could help and who could help him. Through networking, Ferrazzi was able to attend Yale as an undergraduate and Harvard for his MBA. In his career, Ferrazzi held several executive positions and is now founder and CEO of the training and consulting company Ferrazzi Greenlight.

The following are a few bits of advice from Ferrazzi:

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 first.

"It's a constant process of giving and receiving - asking for and offering help. By putting people in contact with one another, by giving your time and expertise and sharing them freely, the pie gets bigger for everyone."

Never stop pinging. Quick, casual contact with your network, what Ferrazzi calls pinging, takes time and effort.

"You have to keep pinging and pinging and never stop. You have to feed the fire of your network or it will wither or die. Reach out to those in your circle of contacts all the time — not just when you need something."

Never eat alone: "Invisibility is a fate worse than failure. You should always be reaching out to others, over breakfast, lunch, whatever. In building a network, remember above all else, never, ever disappear."

"Real power comes from being indispensable. Indispensability comes from being a switchboard, parceling out as much information, contacts, and goodwill to as many people - in as many different worlds - as possible."

Are you networking and communicating with your clients? Proven Systems can help you create a newsletter that keeps your clients and prospects updated and educated. To learn more, visit www.ProvenSystems.com or call 970-223-6565

(If your operating system does not support using a Print button,
simply use your Web browser's "Print" command instead.)

©2005 Proven Systems. All rights reserved.