Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time

Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz is a New York Times best-selling self-help and business book first published in 2005 by Currency, a division of Penguin Random House. The principal author, Ferrazzi, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a training and consulting company. He previously worked as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Deloitte Consulting and Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and he was additionally the CEO of YaYa Media. As a self-described “master networker,” Ferrazzi walks readers through specific and actionable steps that he personally uses to cultivate and maintain a robust network of executives, colleagues, associates, and friends. Ferrazzi’s method of connecting relies on genuine relationship-building, a conscientious activity that he distinguishes from the crude and impersonal stigma typically associated with networking.

This guide uses the expanded and updated text published in 2014.

Summary

The book is divided into five sections.

Section 1: The Mind-Set illustrates the unique mentality and ideas that the authors espouse as the secret to building a diverse, useful, and massive network of connections. In this initial section, Ferrazzi and Raz introduce the “Relationship Action Plan,” a tool that helps readers develop their goals and connect with the people, places, and things that will help achieve those goals.

Section 2: The Skill Set shows readers the specific and real-world techniques that help an individual to build and maintain a network of meaningful relationships. One example from these chapters includes drafting a detailed, one-page synopsis on potential contacts before meeting with them either at conferences or in one-on-one scenarios.

Section 3: Turning Connections into Compatriots outlines how to convert a network of connections into an accessible group of meaningful relationships that benefits all parties.

Section 4: Connecting in the Digital Age teaches readers how to use the capabilities of online and digital platforms for creating industry connections.

Section 5: Trading Up and Giving Back takes all of the ideas and skills of the previous four sections and provides readers with clear examples about how to put these concepts into action. These final chapters discuss how best to utilize the new network of connections to facilitate collaboration, build a brand, and connect with powerful individuals.

Each section includes a “Connector’s Hall of Fame Profile,” a short excerpt that describes how a celebrity, historical figure, industry leader, or author exemplifies a theme of the chapter. These are: Bill Clinton (Chapter 3); Katharine Graham (Chapter 6); Abraham Lincoln (Chapter 11); Paul Revere (Chapter 15); Brené Brown and Dale Carnegie (Chapter 17); Adam Grant (Chapter 18); Vernon Jordan (Chapter 19); the Dalai Lama (Chapter 25); Benjamin Franklin (Chapter 29), and Eleanor Roosevelt (Chapter 31).