Networking Your Way...

Had a friend recommend an incredible book to me a few weeks ago that I had never heard of before. Which is pretty unusual because I keep a pretty good pulse on business books. Its titled "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi.

And one of the things that I have been struggling with and also wanting to master is Networking. I have lived on the west coast all my life up until August of this year when I moved to Detroit, Michigan. And an observation that I have made is that professionals network much more here in the mid-west. I love it. And, due to the fact I moved to Detroit not knowing anyone - I had a lot of work to do; better yet a lot of networking to get done.

Keith Ferrazzi has done an excellent job in his book explaining how to network effectively and making things happen. I'm not going to get into much detail about the book because I don't want to spoil it. But here are the facts. Where I am today and the company I am working with is all due in part to a few individuals.

Here is a quote I want to highlight from Keiths book, "Never Eat Alone"

"I came to believe that in some very specific ways life, like golf, is a game, and that the people who know the rules, and know them well, play it best and succeed. And the rule in life that has unprecedented power is that the individual who knows the right people, for the right reasons, and utilizes the power of these relationships, can become a member of the "club," whether he started out as a caddie or not."

My point is this, you cannot become super successful alone-its not possible. You need to surround yourself with like-minded individuals. You need to realize that every person you meet is an opportunity to create a very successful business relationship with & friendship as well. A lot of you may be asking..."Great, but how do I do this?" Well for one read the book. If you need help from there, contact me.

Here is my short personal example that happened to me this year 2008:

I was doing some research online and came across the Brownfield Conference that was held in Detroit. I called a guy from the website and he told me I needed to speak with Doug. I called Doug and he connected me with Steve. Steve then connected me with Nathan. And now I am experiencing one of the greatest opportunities of my career. I don't mention this to brag-only to illustrate how powerful networking can be. And due to the fact Doug helped me out I am now sending him all the business I can. The law of reciprocity...