Never Eat Alone Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

Audio available

Brief Summary

A successful network is kind and generous and sees the networking relationship as beneficial to both parties. When you have a strong network, your chances to succeed in your goals is much greater.

About the Author

Keith Ferrazzi is an American author and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Ferrari Greenlight, a Los Angeles, California based research and consulting firm. His books have been on The New York Times bestselling List. He was born and grew up in Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Business School. He has written two networking books including Never Eat Alonee and Who’s Got Your Back.

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Key Insights

Isn’t it easier to achieve your dreams when you have people by your side?

That’s why networking in business helps you to be successful and reach your end goals.

Seriously, nobody in business can be successful long-term without the help and support of others in the business.

In business you need a strong foundation if you are ever going to make it to where you want to be. You need a network.

“Success in any field, but especially in business is about working with people, not against them.”- Keith Ferrazzi

In “Never Eat Alone”, Keith Ferrazzi tells of the importance of having a network and how you can gain one in order to be successful in your business endeavors.

Learn How To Network

Anyone can learn how to network. But, many times people are deterred from the idea of it because they are afraid of rejection.

But, there are a couple of secrets to help people take the leap into reaching out to others that could help them succeed:

Observe expert networkers. See how they go about approaching others, and take lessons from them.

Always be learning. Take classes on communication, or read articles about the art of networking in order to help you develop your own tactics and become comfortable reaching out.

Eventually, though, you’ll have to just leap in and do it. That’s the hard part, but like everything else in life, once you do it, it’ll become much easier. Experience will make you more confident in the process.

Loyalty and Generosity

Networking is not all about “take, take, take” but rather, how you can give back. It’s a two-way street. Good network connections are based on mutual respect, appreciation, and benefit.

Networking relationships should not be sought out for short-term benefits. Rather, they should be seen as long-term relationships. The stronger these relationships build, the more you will get out of them in return.

“It’s better to give before you receive. And never keep score. If your interactions are ruled by generosity, your rewards will follow suit.”- Keith Ferrazzi

When you are a selfish networker, your business will not succeed. No one wants to help another business if there is no return to them. The return, however, does not need to be instant, it can be over time, such as a well-placed investment.

These networking connections must also include kindness. No one wants to work with someone who is hard to talk to. Being personable can go a long way when it comes to networking.

Always Be Building

Even if you are at the very beginning stages of your company, it’s important to actively be building your network.

Networking shouldn’t be done only when you need help, it should be a foundation you already have in place on which you can rely on when you need assistance.

Having something already in place doesn’t only make you prepared, but it also makes it so the trust between you and the other party is already there.

You can’t build a network overnight, however. This is something that must be done one step at a time.