What I'm reading now...

I saw this book at Barnes & Noble last week while buying a Christmas present. (Orange cover, memorable title in a huge typeface--great marketing.) I was skeptical--most business books, especially ones that seem this sales-y, turn out to be poorly-written rehashes of business cliches or outdated ideas.

Not this one.

It's well-written, and the subject is very important to any executive or entrepreneur: how to discover, nurture and build relationships. What Keith Ferrazzi reveals is that with good and deep relationships one can make and close great deals. And without them, it's tough sledding indeed. (Usefully, he also tells you how not to be a "networking jerk"--a mercenary who collects business cards like big game trophies, not caring a whit about the people who carry the cards.)

The style is that of a how-to book, but with lots of concrete examples, using real names. I could have done without the "Connectors' Hall-of-Fame Profiles," where legendary networkers such as Vernon Jordan and Bill Clinton are discussed--it almost seemed as if that was a suggestion from the publisher rather than an organic component of the book. But that's a small complaint.

You also get a good sense of the author, and he's very likable. You realize quickly why he has so many useful and valuable relationships.

So pick up this book. It might help you create some new and valuable relationships.

And there's a related blog.

reading list,
relationships, marketing, networking, strategy, psychology, entrepreneurship, sales, business, alliances