Network your way to success? Puh-LEEZ!

I'm up to my ears with books about how to become more personally effective in making business connections, building relationships, and networking my way to success.  Why, all of a sudden, are there so many books about relationship-building and "connecting?"  I admit I liked last year's book by Keith Ferrazzi, "Never Eat Alone."  I know Keith, and he has the professional services chops to offer credible tips for accountants, actuaries, engineers, lawyers and other professionals to (gather the courage to) engage people in a personally valuable way. 

So, what pushed my puh-LEEZ button?  It was seeing Jeffrey Gitomer's book "Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking your way to RICH relationships" featured on the 800CEOread blog.  This book, among other things is ". . . about how to say the right things to the right people in the right circumstances to make the right impression." 

I admit it: I have never heard of Jeffrey Gitomer ("the country’s #1 sales trainer").  He's probably a fabulous expert.  I could probably learn a lot from him.  But I'm put off by what appears to be glib promises, and packaging that seems a bit over-the-top ("The book is small. The cover is classic black cloth. The four-color text graphics makes it attractive and easy to read ").   

Why am I so peevish about this?  I know that getting professionals to become better "people-people" has never been more important in steering professional service firms to achieve marketplace gains.  Most of the senior marketers I know have, at one point or another, had to offer (even require) training for their experts on building relationships.   (And of course there's the inevitable alternative:  not requiring professionals to network at all ("Our professionals simply need to be the most skilled experts that they can be.  We've created a separate sales team to do relationship building and networking!").  But that's for another post.)

So here's the question:  What's the best book you've ever read about relationship building, networking and the like for your firm's professionals?  Why?  What's the best "take-away?"  

Comments

[Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown]

Before I read the Little Black Book of Connections by Gitomer I had become a student of Endless Referrals by Bob Burg. In my opinion, no one is trained at how to WORK at getting referrals and both these books teach very basic understanding of the referral process. Not everyone in sales is a student of the game as such anthing they learn is better than what they already haven't learned. Criticism is good but why critize any book that could help someone? That I don't understand. I have 100+ agents who know how to create referrals. Do they, not all of them. You can't make a horse drink but I can certainly "carry the water" which I do.

Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown
Broker, Keller Williams Realty Professionals, Slidell, Louisiana
www.NuggetsForTheNoggon.com

[Kristina]

I personally like Jeffery Gitomer's books, I have read all 8 of them. I have a business that is all about connecting and networking, it really works for me. I'm impressed that his books and information actually work. Fast, easy and reliable. That's my kind of advice!

[Creative Times]

I like two in particular:

The Personal Touch by Terrie Williams and Love is the Killer APP by Tim Sanders.

[Suzanne Lowe]

Thanks Nancy. As you can tell, I wish there were more sources to help professional service providers to network and build business relationships IN CONTEXT TO THEIR EXPERTISE. Keith's book gets closest to being actually relevant for this target audience.

[Nancy Sagar]

Hello Suzanne ... you've already identified my favorite networking book, "Never Eat Alone." For me, the best takeaway was Keith's point about superconnectors - you don't need to know everyone, you only need to know the superconnectors who know everyone. Find the superconnectors in your market, related industries, etc. and forge relationships/partnerships with those select people/companies.

Jeffrey Gitomer does provide a lot of quick, valuable advice in his books, but the glib style does raise credibility issues.