Don't keep score
Ferrazzi helps people without keeping a tally of who owes whom. Make the introduction or pass on what you know, with no strings attached. Favours do come back, but never on a schedule, and people can tell when you're counting.
Career
Never Eat Alone
by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz
Why do some people get ahead?
Keith Ferrazzi grew up in western Pennsylvania, the son of a steelworker. Caddying at a country club as a boy, he watched the members help each other out with jobs and introductions. He decided the difference was relationships, and that anyone could learn to build them.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
What you'll learn
- Don't keep score
- Build it before you need it
- Follow up or fail
- Ping constantly
- Never eat alone
The key ideas in Never Eat Alone
Build it before you need it
The time to make friends is before you need them. If someone first hears from you when you want a job, you're a stranger asking a favour. Ferrazzi builds relationships steadily, years ahead, so they're already there when life changes.
Follow up or fail
Most people meet someone promising and then do nothing. Ferrazzi follows up within a day, mentions something they actually talked about, and suggests a next step. It's the easiest part of meeting people, and the part almost everyone skips.
Ping constantly
Relationships fade without contact. Ferrazzi stays in light touch all year, with a birthday message, a quick note on someone's promotion or an article he knows they'd like. Small and often keeps a connection warm far better than one grand gesture.
Never eat alone
The title is meant literally. Ferrazzi treats every meal as a chance to know someone better, and hosts dinners where old friends sit next to people he's only just met. A shared meal turns a contact into something closer to a friend.
Lines worth underlining
Give first
The best networkers give first and don't keep score.
Before you need it
Build relationships long before you need anything from anyone.
Shared meals
Turn ordinary lunches and coffees into a chance to get to know someone better.
Follow up
Follow up with new people straight away, while they still remember meeting you.
Keep in touch
Stay in touch in small ways all year, and not only when you want a favour.
One thing to try
Book one lunch
Think of someone you've been meaning to get to know, at work or outside it. Invite them for lunch or a coffee this week. Go in with one question about what they're working on, and one way you might be able to help.
There's more to Never Eat Alone
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. Never Eat Alone comes with a Your Move story to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appQuestions about Never Eat Alone
What is Never Eat Alone about?
Why do some people get ahead? Keith Ferrazzi grew up in western Pennsylvania, the son of a steelworker. Caddying at a country club as a boy, he watched the members help each other out with jobs and introductions. He decided the difference was relationships, and that anyone could learn to build them.
What are the key ideas in Never Eat Alone?
Don't keep score; Build it before you need it; Follow up or fail; Ping constantly; Never eat alone.
What's one thing to try from Never Eat Alone?
Think of someone you've been meaning to get to know, at work or outside it. Invite them for lunch or a coffee this week. Go in with one question about what they're working on, and one way you might be able to help.
Is Never Eat Alone on Knotd?
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from Never Eat Alone in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Your Move story to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.