Never Eat Alone

And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time

By: Keith Ferrazzi, Tahl Raz

Narrated by: Richard Harries

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Keith Ferrazzi is a master networker who claims his secret is merely reaching out to other people. And what distinguishes highly successful people from everyone else is the way they use the power of relationships, so that everyone wins. In Never Eat Alone, Ferrazzi presents the specific steps and mindset he uses to connect with the thousands of individuals in his Rolodex.

Ferrazzi's form of connecting to people is based on generosity, helping friends connect with other friends. He distinguishes genuine relationship-building from the crude, desperate glad-handling usually associated with "networking". In the course of the book, Ferrazzi outlines the timeless strategies shared by the world's most connected individuals, from Katherine Graham to Bill Clinton, Vernon Jordan to the Dalai Lama.

Chock full of specific advice on handling rejection, getting past gatekeepers and more, Never Eat Alone is destined to take its place as an inspirational classic.

©2005 Keith Ferrazzi (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"[A] useful volume....His clear and well-articulated steps for getting access, getting close and staying close make for a substantial leg up." (Publishers Weekly)
"Ferrazzi presents a whirlwind of ideas to widen your circle of contacts that goes way beyond the usual stale concepts of 'networking'." (Booklist)

A bit too full of himself

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

There was limited value.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

There were some tips that motivated me to be more of a

Could you see Never Eat Alone being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Loved it!

This was very interesting. I really enjoyed the stories from his life. Two thumbs up. 👍🏾 👍🏾

Excellent

This is one of the best networking/business success books I have ever read. Ferrazzi surpasses McKay’s “Dig Your Well before Your Thirsty” which I recommend as a primer to this book. The advice early in the book about success in today’s business world being about cooperation not confrontation is spot on. Very detailed right down to advice on how to host a successful dinner party.

Best

I'm really surprised by the previous reviewers' comments. Granted, the author does like to mention his accomplishments but most authors of How-To books do so in order to give credibility to their advice. His main message is that most people in our culture value a sense of individuality that eventually leads to isolation, loneliness, and a lack of personal fulfillment. This book is an attempt to inspire you to connect to and develop your community by following your passion, helping others, and making connections among the people you know. In turn, your community will want to see you develop and be successful. I just wish I would have 'read' this book sooner.

Good book/terrible narrator

I heard the author on Dr. Oz's radio show. He was humble, intelligent, witty, and had much gratitude for his life and all the people he's met along the way. He had a genuine sense of wanting to make a difference in his life. I was drawn to his book because of the interview.
However, I was shocked when I heard the narrator. His pace was unbelievable slow, the pauses unbearable. It was almost like he was reading in such a way to help non-english speakers understand english. The inflections were moronic almost like a bad actor trying to do Shakespeare. I agree with the other reviewers that he comes across as self-absorbed. I couldn't stay with it - my mind kept drifting off.
It's too bad Keith Ferrazzi couldn't have narrated it himself because this narrator really does a disservice to this book.

Inspiring!

Sometimes you read or hear a book that just makes so much sense. This is one of those books. A pleasure to listen to and truly inspiring.

Like a giant Christmas dinner

Let me start off with the worst fact about this listen: this book is huge! Burnt to CD, I'm left with 9 disks shimmying around my car. With all of the audio that is there, there really is some great things to hear about networking. It starts with building, and moves to refining. A great get for anyone who commutes, and commutes far.

Some good ideas...

What did you love best about Never Eat Alone?

While I agree that developing relationships with people you meet is extremely important, Keith Ferrazzi's reasons are superficial. You never know where a relationship is going to take you, so it is a lot harder to choose the persons you want to have relationships with. The book is full with stories and anecdotes to demostrate Mr Ferrazzi's method for keeping in touch with people. Some are very good.

What did you learn from Never Eat Alone that you would use in your daily life?

I have already started trimming my evergrowing contact list and applying some of the rules to turn it into a list of friends rather than a phone book.

Relationships can help people do great things

If you could sum up Never Eat Alone in three words, what would they be?

Generosity is key.

Any additional comments?

If you want to learn how to network with someone for the sake of networking, and to use relationships for the sole purpose of personal gain, this book is not for you. If you want to learn how to build genuine relationships with people, then please continue reading.

I am surprised by the comments of previous listeners. Keith Ferrazzi believes that connecting people in his network with each other is key to helping both parties grow and succeed. It surprises me that someone that lives by such great philosophies can be cast in the light of an arrogant or self-absorbed individual. He only wants his readers to succeed the same way he did. Is that not the purpose of teaching others? He could easily decide to not share, inspire or motivate others if he wanted to.

Keith Ferrazzi strongly supports the idea of being generous with others and creating and maintaining genuine relationships. He also mentions many examples of other great people in history that have done great things due to their relationships with people. Some examples include: The Dalai Lama, Paul Revere, and Bill Clinton. He emphasizes that he does not believe in using or manipulating others to get ahead in his book. I encourage all to read or listen to this book. You will not be disappointed, and it will be well worth your time!!

Worth the Read

The critics of this book have some basis for what they are telling you. The narrator is not great and the book is very long. The author is a bit over the top as well. However, I found the message to be very important. I had avoided "playing politics" my whole career feeling that it was dishonest and selfish. This book changed my mind 100%. If you already see the value of networking you may not understand that it only truly works if it is a win-win for everyone. It should not be selfish or unethical. Help everyone while helping yourself. I think that is the point of the book. If everyone did that we could all get on with doing our jobs without all the nonsense.

Do yourself a favor and read the book, but set your mp3 player to a faster than normal speed. The narrator is much easier to take and the book only seems to drone on for a little while. It's worth the effort and it has turned out for me to be a very important book in my library.