Shmooze Or Lose

Never Eat Alone is the book to read before you head to your next conference. This roughly 300-page volume will get you pumped and primed for making lasting connections with the new folks you meet. Author Keith Ferrazzi, who became a partner at Deloitte Consulting when he was still in his twenties and who's now CEO of his own consultancy, attributes his enviable success to the vast network he's spent years cultivating.

The importance of networking isn't a new revelation, yet Ferrazzi gives the topic a twist when he says networking isn't effective if it is carried out with desperation or out of blind self-interest. Networking is most effective in helping people achieve their goals when they bring to it a desire to help others and a sincere interest in building meaningful relationships. The book stresses the importance of building relationships before you need them, and the way to do ...