Book Review

Little Black Book of Connections - 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships

Jeffrey Gitomer

I LOVE to read.  I always carry a book with me just in case I happen to have a few extra minutes.  I like real books and print copies of the Business Journal, Statesman & Wall Street Journal (which may be old-fashioned these days with the electronic ones becoming so popular). This is one reason I was happy to review this book that we have been giving away for the past year in our book drawing.

Little Black Book presents common sense ideas in an interesting and eye-catching way – including the use of cartoons and formats which definitely keeps the readers attention.  It presents information that is basic to company success.  The very first statement that he makes is “ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL, PEOPLE WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH THEIR FRIENDS”.  People want to work with people they like. This principle has proven itself true in our firm.  Repeat business rarely – if ever - comes from an unhappy client. 

The 6.5 Assets discussed in the book are:

• Who do I know?  Calculating the value of who you know
• What do I want?  If you don’t know what you want, you’ll probably never get it.
• What do I do?  Think before you act.
• How do I connect?  The how and why of connecting.
• Who knows you?  How to get known and positioned.
• The Secret power of connections.  Ways to attract connections and mistakes to avoid.
• The value of connections.  Building your circle of influence.

This book also discusses the importance of PLANNING – doing your homework, defining what you want and who you need to know. It emphasizes connections and how important relationships are.  It offers practical suggestions on how to accomplish your plan, such as joining organizations (what could be better than SMPS!), doing business versus building business and turning contacts into relationships. Simple yet profound reminders to those of us who are constantly seeking to grow our businesses. As a principal of our firm, one of my most critical responsibilities is to bring fresh ideas to our staff to keep them motivated to expand our business.  One of the most cost-efficient ways to accomplish this is share information from books that I have read.  Little Black Book is easy to read and loaded with practical tips that I will look forward to sharing with my staff. 

Deborah Black

Vice President, Hamilton & Associates

SMPS Austin Chapter - Director, Membership Committee