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Little Black Book of Connections by Jeffrey Gitomer

Written by: Kevin Lee

Article Overview: Make this book your BEST friend as it can help you connect with influential people. Rating: 5/5

Little Black Book of Connections by Jeffrey Gitomer

After reading this book I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. In fact, I felt like Hugh Jackman's character in the movie "The Prestige" right after his first viewing of Christian Bale's new trick, "The Transported Man" because I too felt that what I had just witnessed/read was too simple. My initial thought was that Gitomer's book was not written as charmingly as Guy Kawasaki's "The Art of the Start", nor did it have groundbreaking content like Lisa Johnson's "Mind Your X's and Y's" (thus I originally only wanted to give it a rating of 4/5 at best). But after allowing the contents of this book settle in my mind, I soon came to the realization (just as Jackman's character had done with Bale's trick) that what I had just read was probably the greatest "magic" I'd ever seen. "Little Black Book of Connections" is like the Holy Grail from the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", simple and unrefined, yet holds what every person is looking for and is immeasurable in value. In this case, "every person" is looking for the power to connect and Gitomer's book offers just that! At one point or another, every person needs to harness the power to connect, whether it's for business or pleasure. You may have the best product, service, business plan, resume or skill set, but if you don't have the power to connect, you'll never even have the opportunity to pitch it to a potential client or employer.

"Little Black Book of Connections" stresses the importance of giving first, having more friends and nurturing your connections through value exchange because the world isn't a fair place and everyone wants to do business with their friends or hire them (138), and "Rich relationships lead to much more than money. They lead to success, fulfillment, and wealth" (3). More notably, the book also shares tips on how you can connect with influential people (106), give your company more credibility (175), get people to call you or know you first (49), overcome your fear of rejection (65), and connect properly during a conversation (114). Furthermore, I find it particularly interesting how Gitomer outlines the differences between connecting during a business event as opposed to a networking/social event in Chapter 4 (98-104) since many people I know are only good at one and not the other (including myself, haha:)

All things being equal or not quite so equal, everyone can improve on their ability to connect and thus benefit from reading this book. So don't delay and check out "Little Black Book of Connections" as soon as possible or run the risk of losing more potential business or social "prospects" each and everyday!



To buy this book or simply learn more, visit http://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Book-Connections-Relationships/dp/1885167660/ref=sr_1_1/002-3048337-4191252?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194389702&sr=8-1

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Article Tags: christian bale, credibility, fear of rejection, fulfillment, gitomer, guy kawasaki, holy grail, hugh jackman, indiana jones and the last crusade, lisa johnson, little black book, more than money, pleasure, prestige, realization, resume, rich relationships, service business plan, skill set, value exchange



Related Forum Posts
My reading log - Hi OmnivoreInk, Before starting my business, I read the following books as research: -"The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki -"The AdSense Code" by Joel Comm -"Don't Think Pink" and "Mind Your X's and Y's" by Lisa Johnson And since then I've continued my "research" by reading (in this order): -"Technical Tennis" by Rod Cross -"For One More Day" by Mitch Albom -"The Twits" by Roald Dahl -"Little Black Book of Connections" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne -"The Profitable Retailer" by Doug Fleener -"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell -"Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis -"Little Green Book of Getting Your Way" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling And I'm currently reading and am in the process of finishing the following: -"There's No Such Thing as Public Speaking" by Jeanette and Roy Henderson -"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell -"The Book of Tells" by Peter Collett -"Little Red Book of Sales Answers" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience" by Jonathan M. Tisch -"The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" by Julia Cameron -"The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey
Connecting with Influential People - Thanks Martin! In "The Little Black Book of Connections", Jeffrey Gitomer suggests the following ways to connect with influential people (page 106): -Third-party introductions (best method). -Writing and publishing content. -Giving seminars/speeches so you can be perceived as an expert in your field and leader. -Attend social and business events. -Say or ask something powerful by doing research ahead of time. -Engage them by offering something of value first. Gitomer also stresses the importance of making more friends as well.
3 Networking Questions - Hi Everyone, I was reading Jeffrey Gitomer's "Little Black Book of Connections" and there were a number of key points that I needed clarification on (*please note that you don't need to read the book to answer these questions): 1.) In Chapter 4, Jeffrey Gitomer says "If you're trying to connect at a social event, DON'T drink. Any connection you attempt while somewhat tipsy will leave the worst possible impression. If you're going to drink, maybe the best thing to do is carry your competition's card, and give them away" (100), but my question is "What if everyone else there is drinking?" Personally, I rarely even drink socially, but wouldn't it be considered rude to not at least have one drink in order to be deemed a "team player"? Or is Gitomer only warning against getting hammered? 2.) Moreover, on page 114 Gitomer states that the best way to connect with others is to ask for their opinions, ideas or feedback. But what should one do if the other person you're trying to connect with has also read this book (or is a naturally great connector) and is deliberately limiting his/her responses or simply firing questions back? How can you connect with someone who won't allow you to play on his/her ego? 3.) Lastly, on page 117 Gitomer recommends that people should start with a question rather than a statement when trying to connect, but then in Chapter 6, he also suggests giving "your 30-second personal commercial and then ask what he or she does" (153). So should one start with a question OR his/her 30-second personal commercial when trying to connect with someone new? Or is it really just dependent on the situation? Any light someone can shed on the questions above would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
Re: On Mentors - [quote="jvprosperity":2v0r5y3z]I've been blessed by having mentors naturally come into my life but if I wanted to approach one how would I go about developing the relationship and then asking them to mentor me?[/quote:2v0r5y3z] Hi Andy, From my past experiences, I find that mentors just gradually take you under their wing. I've never had to formally ask any of them to "mentor" me. For example, in "The Little Black Book of Connections", Jeffrey Gitomer says "Some of them actually want to help you and will take pleasure in helping you, as long as they feel you are both worthy and trustworthy. In other words, deserving" (pg 9). At the end of the day, the best way to get a mentor is to nurture your connections through mutual value exchange.
Re: Books/eBooks for Small Business Owners - Please suggest! - I have to agree with Evan in this as it was what I was going to recommend and then I saw his post, the 4 hour work week is so cool and well worth your time reading it for sure. Another great book is "how to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie a timeless classic. Also anything by Jeffrey Gitomer, he is a sales authority and really offers some tremendous value in his books, his little red book of selling is unbelievable, think I paid $20 for it, but it has earnt me much much more LOL!!


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