Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time (Portfolio Non Fiction)

by Keith Ferrazzi

Because we knew who was attending beforehand, the partners got one-page bios on the people assigned them, listing who they were, what they did, their accomplishments and hobbies, and the potential challenges their company faced that Deloitte might be able to address. This was enough information to make a real connection when the partner finally met the individual. We also gave the partners a list of ideas of how actually to catch up with their targets and what to say when they met. At the end of each day, the partners would report whom they met, where, and how the encounter went. If someone had a difficult time meeting their target person, we strategized for the next day, making sure that the partner and the individual he was assigned to would sit at the same dinner table the following evening, or I’d make a point of making the introduction myself, or we’d ask Mike to make an intro in a few cases.