Following is part two of our “In the Spotlight” interview with best-selling author (Never Eat Alone) and popular keynote speaker Keith Ferrazzi. We closed part one with an unanswered question for Keith about the relevance of relationships in the midst of a slow economy, so we’ll pick up there…

TSG: The economy is a little slower right now, and a lot of attention is focused on the bottom line - cutting costs, increasing sales, etc. It may not seem like the ideal time to talk about relationships, but you say it’s the perfect time to talk about relationships… why is that?

Ferrazzi: A downturn in the market calls for a new sales approach - one that maximizes the value-add of genuine, lasting client relationships. For many salespeople, this is an entirely new skillset, and it’s the one that will keep them making sales and finding new leads when everyone else is sitting around twiddling their thumbs and worrying.

I have a new talk centered all around “Relationship Selling in a Soft Market” and the learning objectives include:

• Going beyond just a sale by finding unique ways to be generous and helpful to the people you work with
• Being a connector - introduce your clients and buyers to the people you know that they want to know
• Turning current clients into ambassadors who will generate new business
• Maximizing market share by forging rich, personal relationship with clients
• Using existing networks to find new clients and warm up cold calls with instant intimacy

TSG: Speaking of speaking, I know you’ve been doing a lot of that since your book came out a couple of years ago. What types of audiences do you feel you can help the most?

Ferrazzi: I’ve been coaching clients and speaking all over the world to corporations and other associations, changing the way people think about work, the workplace, and success.

The audiences that seem to most need and “get” my message are often sales and client-facing groups that see the immediate positive impact of what I teach in their relationships with their clients. Their ability to see how relationships matter in their professional lives ultimately helps them apply their personal values in the workplace.

TSG: One of your keynote presentations is titled “Breaking Down Silos” - and it’s described as fostering a spirit of cooperation and making it easier to achieve customer satisfaction and corporate goals at the same time. That’s a magical formula! What are some of the practices you advocate in that presentation?

Ferrazzi: “Breaking Down Silos” increases participants’ ability to lead teams and collaborate together in today’s ever-changing, matrix-driven world.

Deeper internal relationships bust silos, because people adopt a greater level of transparency while simultaneously holding each other accountable for measurable results. Busting silos means the entire firm works together to satisfy customers - and unsurprisingly, that means greater success and clearer, more meaningful external messaging.

TSG: In addition to speaking, what else have you been up to since Never Eat Alone?

Ferrazzi: I’ve been working on my next book.

TSG: Can you give us a sneak peek? Title? Content?

Ferrazzi: Who’s Got Your Back? - which teaches readers how to build the ironclad, high-trust peer-to-peer support networks that can vault both individuals and companies from mediocrity to major success. It’s out in May 2009.

TSG: Can’t wait! You can write about how to achieve major success, because obviously you’ve done it - youngest partner at Deloitte, youngest Fortune 500 CMO, CEO of several successful companies, best-selling author… What keeps you going? What are you aiming for now?

Ferrazzi: I am driven by a desire to help people. I always have been, and I hope I always will be. That drive surely comes from an upbringing of scarcity. I had incredible parents who fought hard to give me the ingredients for success despite the fact that we were poor. As for my next professional goal, I’m hoping my new book will allow me to touch even more people than Never Eat Alone.

TSG: Sounds great. Thank you very much, Keith. This has been an enlightening interview and we appreciate you taking the time to answer some of our questions. While we’re waiting on your next book, can you recommend any books that you might be reading right now?

Ferrazzi: Right now on my nightstand are How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds and Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

—

We hope you’ve enjoyed this two-part “In the Spotlight” session with Keith Ferrazzi. If you would like more information about Keith, check out his profile on The Speakers Group’s site at http://www.thespeakersgroup.com/Keith_Ferrazzi, or contact us with any questions. Thanks for reading!

Posted under In the Spotlight, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence

Welcome to the first installment of The Speakers Group’s new interview series titled “In the Spotlight.” We’ll be featuring Q&A sessions with a variety of in-demand business speakers and gurus, along with some up-and-coming thought leaders with equally valuable expertise and content.

To kick things we off, we have Keith Ferrazzi, author of the bestseller, Never Eat Alone, in the spotlight. Keith is renowned authority on building relationships, and he shared some great insights with us in our interview. Following is part one of two.

TSG: For starters, let me ask about the title of your book, Never Eat Alone. Having read the book, I know exactly where the title comes from, but has anyone ever mistaken you for a nutritionist or a health guru because of it? It kind of sounds like it could hold the key to losing 20 pounds.

Ferrazzi: People more often mistake the book for a book on dating than anything else…

TSG: And I’m guessing that it’s also mistakenly labeled a book on networking, a word that you’ve said you hate. You’re quick to point out that you’re not a networking expert. Tell us about your aversion to the word networking, and about the true emphasis of your work.

Ferrazzi: Networking often has a negative connotation to it. People think it’s disingenuous and tactical, all about “what can you do for me?” What I talk about is approaching people in the spirit of “What can I do for you?” It’s relationship building, interacting with personal and professional contacts alike on a much deeper level than most people are accustomed to. That’s the kind of relationship that delivers the greatest success. That’s core of what I practice and teach in Never Eat Alone.

TSG: Talking about relationships might sound a little “soft” or touchy-feely for some in the business world, but you have a keynote presentation titled “Relationships for Revenue Growth.” Where do relationships and revenue growth intersect?

Ferrazzi: With increasing commoditization of products coupled with costs pressures, the depth of the relationship with the customer is one of the only differentiators that gets you through the door and keeps you there these days when you’re in a client-facing role.

It’s the power of relationships that can help you grow your company’s success – whether by connecting with new markets, developing new products, or increasing productivity. Having great products isn’t enough anymore on its own. You also need the ability to bring unique value to the relationships you have with your clients, beyond the business transaction.

TSG: We’ve talked about relationships… Let’s go one step further to intimacy – something you talk a lot about. What do you say to someone who has a more standoffish nature and may be afraid of crossing the line of inappropriateness in business relationships?

Ferrazzi: I fundamentally believe business relationships should also be personal ones. The most powerful relationships – the ones that create results – are ones where you are able to have a personal connection or bridge with the individual. Otherwise you’re just conducting transactions, like a machine. There’s no trust there. One of the core principles to a great relationship is intimacy. When someone’s standoffish it usually means they’ve had experiences in their past that’s made them distrustful. So be patient, set the example by opening up a little, draw them out slowly – and when you do win them over, you’ll have a friend for life.

TSG: You have something you call a Relationship Action Plan. What is that?

Ferrazzi: A Relationship Action Plan is a tactical and strategic guide to empower a person to take control of their careers through mutually beneficial relationships. It involves identifying and building relationships with people who can help achieve career and life goals, building and broadcasting unique personal brands to stand out in the crowded marketplace, lining up friends to help, approaching and engaging mentors, and finally, creating a dynamic personal board of advisors.

TSG: And if a professional adopts your relationship management strategies, what are the potential benefits he or she might expect?

Ferrazzi: Faster progress toward goals, a bar for success that is constantly raised higher and higher, increased employee loyalty, productivity and retention, growth in the client base, growth in revenue, faster course correction thanks to rich mutual support – I could go on and on. And on another level, the reward is overall greater life happiness. Being yourself and having in-depth relationships in your professional life means work is a lot more fun. And that happiness circles directly back to success – when work is fun, you and everyone you work with is going to be a lot more committed. It’s infectious.

TSG: What if an entire organization promotes your relationship management strategies throughout all of their teams or at least their leaders – what kind of results might they expect?

Ferrazzi: All the benefits above, multiplied exponentially.

TSG: Another system you teach is Executive Relationship Management. Can you explain that a bit?

Ferrazzi: ERM guides senior executives in developing an actionable plan to increase the stature and success of their firm by strengthening relationships with its most important constituencies – customers, prospects, partners, influencers, and employees. Clients find answers to questions such as: Where do I find the time for outreach? Who to start with? How can I make a meaningful connection?

TSG: The economy is a little slower right now, and a lot of attention is focused on the bottom line - cutting costs, increasing sales, etc. It may not seem like the ideal time to talk about relationships, but you say it’s the perfect time to talk about relationships… why is that?

To be continued…

—

Cliffhanger! Check back one week from today, on Tuesday, August 5, for part two of our interview with Keith Ferrazzi. We’ll learn more about relationships, and we’ll also ask Keith about what keeps him pressing on, what he’s reading, what we can expect from him in the future, and more.

More information about Keith Ferrazzi is available from The Speakers Group.

Posted under In the Spotlight, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Speaker News

Recession or no recession, today’s business world is more challenging than ever. Leaders, managers, and sales professionals alike are looking for an edge to compete and thrive in a crowded marketplace. Popular keynote speaker and best-selling author (Never Eat Alone) Keith Ferrazzi is helping individuals and organizations find that edge by remembering a fundamental truth: “business is human.” In other words, focus on relationships. Doing so, Ferrazzi says, will lead to revenue growth and greater success.

Relationships for Leadership Success

“Relationships for Leadership Success” is about effectively connecting people and successfully building teams. Successful leaders know how to build and manage relationships with employees, clients, and business partners. They work with people, not against them. They understand that in today’s workplace, you can’t achieve success on your own.

With this keynote presentation, participants learn how to engender trust and develop genuine connections with others, how to define their values and leadership principles, how to motivate others to higher levels of performance, and how to lead with passion and purpose. Leaders who can apply Keith’s time-tested lessons will be able to empower others and find joy in their own personal and professional lives.

Relationships for Revenue Growth

Salespeople face the hard reality that more and more of their products and services are faster and faster becoming commodities in today’s competitive marketplace. In this environment, the one lasting strategy for consistently growing revenue is to proactively build genuine, lasting relationships with clients. Building connections and contacts is absolutely vital to creating revenue success and growth.

Keith’s “Relationships for Revenue Growth” keynote helps bridge the gap for salespeople who find it difficult to balance the desirable and necessary challenge of expanding and deepening connections with the time and energy required to do so.

Achieve the Full Potential of Your Network

Keith Ferrazzi will help you and your organization create a process to scale intimacy, focus on building deeper real relationships with key influencers who will help you succeed, and achieve the full potential of your network. Acquire both a philosophy and a best practice used to plan and develop deep personal relationships with your peers, clients, employees, and stakeholders. What are you waiting for?

Posted under Organizational Excellence, Speaker News, Speaker Recommendations