How to dig a well and strike gold with a suit on
I hate Harvey Mackay books because every time I read one, I wish I'd written it.
I especially hate his new book, "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty," the only networking book you'll ever need. It's by far the best he's written.
In case you live under a business rock, Harvey Mackay is the CEO and owner of Mackay Envelope Corp. in Minneapolis, Minnesota and author of the New York Times No. 1 bestseller, "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive." That book sold millions (including the three copies I bought), and catapulted the genius marketeer to the top of the visibility pole around the world.
How did he do that? Easy. He's the best value-giving (the highest form of self-promotion) human being on the planet. So it's only natural that his new book is about the subject he is the master of, networking.
I had a noon phone interview with Harvey last week. I dialed the number at 11:59 a.m. He picked up the phone and said: "Is this Jeffrey?" Flattery and surprise will get you everywhere.
As we spoke, I realized that Mackay is not only an author of a book about networking he is a dedicated student of it. He told me of his whirlwind 90-day tour of America to promote his book, which included hundreds of TV, radio and media interviews, magazine covers and major (favorable) newspaper reviews. All this while keeping an eye out for an opportunity to do his real job sell envelopes.
Mackay is living proof that if you network hard for 35 years and build pivotal contacts in strategic business areas, you can become an overnight success.
That's one of Mackay's maxims. And one of the best things about Mackay is that he lives his maxims.
One Mackay maxim defines a network as an organized collection of your personal contacts and your personal contacts' own networks. Networking means finding the person you need fast to get what you need in any given situation and helping others do the same.
I asked Harvey to share a few of the hundreds of nuggets and directional beacons from "Dig Your Well "
"My pleasure," he said, and I had the feeling he was reaching through the phone.
Here are a few keepers, maxims and ideas designed to broaden your network (and fatten your wallet):
People aren't strangers if you've already met them. The trick is to meet them before you need their help.
If everyone in your network is the same as you, it's not a network; it's an anthill.
In networking, you're only as good as what you give away.
Cream doesn't rise to the top; it works its way up.
The purpose of "Dig Your Well " is both business and personal. Mackay says that the real people in your network are the ones you can call at 2 a.m. when the chips are down or your heart is constricting. He closes that chapter with the Mackay maxim: "2 a.m. is a lousy time to try to make new friends."
Here's my candid opinion of "Dig Your Well ":
The book is loaded with valuable information.
The book is loaded with truth.
The book is loaded with "Oh, yeah!"
The book makes you think.
The book wakes you up to the opportunities of networking.
The book provides step-by-step meat and more meat on how to network for gold and find it.
The book challenges you to act.
The only thing the book lacks is a spring-loaded hammer to hit you over the head.
As you choose among the many books to read that will help you move up the success ladder, here's a question to consider as you make a selection: "Would I give this book to my best customer as a gift?"
"Dig Your Well " reeks with YES!
Mackay maxim: "Your network is the best, most emphatic, and most credible reflection of your success and your talents."
Gitomer maxim: "If you don't run out and buy Harvey Mackay's book your competition may beat you to it. Big mistake."
Free GitBit Want a few more Mackay gems? A few more thought-provoking Mackay maxims to get you off to a great start (and help you find your way to the bookstore), plus the 16 types of people you must have in a successful network, are yours. Just go to www.gitomer.com, click "free stuff" then "GitBit." Register and enter the secret words, "I dig Mackay."
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of "The Sales Bible," and "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless." President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. Inquires should be e-mailed to salesman@gitomer.com or faxed to the Business Journal at (48-22) 646-0576.
