The Connectors: How the World's Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life

by Maribeth Kuzmeski

Book Overview

Learn the relationship-building secrets that lead to lifelong clients, repeat customers, and endless referrals In today's commoditized marketplace, no matter what product or service you sell, there's probably someone somewhere able to offer it cheaper, faster, and maybe even better. So how do you differentiate yourself from your competitors? The Connectors shows that the only thing that truly sets you apart is the quality of your relationships with...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470488182
• ISBN13: 9780470488188
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The power and impact of relationship-driven initiatives

As I began to read this book, I was reminded of the fact that Charles Lindbergh selected "WE" as the title of his account of that historic transatlantic flight he completed in 33 hours to Paris. He wanted to acknowledge the importance of everyone who was involved. More recently, Maribeth Kuzmeski notes (on Page 57) in The Connectors, "In his biography, It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, [Lance] Armstrong described the vital role that teammates play...In its review of Armstrong's book, the Denver-based Rocky Mountain News wrote: `Armstrong's book is both inspiring and entertaining...and he doesn't forget to thank the good people who helped him most of the way.'" Neither did Lindbergh. It is also noteworthy that in the companies on Fortune magazine's annual list of those "Most Highly Admired," there is widespread use of first-person plural pronouns. In her exceptionally informative book, Kuzmeski cites dozens examples of how "the world's most successful businesspeople build relationships and win clients for life." Actually, the examples she cites indicate that almost anyone can establish and then sustain mutually beneficial relationships within and beyond the workplace. She asserts that "true connections" between and among people must be made and then sustained with feeling and purpose and honesty. Bill George would invoke the term "authentic," insisting that it is imperative to be true to one's self (to one's True North) as well as to others. Kuzmeski cites former Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher among exemplary business leaders and he is indeed worthy of the praise he has received for many years. On countless occasions, Kelleher has explained his airline's success in terms of how well it treats its people - and how well they are expected to treat each other. His reasoning is seamless: If you take good care of your people, they will take good care of your customers, and your customers will take good care of your stakeholders. Consider these remarks from a speech he delivered many years ago at the Risk Management Association's annual conference: "Everybody's looking for a single Big Answer, an easy answer such as 'We'll communicate for six months, then get on with something else that's more important.' I keep telling them that the intangibles are far more important than the tangibles in the competitive world because, obviously, you can replicate the tangibles. "You can get the same airplanes. You can get the same ticket counters. You can get the same computers. But the hardest thing for a competitor to match is your culture and the spirit of your people and their focus on customer service because that isn't something you can do overnight and it isn't something you can do without a great deal of attention every day in a thousand different ways. That is why I say that our employees are our competitive protection." Readers will especially appreciate Kuzmeski's generous provision of "Downloadable Forms" that can be put t

Valuable Book to Read and Re-read

The Connectors is a nice read for those who have year's of experience as well as those who are just beginning their careers. The information taken from the most successful business connectors provides actual tips and tools to use. The book provides a workbook section for you to analyze your own style and self-coach. Worth reading (and dog-earring)!

This Book Contains Excellent Insight into Relationships

I have read many books on the subject of leadership and marketing and found this book to be very informative. There are two things that I particularly liked. The first was Chapter 6 which is devoted to the often lost art of listening. In this busy work, we often get so focused on the task at hand that we do not spend enough time listening to our clients and colleagues. This chapter reminds us of the unique power of listeing and the leverage that it can create in building relationships. The second is the use of the self-assessments throughout the book. At the end of many of the chapters, the author invites the reader to make an honest assessment of themselves in certain areas such as social intelligence, the questions that they ask, etc. If you are reading a book like this, then you are looking for ideas on how you can improve your ability to connect. These assessments point you in the right direction. I highly recommend this book as it contains many ideas how one can become better connected.

The Real Reason People Succeed...or Fail

The Connectors lays it out there elegantly and with clarity. Business success is about connections and getting connected. It's relationships that really matter. Most guru's prefer you don't know this piece of information. In The Connectors you find out your social strengths (and weaknesses) and go forward from there. There is a strong formula for success in your business. First, is the focus on the customer. That sounds so trite, but the sentence, "Focusing on Them Brings More for You" hits the nail on the head. Like most people who truly succeed in business at every level, the importance of having your business relationships in the same or similar category as friendships is highlighted. Next, the author lays out the fact that being a great listener....is not about being a great talker. This is one of the easiest points to miss. How many sales does someone lose because of talking far more often than listening? Third, is the logical follow through from number two. Asking great questions, and to the end of not only finding out great answers but causing others to want to do the work for you. Four, the cornerstone of real selling, is to get the sale to close itself. It either will or won't and it's mostly determined by #1 above. Five, creating a memorable experience so you stand out in the customers mind. You are indeed unique. I found The Connectors refreshing and "thinking," Yes, yes, yes, yes. Brilliantly written. Plenty of charts and graphs and the like. Most importantly The Connectors "gets it right" and that is rare. Inspirational? Yes. How to? Yes. What to? Yes. Get this book? .....without question. Kevin Hogan, Author of The 168 Hour Week: Living the Life You Want 24/7

Great Book

Since my investment advisory business is dependent on establishing relationships with others, I attend many different networking events. From my experience, most people do not have a good understanding of how to build successful relationships. They attend these events with the hope of getting sales. They are so hungry to tell others about their businesses that they fail to listen to the other person's needs and wants. I think that many people will find this book beneficial because the main theme of this book is to change the focus from being "I" oriented to being "You" oriented. It is about focusing on others and having a plan to serve them, pay attention to them, listen to them, and care about them. For me personally, the best section was on how to communicate with your contacts. Again, most people simply collect business cards with e-mail addresses to add to their newsletter distribution lists. The author says that it is very annoying to those on the receiving end because it does not have any personal touch. I totally agree with this and am taking the author's advice to send handwritten notes to people I meet and want to stay in touch with. The author advises to take the following steps to communicate with your contacts: -Schedule a phone appointment -Make a proactive phone call -E-mail a client whenever you come across anything that might be of interest to them -Invite clients to educational workshops -Invite clients to lunch or another social meeting -Invite clients to a meeting in your office -Mail a personal note I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it. - Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market