Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time

This chapter guides readers on how to contact people on the outskirts of one’s network. The “Fringe,” as the authors define it, is “the outer reaches that we access and manage through technology” (219). While the majority of Never Eat Alone focuses on building relationships with people in face-to-face encounters, the book also acknowledges social media as a powerful tool for connecting. As a result of being connected across the globe through digital technologies, people need specific practices and skills that foster these relationships despite their distance. The responsibility of managing the “Fringe” is learning how to build up the periphery of one’s network and to bring it slowly into contact through “pinging” and content creation. By creating “a dense network with yourself at the center” (225), readers can make themselves indispensable to others who also want to connect and network. To maintain contact with the “Fringe,” Ferrazzi and Raz recommend using the Relationship Action Plan. This plan will clearly state the goals, people, and events needed to be in constant communication with all aspects of one’s network. To facilitate this contact, the authors recommend embracing diversity and becoming a “microcelebrity”: a person famous among their own network. They also recommend using LinkedIn as a tool for connection and creating content that will spark people’s imagination and encourage them to reach out.