This book helped me appreciate the value of relationships that I haven't been maintaining--hopefully in time to salvage them!. It also helped identify some connections that ought to be formed and reminded me that while a network can be beneficial to me, it's really the service I can provide for the people in my network that makes life rich and fulfilling. Sounds sappy and obvious I know, but Mr. Mackay's book can help you to internalize these lessons in a powerful way. Lots of great stories too, and a very readable format.

As a consultant and coach, I have to do a lot of networking myself. I also coach people who get tired of shaking all those hands and giving out all those business cards.

Many books on networking give you clichéd information that you knew already. What Harvey Mackay does is much more than that. He shares his experiences from the time his career began to the international success he enjoys today and shows how networking made him who he is. The examples are clear and will give you truthfully everything you'll ever need to know about how to network successfully. Furthermore Mackay has a wonderful sense of humor. You'll laugh aloud as you learn.

Harvey's books are always written in an easy-to-read format, which I like. His no-nonsense prose make it easy to understand his points right away and apply them. While I have learned many networking tips over the years, there were at least 10 new ones in this book that I have never heard of before. If you are interested in improving your network (and career) read this book!

Dig Your Well... is full of great advice and real-world situations which make Harvey Mackay one of my favorite authors. He is well-networked and likeable, showing that building a network of trusted friends, advisors and business associates is valuable for success at any career level.

Meghan Wier
Confessions of an Introvert: The Shy Girl's Guide to Career, Networking and Getting the Most Out of Life

Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty is one of the best networking books I have read ("Never Eat Alone" is another great one) and one of the most important books for anyone who wishes to get ahead. Having a solid network of people will do more for your career advancement than almost anything you can do. Harvey Mackay list the top-ten most important things a network can do. Here are a five of those:
1) A network replaces the weakness of the individual with the strength of the group
2) A network can enrich your life anywhere in the world
3) A network can help you help others
4) Job security? Don't rely on the corporation. Rely on your network
5) A network expands your financial reach infinitely

Mackay goes in great detail on how to build solid networks by adding value to others and keeping in touch. He believes that the most valuable tool in your office is your Rolodex. Harvey Mackay certainly knows what he is talking about, not only does he write books and give speeches, he has built an incredible company, in the envelope business, with over 100 million in annual revenue. He did this by learning EVERYTHING he could possibly know about his clients, not just their order history and size of company, but also the owners favorite sport, team, children's names, ages, spouse's name, where they grew up, what they are passionate about, what they are proud of, etc, etc. In this book he teaches us how to ask for that information, how to maintain the data fresh and how to use it to grow our networks.

My favorite quote from the book is: "No salesperson who knew the names of his customer's kids ever went broke." This is as true as: No person who reads this book and applies its principles will ever go broke. Enjoy!

Harvey Mackay is a master of networking. All of his books stress the importance of professionals focusing on how to make, keep and grow their business relationships.....in this book it the the whole enchillada.

Although I read the book years ago, it is still a wonderful reference for me, now that I speak on the topic. I have learned much from Mr. Mackay, and this book is a must read for anyone who wants to make networking a higher priority.

I have to say, although I have gotten my Ph.D. degree in computer science and have worked around 3 years, I am a beginner in term of networkig (not the computer network). As a beginner, I really love this book because it answers the following questions using real and good stories:

1. What is the network.
2. Who should be in the network.
3. How to meet a new people and make him/her part of your network.
4. How to let others to remember you.
5. Where to start your networking.
6. How to keep your network.

I really enjoy it.

Overall pretty good, just a little too much fluff. The book in made up of about a 100 short stories about good and bad networking tips. About 70% is pretty good, while the other 30% is fluff. Still a good read.

This book demonstrates the power of networking. This book is great. It is not the most intersting or entertaining book, but the concept and value of networking is demonstrated at length and very well. This is a must read for any business professional. Its a little old, but still well worth the read and the ideas still apply to the current business world. At times, the ideas and concepts can be a little over the top, but the overall jist of the thing I guarantee will pay dividends later in your career.

This book demonstrates the power of networking. This book is great. It is not the most intersting or entertaining book, but the concept and value of networking is demonstrated at length and very well. This is a must read for any business professional. Its a little old, but still well worth the read and the ideas still apply to the current business world. At times, the ideas and concepts can be a little over the top, but the overall jist of the thing I guarantee will pay dividends later in your career.

Harvey Mackey is a great writer who usually explains extremely helpful ways to become better in business. Especially because his options are very practical and easily implemented. However this book was more anecdotal and not as easy to implement. He basically says get a rolodex, and be nice to everyone. If you want more useful tips for Networking, look elsewhere.

We've all heard that Networking is a vital activity of any entrepreneur, but do we believe it? And if we believe it, how do we go about networking? Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty by Harvey Mackay will tell you just how - and why you do it in case you still haven't figured why. The inside cover reads, "The Only Networking Book You'll Ever Need." Never was a truer statement ever written.

First, I must extol the virtues of the writer. I have personally met Harvey Mackay several times, and I have heard him speak on several occasions - he knows what he's talking about, trust me. He can tell you story after story of how networks has helped him and others accomplish one amazing feat after another, many of these stories can be found in this book. Further, he speaks both from his head and heart and has a sincere interest in virtually everyone's personal success; all this this makes him the perfect teacher for networking.

In this book you'll find chapters such as, "Network As If Your Life Depended On IT, Because IT Does," "The Four Best Places to Go Prospecting," and "Harvey's Top-Ten List of the Best Ways to Stay in Touch with Your Network." Every Chapter has great advice and insight that comes from the very master of networking himself.

If you're not convinced, go to the library and take a quick look at the first few pages of another one of Harvey's books entitled, Sharkproof. Inside you'll find the testimonials of twenty, thirty, and more of the nation's most well-known and influential individuals endorsing his book. How did Mackay get so many influential people to endorse his book? Take a good guess - and read the book.

We've all heard that Networking is a vital activity of any entrepreneur, but do we believe it? And if we believe it, how do we go about networking? Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty by Harvey Mackay will tell you just how - and why you do it in case you still haven't figured why. The inside cover reads, "The Only Networking Book You'll Ever Need." Never was a truer statement ever written.

First, I must extol the virtues of the writer. I have personally met Harvey Mackay several times, and I have heard him speak on several occasions - he knows what he's talking about, trust me. He can tell you story after story of how networks has helped him and others accomplish one amazing feat after another, many of these stories can be found in this book. Further, he speaks both from his head and heart and has a sincere interest in virtually everyone's personal success; all this this makes him the perfect teacher for networking.

In this book you'll find chapters such as, "Network As If Your Life Depended On IT, Because IT Does," "The Four Best Places to Go Prospecting," and "Harvey's Top-Ten List of the Best Ways to Stay in Touch with Your Network." Every Chapter has great advice and insight that comes from the very master of networking himself.

If you're not convinced, go to the library and take a quick look at the first few pages of another one of Harvey's books entitled, Sharkproof. Inside you'll find the testimonials of twenty, thirty, and more of the nation's most well-known and influential individuals endorsing his book. How did Mackay get so many influential people to endorse his book? Take a good guess - and read the book.

Thanks Harvey for the motivation on why to maintain a better network then I am doing now. I liked hearing your stories and reasons for networking. I got a lot out of this book, even though it was mostly a book on why to network, not how to network.

Thanks again, I really needed the motivation to learn, and do more.

Paul

First of all let me start with the title ... very interesting title and probably apt title too for what the book is all about i.e. Social Networking. Network of Friends(your Well) is something that you need to dig(make Friends) way before you will ever need them(You're Thirsty).

The book can be divided in two logical parts ... part of the book is all about the importance of having a Social Network ... the other part is about how to establish and nurture your Social Network.

The Author has done a good job of emphasizing the importance of establishing Social Network(at times you might feel he has gone overboard ... but sometimes too much of something is good).

He has done equally good job of showing how to go about establishing and nurturing one's Social Network. Some of the suggestions are ... tapping into your alumini, colleagues, personal friends and anyone and everyone whom you meet during your lifetime.

I would surely recommend this book. Do read it when you get an chance ...

-Sachin

Though not a political book, per se, it should be mandatory for every aspiring politician. It teaches you how to develop a network of friends who'll be there when you need them. One of the best ideas espoused in this book is that it's not how many people you know, but how well you know them that counts. Before I finished chapter one, I picked up the phone and called ten friends that I hadn't talked to in years.

Mr. Mackay scores big again with this book! "Dig Your Well before You're Thirsty" is a book you can't afford to be without!

Harvey Mackay's book approaches the practice of networking in a wide sense: strategies for initiating and maintaining relationships at any stage of your life with as many people as possible from as many walks of life as possible in as many situations as possible for a variety of different ends, both for yourself and for the people you network with.

The book is divided into ten sections (Mackay calls them steps) which play upon the well metaphor:

1. Jump In, the Water's Fine! - reasons why you should network (26 pages)
2. Time To Prime The Well! - starting out with the right approach to networking (23 pages)
3. Start Digging! - building the foundation of your networking: the essential elements of a network and basic networking strategies (45 pages)
4. Sharpen Your Edge! - refining your networking skills (35 pages)
5. Excavate Your Unique Skills! - recognizing and using your personal uniqueness to your advantage to build your network (31 pages)
6. Dig Deeper! - refining your networking using your personal uniqueness (29 pages)
7. Don't Fall In! - networking pitfalls: how not to network (23 pages)
8. Minding The Well! - maintaining your network (39 pages)
9. All's Well That End's Well! - additional insights into networking (27 pages)
10. Drinking from the Well ... and Sharing the Wealth! - final thoughts/summary (7 pages)

The book is very useful as a roadmap for utilizing all your relationships: it prompts you to think about where you could go with virtually every relationship you've ever had. Therefore, the older you are and the more people you already know, the more this book will probably speak to you.

However, for people wanting to network to gain business prospects and convert them into customers in the near future, the book is limited. For instance, of Mackay's top 4 places for building your network (Alumni Clubs, Industry Associations, Social Clubs, and Hobbies) only one of them (Industry Associations) seems to be a viable way of getting business prospects sooner rather than later. A reviewer of Mackay's book on Amazon.com commented "this (book) is more an autobiography of Mackay's networking than the art of networking itself." It's challenging to keep in touch with people you've met at networking events and maintain meaningful relationships. Mackay's chapter on keeping in touch with your network speaks to maintaining ties that are already well established, but these tactics would come off as unctuous and inappropriate with people you barely know but want to have a greater relationship with.

Mackay does have strategies for establishing ties with new people. However, I find his approach distasteful. Mackay encourages establishing rapport with people you want to reach by finding personal facts about them and shamelessly initiating conversations with them. Mackay actually reads a periodical called Who's Who which details the personal lives and accomplishments of executive America. When he meets someone he's read up on he initiates the conversation with this personal information as if he were a good buddy ole pal come round to visit. In the same way, Mackay advises that when you meet a couple you have not met before, ask how they met; they will begin to tell you the story of their lives, and you quickly have new best friends. Does this approach really work with most people? Another Amazon reviewer has similar reservations about Mackay's sincerity: "His book reminded me too much in spots of the old Sicilian (i.e. mafia) saying: "I don't do favors, I accumulate debts." Or as that saying is illustrated in The Godfather by Mario Puzo in the wedding scene of the book, where Michael Corleone is telling his future wife, Kay, about Don Corleone; Kay says to Michael: "Everything you've told me about him [Don Corleone] shows him doing something for other people. He must be good hearted..." And Michael answers, "I guess that's the way it sounds. But let me tell you this. You know those Arctic explorers who leave caches of food scattered on the route to the North Pole? Just in case they may need them some day? That's my father's favors. Some day he'll be at each one of these people's houses, and they'd better come across." That's the mentality that is projected throughout much of DIG YOUR WELL BEFORE YOU'RE THIRSTY. But then Mark MacCormack, who wrote WHAT THEY DON'T TEACH YOU AT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, said that The Godfather by Mario Puzo is one of the best business manuals ever written. What's that tell you about the business world? Since that is perhaps the reality of the business world, this book should prove quite helpful for dealing with it."

However, Mackay offers a number of interesting strategies and insights for networking for prospects. Mackay says the greatest networkers of all are American presidents, providing anecdotes about the strategies of George HW Bush Sr., Clinton, Nixon, Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson. He notes how small countries like Israel and South Africa networked their way into media prominence whereas larger countries who lack such media savvy are routinely ignored. One of Mackay's most striking insights is that "its lonely at the top" and how you can take advantage of that. He relates the story of Scoops ice cream shop who offered Hollywood stars only "a scoop of ice cream" for attending their store opening. They received signed pictures from stars like Frank Sinatra and Robert DeNiro. By the same loneliness token, many executives are more communicative and approachable than you'd think. Consquently, when Mackay tries to reach an executive's office and encounters a gatekeeper receptionist, he discusses strategies for working with the gatekeeper rather than circumventing them to access the executive.

While it's questionable how much you can learn about and access the executive through the receptionist, it's a strategy worth trying a few times. It's certainly good practice to get to know better placed people in a company who aren't necessarily decision makers. Virtually every person I've ever met at networking events who call me afterward, wanting to reach the company president, do exactly the opposite. They only want to use me as a company directory and hurdle me. I find this offensive - why would I refer a complete unknown to the president and put my reputation on the line in doing so? But more importantly, these people are passing up an excellent insider source of company information: me. I've found the tell-tale sign of these sorts of people is their reaction when you ask them to give in some way: give me an indication that you are skilled, trustworthy, reputable, know your industry; show an interest in wanting to know about me, the company, what we do, etc. I remember one person who really showed her colours when she tried to `hurdle' me on her way to the president. I even offered her a lot of information on what the president would probably want for a PR campaign, and asked for her input. Yet she still didn't do a single thing to work with me and develop the plan and disappeared completely. If she had shown a willingness to work with me rather than against me, I surely would have given her a personal referral to the president, and she would have had insider information for the basis of a PR campaign to approach him with. Another guy e-mailed me, asking to access my network because (according to him) I could offer them the benefit of his fine financial advisory services. I wrote back to him, asking if we could discuss some sort of trade of contacts where he could tap only the people he needed in my network (IE the people I knew would want to hear about his services) and I could tap only the people I needed in his network (people who need my products/services). I never heard back from him. He showed he was purely out for himself, uninterested in any reciprocity. Why would I refer someone like that to my contacts?

Despite Mackay's questionable sincerity in forging new relationships, his networking ethics are sound. For instance, I agree with his four basic elements of networking, encapsulated by the acronym RISK: Reciprocity, Interdependency, Sharing and Keeping At It. Further, he illustrates the importance of honesty and full disclosure with his anecdote of keynoting a meeting of the top 500 customers of Corning, the glassware company. Before Mackay's speech, Corning surveyed the audience on virtually every aspect of their product line via a push button, anonymous poll. After the poll, Corning actually laid all the poll results bare in front of that audience, favourable or unfavourable. The Corning rep then said that they now knew what work had to be done. Mackay said it was the first time he'd seen customers "who were ready to climb over their chairs to place their orders." Mackay also notes Dale Carnegie's truism: "You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Which is just another way of saying that the way to make a friend is to be one."

Closely related to being honest with others is being true to yourself. Mackay strongly advocates doing what you love and using it as a way to network, in his case golf, and how far that alone took him in building his network. Not coincidentally, Mackay says that the greatest networking organization in the world is also one of the most personal: Alcoholics Anonymous. An anecdote from Muhammad Ali has him meeting a photographer from Life magazine who specialized in underwater photography. He said that the recently turned pro Ali had no chance of getting in Life. Ali used this man's speciality to his own advantage, telling the photographer that he practiced his boxing underwater as a training method, even though he barely knew how to swim. The result was an innovative picture spread in Life of Ali shadowboxing underwater.

In a similar way, Mackay is also emphatic about another way of being true to yourself and using it to your advantage: networking with the people close to you. That includes neighbours, colleagues, relatives, even those close to the people you want to reach - wives, children, and so on.

Mackay has good advice on how to approach networking as a newcomer. He advocates joining a Toastmasters chapter as a great preparation for networking. He prescribes 16 types of people essential to anyone's network. He mentions a few preferred contact management software titles. He also helps you distinguish good from bad networking - networking vs. gossip, social vs. business networking. He provides a networking self assessment test and even points how the differences between how men and women network. Perhaps the book can be best summed up with a quote Mackay provides:

"Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent" - Calvin Coolidge

I found this book filled with far too much fluff and not enough valuable information. The author told far too many stories and never really got to the point. Generally I enjoy storytelling as a method of learning but this was over the top. Go flip through the book before you buy to decide if it's worth it to you,

Diq your well before you're thirsty is the only networking book you'll ever need. In 83 chapters and 310 pages you'll learn everything you need to know to succeed.

My first Mackay book was the famous "Swim with the Sharks without getting eaten alive." A book that helped millions of Americans. Now Mackay delves deep ino the art of which he's a master: networking. In todays shark-eat-shark economy, talent alone will not save you. Genuis will not. Experience will not. Guts and hard work will not. If you need a job money, advice, help, hope, or a means to make a sale, there's only one surefire, fail safe place to find them---in your network. But only if you have one.

Dig your well before you're thirsty contains Harvey's gold-chip advice, accumulated over a lifetime of business success, on how to build and maintain the network you need. Harvey guarantees you'll never be more than a phone call away from a person in the position to help you get what you want---whether it's the job opportunity of a lifetime or a lifetime partner, the sales prospect of your dreams or the career advice you've only dreamed of. HArvey shows you how to create a network of trusted, valuable contacts that is worth it's weight in platinum.

Harvey is uniquely qualified to write this book drawing on his own networking success. You will learn from Harvey's own energizing examples and those he gleaned from world-class networkers like Muhammed Ali, Lou Holtz, Erma Bombeck, Larry King, and Pat O'Brien.

Harvey is at his practical, insightful, entertaining best and shows step by step:

* how to get to know the people you need to know

* how to ask for what you need when you need it

* how to keep relationships up to date and alive

* how to sparkle in the information age and on the internet

* how to unlock any door...anywhere...at any time.

Harvey Mackay is more than just a bestselling author and one of America's most sought after busineess speakers, but he is a man who has done it himself and is still an active CEO.

Toastmasters International has called him one of the top five speakers in the world. Two of Harveys books made the top 15 inspiritual-self help book list by the New York Times.

Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty is replete with "Harvey-isms" like "Networking is not a numbers game. The idea is not to see how many people you can meet; the idea is to compile a list of people you can count on" and "Most people have never figured out that it is better to spend time with fewer people at a one-hour cocktail party amd have a meaningful dialogue than practice the andering-eye routine and lose the respect of most of the people they meet."

In these shark-infested times, Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty is a must read, provides real stories and information from the real world with real solutions. I highly recommend it.

This books lacks perspective, besides the fact that it is full of "fat": if you trim the superflous content and isolate the pages that actually provide information on the networking issue you'll find yourself with maybe 6 or 8 pages... the rest is storytelling at its lowest. I think the writer had good intentions but failed to write the book correctly.

If you want to read more self-help books but you're tired of the same old put-on-a-happy-face drivel, this may be the book for you. The main theme of the book is this: keep a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of people you meet and stay in touch with them. Moreover, do occasional favors for them because you might someday need favors FROM them.

The book is interesting. It is liberally dosed with anecdotes and second-person pronouns--two factors which help greatly in making a book interesting.

However, I'm ashamed that I haven't put the book into better practice. In response to the book, I made an e-mail mailing list of people whom I know and sent them an annual newsletter--except that I skipped last year because I didn't have anything to say.

I hope you read this book, and I hope you put it into practice better than I have.

Before reading DIG YOUR WELL BEFORE YOUR'RE THIRSTY I first of all found the title catchy. It lets you know the book is basically geared toward career or business use of networking. It also places much emphasis on the planning aspects of networking.

The author takes great pains in giving examples of testimonials to the power of networking. Lou Holtz's Networking Story is a good example of how networking paid off big time. He talks about the basics of what a network is and is not. He explains that networking is a two-way activity. Today you help someone who is networking and tomorrow that same person may help you or others to network for ideas.

The author goes to great length to encourage those who might be a bit timmed about approaching another person in a networking situation to go for it. He uses humor to make his point by saying "Come on in, No shark sighting today."

The only minor criticism I have of the work is that it is limited to focusing on networking only in the career transition and business area. There are many more areas that networking principles can be applied.

Overall I would give it a four star rating.

John C. Durkin
author of NETLIVING 101, Networking Life's Journey
Cleveland, Ohio

I have been a fan of Harvey MacKay since I read Swim with the Sharks. With so many business books out there, it's great to see one written by someone who has actually been and is in the trenches and thereby speaks from experience.Add this one to your library. It's outstanding.

I couldn't put this book down!! The most effective personal networking book ever written hands down!! I loved it!

Mr. McKay's book is full of good practical advice on how to use networking to get ahead. I have read other networking how to books, and his is the best by far. Much of what he talks about is just plain commonsense, but I was surprised by the other techniques he mentioned.

The author suggests that we are all well educated , well read or perhaps we are not well educated or well read. In any case to survive in this world , we need friends , we need contacts , we need a network. We have to keep building this as we meander along in life. Serendipity is not the way to this , rather a systematic approach can be adopted. One should not be out on a limb without friends when one is out of a job, or sick or lonely. One should know or know of the best doctor in town for cancer , paediatric problems,heart diesease - this should not hit us when we need it and have no time to find out. This is how the author sees the world and in his very simple and effective manner , rich with real world examples he shows why this is necessary and how to do it. Harvey Mackay did not get where he did without having a deep well to draw from , from envelope manufacturer to a respected US celebrity , he has scaled the Mt Everest of achievement and in this book this absolutely delightful and generous person shares his insights. I cannot tell how empowered one feels after reading this book , but can definitely say that I wish I had read it a lot earlier.

Are you ready to lose your job? How long would it take for you to get a new job? If you had an emergency, how many people would loan you the cash, and how long would it take them to get it to you? How is your network?

Mackay teaches you the importance of network and how to build your own network of people. Before reading this book I was of the opinion that if you work hard, people will notice and you will get places. Silly me. I had just started graduate school (Masters of Information Systems) when I read this book. What an eye opener. I was also just starting some work at a start-up dot-com company. I was doing software testing and at the bottom of the rung of a 15 person company. The founders of the company were big into computer games (one of my fortes). I took Mackay's advice and decided to form a friendship with the big-wigs of an up-and-coming company. I bought the game and formed a friendship with them. These bonds are still strong to this day and have helped me climb the ladder as the company has grown to over 200 employees.

Don't think this is a cure-all. Many of the ideas presented in the book are common sense. He gives you the principles and some examples and then you must devise your own way to build your network. Mackay made me a believer in the "who you know" theory. There are a hundred other guys with my same qualifications, but people will turn first to the people they like or admire. Mackay teaches you to be first in line.

My review makes the driving force behind this sound selfish. And, to an extent, networking is in part, selfish. Mackay teaches you how networks should be used to help others as well as yourself. If your heart is in the right place, the network will not crumble. People know your true intentions (if not now, they will know later).

This is the first book I ever read on networking and if I never read another one, I'll be successful for years to come. Harvey really opens up your eyes to what is possible when you do your best to get to know others and extend them a hand. What's more, Harvey writes in short sections that makes it easy for those of us who don't have a lot of time to read.

This is an easy read, great travel book. Very different view of relationships in a down to earth, very realistic manner. Recommended for sales and marketing professionals, great info to share with your sales associates.

Harvey's ideas and strategy for networking are right on the mark. Easy reading, as is all his books. For someone who is tired of cold calling this is a must.

As a HOLLYWOOD screenwriter, my career lives or dies on networking. Harvey Mackay's book is the absolute Bible. If you live and work in Hollywood and don't have this book, don't let another thirty seconds go by before you hit the "Shopping Cart" button! I'd give anything to have Harvey Mackay mentor me personally.

-Mark Morton (markrmorton@compuserve.com)

Networking is just so important both in your business and social life, and it is highlighted time and again in the book. Being well 'Networked' may give you access to priviledged information in important situations, and might be the key to saving you from a crisis situation. This book describes all aspect of networking, and most importantly, explains how to apply it with some examples. I highly recommend this book.

A funny written and interesting book, which certainly helps people who never thought a lot about networking by giving them ideas and tools. The book will also provide the networking professional with some new hints and proposals.

Since it is fast (you will be able to skip one page or another) and easy to read (read it wherever you want: in the traffic jam or in the airplane) I can recommend it to nearly everybody.

Young readers: pay attention, some networking techniques won't work like they have been working in the days when Mr. McKay was young. But the principles of networking are certainly still the same.

Maybe a 200 pages version would be sufficient, but the 100 extra pages give an insight into the life of a very interesting person, which I would be proud to have in my network!

Excellent! I read every word of this book. Insights in this book on networking are helping me complete "LIVING, the motion picture" which I am currently directing. Networking has brought me numerous opportunities as I help people in my role as America's Communication Coach (speaker and author). Read this book, take action on Harvey Mackay's suggestions and lift yourself to your next level of personal fulfillment, success and happiness.

I instruct professionals in developing their networking skills and I give Dig Your Well...my highest recommendation. It is practical, readable and relevant for anyone who has discovered the importance of knowing the right people to accomplish any job. Networking is not rocket science, yet some authors would have us think that we require mystical abilities in order to accomplish our networking goals. Mackay, on the other hand, lays out a game plan for you. He tells you exactly who you need to know and what to do once your rolodex is full.

HM does it again. I loved his Swim with the sharks and this one is great too. Very well written. Again, this is worth the time and money spent on it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe, at least for me, that it is truly the only networking book I'll ever need. The stories are relevant analogies which add to the author's message.

With that said, most of what is covered are common sense ways of networking, which I found to be the underlying message of the book - "treat others with dignity and respect, show genuine concern in them, their careers, and their families, and stay in touch." Apply these simple concepts and you will have all the contacts you will ever need.

There are some unique networking approaches Harvey shares with the reader. Those are worth the price of the book alone. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others based on my belief that it serves as reinforcement of what most of us really know.

Harvey Mackay's book, "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty," teaches you Mackay's methods of networking with people and building up your personal contacts. If crunch time comes and you need to make a late night call at 2:00 a.m. asking for a quick $20,000 because your company's books are askew, how many people do you know who you could call who would help you?

That's the question Mackay starts the book by asking. Harvey Mackay goes on to say that most of his business friends only could list two or three people, while Mackay says he could list fifty. That's probably an understatement. Harvey Mackay is probably the best networked self-help author in the world. Mackay knows people, from sitting on the board of the Sundance Film Festival, to dining with buddy billionaire Curt Carlson (now deceased), Mackay is always quick to drop names.

But will his methods work for us? Mackay is a great salesman. Toastmasters International has listed him as one of the five best public speakers in the world. And, Mackay is from Minnesota, which is like one big Norwegian network. Mackay said he recently attended his fiftieth grade-school reunion, and nearly everyone was there. Is that normal? Like all of Harvey Mackay's books, "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty," is extremely well written and very enjoyable self-help reading. And the advice is very solid.

For example, Mackay points out and builds upon the truism expressed by Dale Carnegie: "You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Which is just another way of saying that the way to make a friend is to be one."

Mackay goes on to show that to build a personal network you can draw upon demands you, yourself, be a valuable resource to other people in your network. Being needed is better than being liked. Of course, it doesn't hurt to learn the basics of suck-up schmoozing either. And, Harvey teaches you those also.

Can't suck up to the big-wig? Then try sucking up to his 9-year-old child. No, really. Mackay tells an example of how someone won a major position by being nice to the child of an important person. Now, it is one thing to enjoy talking to a kid at a game, but if he is recommending this as career advice.... Mackay also suggests, since politicians are the best networkers of all, that you should volunteer politically to learn schmoozing from the best. And, Mackay's serious. I'll pass on that also.

But, overall there is some good advice on selling yourself and your company. "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty" is good reading for people working as employees who want to keep their jobs or who might be seeking a move ("a frog ready to jump to a new lilypad" in Mackay speak).

"Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty" is a fun-to-read, self-help, career book. My favorite Mackay book is "Pushing The Envelope" which is a better read for new entrepreneurs, however. Peter Hupalo, author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur"

Harvey Mackay tells us really a lot about networking and his interesting life. To find out, what networking can be used for, why it's important - very important, and what mistakes can be made, this book is a good introduction. But there are too many short stories in this book, till the end, there's no ultimate lesson to be taken from the book. On the last few pages this gets better, though, however: in my opinion it's not the only networking book you will ever need.

I enjoyed reading this book, although its excessive use of American slang can be tiresome to the non-American reader. Overall, the book is convincing and I plan to put some of its advice to work, so, I'm glad I bought it. However, its main drawback is that the book is unsystematic and does not address some very important issues, like what to do with unsatisfactory contacts. Despite Mackay's admitting he "cleans out" his Rolodex once a year, he does not explain on which criterion he does so. Furthermore, I'm not sure all his advice is applicable outside the US.

I found the latest Harvey MacKay book to be a great read. Everyone should understand that networking is not just important and effective in sales and business, but in life!

I've read and own several books by Harvey Mackay. I personally think he is a good writer and extremely streetsmart, though I am not so sure if he'd survive in Asia. BUT this book, is not one of his best. This is more an autobiography of Mackay's networking than the art of networking itself. No big deal.

Despite all the technologies facing us and plenty of opportunities to be impersonal, Macakay points out that personalised communication still rules the day. It reminds me of that adage `Don't burn your bridges...'

This is the best networking book I have ever read. Networking is the key to my business where I put together groups of executives who help each other. Whether in business or not, these ideas are for everyone. I have When you meet a couple you have not met before, ask how they met and they will begin to tell you the story of their lives, you quickly have new best friends. Someone I know reads the "Who's News" column in the Wall Street Journal daily and set up a system to track anyone he ever met. He is very successful and loved by all. Mr. Mackay is on the right track. Start early and network often. His ideas about how to stand out from the crowd are good. And, although it sounds like a lot to do, start slowly and add one program every few months. You will be glad you did. Networking will help you in other ways too.

This book described many aspects to a subject I was only generally familiar with before reading Mackey's work. Contacts are critical, and no, it doesn't mean "using" people or constructing superficial relationships simply for personal gain. When I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast, clueless to what and who was what, I ended up getting a lead in a bar that turned into a job. This initial contact helped me meet atleast 16 people, get into an invitiation only black tie dinner (the Republican House-Senate Dinner in Washington D.C), and learn new skills that lead to a very positive career change.

I was brought up to analyze and make decisions; unfortunately not to always have an open mind. Mr. Mackay reminds us that every one is special. He uses example after example of people he meets who become important to him or someone he knows later on in his life. Every one is a gem; some are precious now and the semi-precious now may become precious later. The more I thought about this book, the more I realized there is a process here for meeting, learning, identifying, cataloging, communicating and recalling. It is very much like a business process. Mr. Mackay has avoided many of the most common "stalls" that keep people from making progress. He has mastered the art of communication. He does not let bureaucracy get in the way of knowing or contacting others. He ignores The Unattractiveness Stall and gets to know anyone, anywhere. He avoids The Misconception Stall by keeping an open mind. And, by doing all of the above, he has avoided The Procrastination Stall because he always knows who to call for what to get help at any hour! Networking the Mackay way is a 2,000 percent solution! (A 2,000 percent solution helps to achieve 20 times the benefit, do so in 1/20th the time or at 1/20th the cost).

I was taught to be a self-reliant individual and I always despised those who go out to meet people for personal gains, which mocks the merit-based system. The book (I actually purchased the audiobook) woke me up from the illusion that networking is solely for the purpose of selfish advancement. In reality, we all have a network, which includes immediate family members to a neighborhood storeclerks; to ignore the network is to ignore an inherent aspect of an individual. Mackay offers excellent suggestions in increasing and maintaining a network, and what we make of the network is up to us.

Should be required reading for every person of high school age or older. I give this book as a gift every chance I get, and if there is someone in your life who you want to give something that will last a lifetime, this is it... Absolutely one of the best life-skills books ever written.

Networking effectively is HARD WORK. Most people don't have the determination to keep up with the due diligence to be successful.

Harvey Mackay has written a book that is full of real world stories (many his own) demonstrating the power of networking and relationships. It's written in a style that is very easy to read. Put it in your briefcase or on your night stand, and prepare to be entertained as well as informed.

Nothing comes easy, but if you want to greatly increase your chances of success, following Harvey Mackay's advice is a huge step toward your goals. Buy this book right now.