I've built relationships with some of the most influential people...
Keith Ferrazzi@ferrazzi
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Sep 24, 2026
~2 min read
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I've built relationships with some of the most influential people in the world, and I've kept them for decades.
It comes down to 6 small things I do on repeat. 🧵
It comes down to 6 small things I do on repeat. 🧵
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1. Fifteen minutes and a cup of coffee.
It's quick, it's out of the office, and it's a great way to meet someone new. Nobody has to clear an hour for it, so almost everyone says yes.
It's quick, it's out of the office, and it's a great way to meet someone new. Nobody has to clear an hour for it, so almost everyone says yes.
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2. Conferences.
If I'm at a conference in Seattle, I pull out a list of people in the area I'd like to know better and invite them to an interesting keynote or dinner.
I'm not asking for their time, I'm inviting them to something already happening.
If I'm at a conference in Seattle, I pull out a list of people in the area I'd like to know better and invite them to an interesting keynote or dinner.
I'm not asking for their time, I'm inviting them to something already happening.
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3. Share a workout or a hobby.
Golf, chess, a book club, whatever you already love doing. People loosen up outside the office, and you'll learn more about someone in one hard workout than in a year of meetings.
Golf, chess, a book club, whatever you already love doing. People loosen up outside the office, and you'll learn more about someone in one hard workout than in a year of meetings.
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4. Food.
A quick early breakfast, lunch, drinks after work, or dinner. There's nothing like food to break the ice, because people are open, even eager, to be amused while they're eating.
A quick early breakfast, lunch, drinks after work, or dinner. There's nothing like food to break the ice, because people are open, even eager, to be amused while they're eating.
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5. Special events.
The theater, a book signing, a concert. It's even better when I bring a few people I know would love it, because an invitation like that lands as a gift instead of a favor.
The theater, a book signing, a concert. It's even better when I bring a few people I know would love it, because an invitation like that lands as a gift instead of a favor.
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6. Dinner at home.
I treat these as sacred, and I only invite one or two people I don't know that well. By the end of the night I want them leaving feeling like they made a whole new set of friends, and that's hard to do at a table full of strangers.
I treat these as sacred, and I only invite one or two people I don't know that well. By the end of the night I want them leaving feeling like they made a whole new set of friends, and that's hard to do at a table full of strangers.
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It doesn't matter what you do, only that it's something you love doing. Then match the activity to the relationship you're trying to build.
And don't let any of this crowd out the key relationships in your life. Family comes first.
And don't let any of this crowd out the key relationships in your life. Family comes first.