Networking Is a Contact Sport: How Staying Connected and Serving Others Will Help You Grow Your Business, Expand Your Influence -- or Even Land Your Next Job

by Joe Sweeney

* New York Times Bestseller* #1 USA Today's Bestseller* #2 Wall Street Journal BestsellerBring your A game to Networking!How did Joe Sweeney……get Bob Costas to come to Milwaukee (in the middle of winter)?…become the “wingman" to the archbishop of New York City?…take Brett Favre's off-the-field income from $65,000 to more than $4 million?The answer is simple. Networking.Master networker Joe Sweeney shares his networking secrets from a long and successful career as a business owner, sports agent and executive and investment banking consultant. His first master networkers are focused on giving, not getting. With today's difficult economy and uncertain workplace, networking has never been more important. Sweeney's simple but effective 5/10/15 networking plan will give you a leg up in the current job market, help you stay employed, or, if you've been laid off, find your next job. The cliché that who you know is more important than what you know has never been truer. Sweeney illustrates his insights with dozens of helpful examples from his own life (along with a few fascinating insider sports stories).With special sections on networking for women and minorities, insights into the usefulness (and handicaps) of social networking sites, how to get (and why you need) a wingman and profiles of other master networkers, Networking Is a Contact Sport is a practical and essential guide for anyone who wants to get ahead in today's economy.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Relationships, Personal Development, Leadership, Self Help

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 11, 2010

About the author

Joe Sweeney has had a unique and interesting career. He has spent 30+ years successfully blending his love of business and his passion for sports to accomplish positive results for himself and for his clients. Joe has gained a wealth of hands-on experience through several diverse business ventures. He has owned, operated, and sold four manufacturing companies. His love of sports led him to head up the Wisconsin Sports Authority which helped him to launch SMG, a sports marketing and management firm that specializes in assisting and representing dozens of coaches and pro athletes (including three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre) in securing lucrative contracts and marketing deals. Additionally, Joe’s experience in mergers and acquisitions led him to purchase an equity interest in CFA, an investment banking firm, where he served as President and Managing Director. He is now an accomplished author, internationally-known speaker, trainer, and business consultant, as well as an investor in several private equity companies.

Joe’s primary passion in life has been studying human behavior and performance. He has used the fields of sports, business, and military as his laboratory to help better understand why certain people outperform others and what makes people tick. In addition to his wide-ranging business experience, Joe has served on 28 boards of directors and is currently active on six including Wintrust Financial Corporation (WTFC), the Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corporation, The University of Notre Dame Graduate Alumni Board for the Mendoza College of Business, and Town Bank.

Joe received his BA from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota where he graduated with honors in Industrial Psychology and his MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Joe has written three books: After Further Review, Moving the Needle, and The New York Times bestseller Networking Is a Contact Sport. He has given hundreds of keynote addresses worldwide to a variety of businesses and Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric, Wells Fargo, and Northwestern Mutual as well as numerous professional and collegiate sports teams, branches of the U.S. military including transitional training programs for the United States Navy SEALs.

Joe is a dynamic, humorous, fun, and caring person that has found his passion in inspiring others to make the most of their lives by believing anything is possible. He resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

ORDER THIS BOOK TODAY! Absolutely wonderful if you are on the job market. Also, I am a little bias because the author is my dad!

[martha Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for anyone starting out in business, anyone who wants to increase their business or just anyone. Full of anecdotes about Brett Favre and others, it will also appeal to the sports fan. Joe has outlined his approach to networking--to give is to get is the bottom line. Would make a terrific gift for someone just graduating or someone looking for a job.I thoroughly enjoyed this "can-do" book and learned a lot about dealing with people.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer - I am very good friends with the author and I think the world of him. You can therefore take this review with two different perspectives:
1) He's friends with the author so he's not going to give a bad review.
2) He know the author so he can tell me if this book was written to gain attention or if the author is authentic and lives what he writes.
It's #2 - Joe is the real deal and that's why he's now engaged by the Navy Seals to deliver the message of the book to America's warriors.
Here is the backbone of the book: Networking isn't about you. If you can change your networking perspective from "what can that individual do for me" and instead approach it as "what can I do for this individual" you'll find networking enjoyable. You'll also find this approach pays dividends as the community you're in recognizes your intentions, work ethic and value.

[Danny Parr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very formative in my thinking about networking. Sweeney had an inspiring tenacity for connecting with people. He stresses that networking is about adding value to others rather than getting what you can out of those you meet. He puts tangible habits in place for reaching out to people (5 meetings /10 letters / 15 phone calls system) and has great advice on making good conversation. Some call-out mantras from the book that stuck with me, “Act as if you belong, no matter where you are”, “Always offer something in a networking encounter - seek to give, not to get”, “Combine networking with your passions”, “Never be afraid to introduce yourself first”.

[Kris Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well written thoughtful piece full of personal stories and reflections. Joe makes it easy to consider how every relationship has a purpose - whether for business or personal. The main takeaway is that if you want to be a successful human being it is imperative to consider what you give to others - more than what others can do for you. It sounds simple and obvious. But consider how many times you have met someone and asked them how you can help them. Sweeney had had a great many connections in Milwaukee and his success is genuine.

[John Scargall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Great book on networking and getting creative to do so. They get Bob Costas as a speaker using some awesome way to get him, read it to find out! (They didn't know him, and they didn't get a mutual friend, so it's not what you think!)

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational

The author provides solid advice to maintain and build relationships. It is not always about what you know but who you know.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has something for everyone, but if you're an introvert, this is not the first networking book you should read, I suggest starting with Self-Promotion for Introverts, which will help you to identify your strengths and how to play to them. With that understanding, you'll be able to translate Sweeney's advice to something you can use. The book felt very front heavy, i.e., the good parts are in the first few chapters and the back half is a lot of fluff. Note that I am a white male, so I can't comment on whether the chapters directed to non-whites and women are actually helpful or not. Overall, Sweeney's writing is easy to read (and skim), and his advice is useful. I would have given it four stars if it were half as long.

[Reagan Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

highly recommend this book. Sweeney redefines networking as something we do to connect, to give back, and to broaden ourselves. I like how he positions the concept...because, let's be honest, how many of us have been in a conversation at a networking event and we start to feel like we're in the cartoon where the guy is so hungry that his friend turns into a porkchop. :) You never want people to feel like they have dollar signs painted on their forehead...instead use networking as an opportunity to learn something new and find a connection with someone.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be aware that this book is written from an extroverted perspective. That this author's personality is very outgoing and so he has always been at ease with people. My suggestion is that, if you are an introvert and you're working on building the courage to be less reserved , I wouldn't recommend this book as a first choice. Not that it's bad, but if you're just starting, this book might not a little bit intimidating.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a fantastic primer on networking. It also sends the right message to readets that networking is something you do to give, not get. You are the go-giver, not the go-getter. A lot of people view networking as a strange and artificial activity. It can be that way if you are not really concerned about the people you connect with.

[Abbie Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping to learn more about the fine sort of networking. Instead I learned how many people Joe Sweeney knows in Milwaukee. When he gave tips on actual networking, they were solid and meaningful... remember names, don't sit by people you know, networking is about giving not getting. I really liked his concept of 5/10/15 networking. I just wish he would have expanded much more on the concept.

[Adeline Larrouy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Joe has some good tips on how to network and the importance to give and not to get while networking. I only give 2 stars because the feeling while reading didn't fit me. I am not a money oriented person neither than sport, the story didn't catch my attention much.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just LOVE Joe's anecdotes within the book and how they apply to what he teaches. Thoroughly entertained and informed. Joe's book is a MUST READ for everyone. If EVERYONE (not just those in business) followed Joe's principles, the world would be happier place.

[Kysweenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book... some unbelievable stories in here. I think a very important book and coming out at the perfect time.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

freaking amazing book on how to reach out to people.

[Ah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a kind man with a great family, Joe--for me--turns the four-letter word of "networking" into a type of giving.

[Thomas Bondesson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, highly recommended.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think there's anything truly extraordinary in here, but I enjoyed it all the same.