Who knows Whom
Two things have been said to me over the last few days that have prompted this article.
I have been amazed at the number of people who are interested in coming to work with me for a few days each month next year. I sent out a note to the people on my database telling them I am looking for a PR professional in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and that note has been passed around the country to friends and friends of friends. Many people have applied who were not on my database, but who knew me, knew of me, or just fancied the job.
Four people who applied used the phrase “It’s a small world” in the application letter and they are right, it is.
Yesterday I was listening to a great speaker from the UK, and he made the statement that we are just six people away from everybody in the world. This stuck in my mind, along with a load of other stuff I will tell you about another time, and I decided to do the math to see if that is true. (Those of you who know me well, will know I am sceptical until I can prove it to be true).
The proof is as follows. We probably all know maybe 50 people. Some we know well, others we have just a passing acquaintance with. People from your work, people from your golf club, church, synagogue or mosque, people you have known since school, parents of your children’s friends, neighbours etc. I am sure you could easily get to 50. If we are just 6 steps away from knowing everybody in the world the figures look something like this: I know 50 people, if they all know 50 people each, that is 2500 people, if they all know 50 the number goes up to 125,000, then 6,250,000, then 312,500,000 and finally after just 6 steps the number is 15,625,000,000. Now presuming that some of the people I know, you know as well, it is not difficult to see how, in just six steps, we could get to the 7 billion people in the world.
“It is not what you know that matters but who you know”. We have all heard that statement often but I would like to expand that thought. It is not just who you know but who your friends know that may be really valuable.
As a salesman many years ago, on my first day the sales manager asked me to sit and write down a list of all the people I know. My friends, my family, my previous customers, and anybody I was vaguely aquatinted with. He understood that these people may be good opportunities for me to sell to. If I know them they are more likely to trust me and therefor buy my products. Interestingly he never asked me to write down the people my friends knew. A friend of a friend is almost as good as a friend. That is why referral business is so much more powerful and effective than cold calling.
Maybe there is a company right now that you would like to do business with, Microsoft, for instance or Standard Bank. They have been in your sights for a few months but you have not been able to get an appointment. They are too busy, they already have a supplier, they do not need your product or service, sound familiar?
Now is the time to make use of your network, tell your friends that you are wanting to make contact with Microsoft and do they know anybody who can help. Maybe they don’t know anybody directly but they may know somebody who knows somebody. Don’t be afraid to ask.
Never be afraid to ask!
You have heard me say this before but “Timid salespeople have skinny kids.”
There is a book on the market, published each year by McGregor’s called “Who owns whom” This is a great book and a must for every sales team. It outlines the ownership of all the major companies in South Africa.
I have an idea that an even better book would be “Who knows whom” and maybe you should start to write your own book know. So send this article to your friends and ask them who they know. Keep that list because you never know which contacts you may need in the future. It’s not what you know that matters but who your friends know!
While you are at it you could recommend that they subscribe to Richard’s Review then we will all benefit from it. (www.richardmulvey.com
By the way, the British speaker I listened to yesterday was Nigel Risen. Thanks Nigel, great presentation!
Who knows Whom - To learn more about this author, visit Richard Mulvey's Website.
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Richard Mulvey
(Visit Richard's Website)
Richard Mulvey is South Africa's leading
sales author with 12 published books to
his name. In addition he speaks to a
variety of international groups on a
regular basis and over the last 10 years
has challenged over 100,000 business
people to think differently about sales.
Richard is a dynamic speaker and his
controversial opinion will fire your
enthusiasm leaving you with a desire to
hear more and eager to get out there and
do it. To make contact with Richard or to
find out about his training DVD’s Books
and training courses or go to www.bus
iness-skills.co.za.
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