Friday, February 24, 2006
Mavens can make great messengers for your message
To whom do you turn when you want to make a smart choice in an unfamiliar area? Why a maven, of course.
• How does the style and reliability of the sleek new VW Passat stack up against that elegant “pre-owned” Lexus ES 300 (or was it a GS 300?), and should I lease or buy, or buy over the Net or from a dealership?
As word spread that I was contemplating a new car, passionate, determinedly helpful friends and friends-of-friends came out of the woodwork. Without encouragement, these mostly male mavens advised me in extraordinary detail.
It was their passionate interest, not mine.
I am grateful.
As I diligently perused car reviews, web sites and brochures, it soon became clear that I’d never know as much as the two car fanatics who helped me choose. After securing agreement on a car model and price, then getting the runaround upon arriving at the car showroom, I returned, escorted by my main car maven, who expertly negotiated the final deal.
Such mavens do not expect quid pro quo for their efforts, just the satisfaction of using their expertise to help e people make the “right” decision.
That’s why I enjoyed advising my car maven in turning his bramble-filled back yard into an English garden two years earlier.
• A tireless, respected proponent for world peace, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter was, perhaps, the most persuasive maven that Fidel Castro could have recruited.
In visiting Cuba, Carter advocated more civil liberties there - and open trade between their countries.
Plus, in true “Say It Better” style, Carter used compelling details to make his message memorable: “I want the people of the United States and Cuba to share more than a love of baseball and wonderful music."
• When selecting summer hiking shoes, I called Serena, a longtime outdoor explorer. She asked about the kind of terrain I most enjoyed (high mountains with often rocky trails) and then suggested a specific brand and style of boot.
Then she insisted on taking me to the best store to get exactly the right pair.
You already know that your most credible, cost-effective way to attract people to your ideas or products is through your clients’ happy referrals.
But some clients’ are vastly more valuable to you than others.
You know that’s true from how you make choices in unfamiliar areas. Whether it is computers, environmental causes or gourmet cooking, somebody you know – or their acquaintance - knows most everything about that subject.
Mavens are eager to help you.
With their avid involvement you will make “the right” decision faster, and gain peace of mind.
Thu mavens can be your best messengers or worst nightmare.
They have inordinate power to damage or to burnish your reputation.
More than most anybody else, the mavens on your area of interest are mostly likely to gain the attention of the people you want to reach.
If they like what you offer, your prospects will hear about it and seek you out.
Several researchers, economists and authors have tracked and described their power, most memorably, Gladwell in his brilliant book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
Find and cultivate your mavens and you‘ll gain free, smart, passionate and tireless support.
How?
Help them:
1. Have more opportunities to demonstrate and share their expertise
2. Exchange knowledge and find camaraderie with other mavens.
3. Be “in the know” early regarding innovations, trends or other “news”
4. Provide ideas for improvements, early warning of problems, new uses and other mavens to involve
Here’s some quick examples:
• A spa wanted to expand their manicure business.
For “lifelong nailbiters” they stayed open Thursday evenings to offer three free manicures per person.
Avoiding embarrassment, nailbiters received “upkeep” suggestions as they were pampered together. In turn they were observed and asked for advice about how to reach other to other nailbiters.
One suggestion: reach nailbiters while they are young and the habit is not as ingrained.
Result: Nearby gradeschool teachers and pediatricians were then offered a free manicure and flyer about the “healthy nails” offer, that they could share with students, patients or their parents.
Thus the spa befriended three kinds of influencial mavens on this delicate topic: recovering nailbiters who want to show they can stop, those who love them and those who are in professions dedicated to helping them.
• Sears Point International Raceway in Northern California hosts free, quarterly private races for the top five percent of amateurs who use their tracks most often, with private, post-race coaching from pros.
Other vendors such as the racing uniform and carmakers are invited to discuss their product innovations, often before they are officially introduced to the public.
The result? Pro and amateur racing mavens shared their favorite kind of experience, thus deepening their knowledge and passion to share with other potential racing enthusiasts.
• What if full-time, professional dog walkers were periodically invited to meet in nearby dog parks to share their views with a pet store manager? Walkers are mavens of the dog/owner connection.
They are front-line experts on leashes, dog snacks, dog training, and the irritations, pleasures and guilt feeling of their clients, dog owners.
Through them pet store managers will reach more pet owners, and discover better ways to serve them. With permission, the store could display the dog walkers’ suggestions for products, and their use, in ads and store displays.
Dog walkers gain new clients while the store gains increased sales.
• How does the style and reliability of the sleek new VW Passat stack up against that elegant “pre-owned” Lexus ES 300 (or was it a GS 300?), and should I lease or buy, or buy over the Net or from a dealership?
As word spread that I was contemplating a new car, passionate, determinedly helpful friends and friends-of-friends came out of the woodwork. Without encouragement, these mostly male mavens advised me in extraordinary detail.
It was their passionate interest, not mine.
I am grateful.
As I diligently perused car reviews, web sites and brochures, it soon became clear that I’d never know as much as the two car fanatics who helped me choose. After securing agreement on a car model and price, then getting the runaround upon arriving at the car showroom, I returned, escorted by my main car maven, who expertly negotiated the final deal.
Such mavens do not expect quid pro quo for their efforts, just the satisfaction of using their expertise to help e people make the “right” decision.
That’s why I enjoyed advising my car maven in turning his bramble-filled back yard into an English garden two years earlier.
• A tireless, respected proponent for world peace, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter was, perhaps, the most persuasive maven that Fidel Castro could have recruited.
In visiting Cuba, Carter advocated more civil liberties there - and open trade between their countries.
Plus, in true “Say It Better” style, Carter used compelling details to make his message memorable: “I want the people of the United States and Cuba to share more than a love of baseball and wonderful music."
• When selecting summer hiking shoes, I called Serena, a longtime outdoor explorer. She asked about the kind of terrain I most enjoyed (high mountains with often rocky trails) and then suggested a specific brand and style of boot.
Then she insisted on taking me to the best store to get exactly the right pair.
You already know that your most credible, cost-effective way to attract people to your ideas or products is through your clients’ happy referrals.
But some clients’ are vastly more valuable to you than others.
You know that’s true from how you make choices in unfamiliar areas. Whether it is computers, environmental causes or gourmet cooking, somebody you know – or their acquaintance - knows most everything about that subject.
Mavens are eager to help you.
With their avid involvement you will make “the right” decision faster, and gain peace of mind.
Thu mavens can be your best messengers or worst nightmare.
They have inordinate power to damage or to burnish your reputation.
More than most anybody else, the mavens on your area of interest are mostly likely to gain the attention of the people you want to reach.
If they like what you offer, your prospects will hear about it and seek you out.
Several researchers, economists and authors have tracked and described their power, most memorably, Gladwell in his brilliant book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
Find and cultivate your mavens and you‘ll gain free, smart, passionate and tireless support.
How?
Help them:
1. Have more opportunities to demonstrate and share their expertise
2. Exchange knowledge and find camaraderie with other mavens.
3. Be “in the know” early regarding innovations, trends or other “news”
4. Provide ideas for improvements, early warning of problems, new uses and other mavens to involve
Here’s some quick examples:
• A spa wanted to expand their manicure business.
For “lifelong nailbiters” they stayed open Thursday evenings to offer three free manicures per person.
Avoiding embarrassment, nailbiters received “upkeep” suggestions as they were pampered together. In turn they were observed and asked for advice about how to reach other to other nailbiters.
One suggestion: reach nailbiters while they are young and the habit is not as ingrained.
Result: Nearby gradeschool teachers and pediatricians were then offered a free manicure and flyer about the “healthy nails” offer, that they could share with students, patients or their parents.
Thus the spa befriended three kinds of influencial mavens on this delicate topic: recovering nailbiters who want to show they can stop, those who love them and those who are in professions dedicated to helping them.
• Sears Point International Raceway in Northern California hosts free, quarterly private races for the top five percent of amateurs who use their tracks most often, with private, post-race coaching from pros.
Other vendors such as the racing uniform and carmakers are invited to discuss their product innovations, often before they are officially introduced to the public.
The result? Pro and amateur racing mavens shared their favorite kind of experience, thus deepening their knowledge and passion to share with other potential racing enthusiasts.
• What if full-time, professional dog walkers were periodically invited to meet in nearby dog parks to share their views with a pet store manager? Walkers are mavens of the dog/owner connection.
They are front-line experts on leashes, dog snacks, dog training, and the irritations, pleasures and guilt feeling of their clients, dog owners.
Through them pet store managers will reach more pet owners, and discover better ways to serve them. With permission, the store could display the dog walkers’ suggestions for products, and their use, in ads and store displays.
Dog walkers gain new clients while the store gains increased sales.
