Tipping Your Business

by Mark S. Fulton

You’ve no doubt seen those cute little decorative glass figurines that look like a giraffe at a watering hole. The knickknack is constructed so that its head dips into a small bowl filled with water. As water flows into the figurine, it fills a bulb at the base, causing the tail end to tilt downward. When that happens, the water is released back into the bowl and the head dips down again, starting the process over.

At a specific instant in the water intake cycle, the figurine reaches a point of critical mass where the
weight of the water in its tail causes it to tip. That moment, when the weight of the head is overcome by the weight the water in the tail could be called the figurine’s “tipping point.”

This principle of incremental change that leads to a sudden, significant shift is the thesis for an intriguing book by Malcolm Gladwell titled “The Tipping Point.” Gladwell asserts that many cultural trends, social movements, political shifts and business expansions can trace their success back to a “tipping point,” when certain factors reached a critical mass and things changed dramatically.

Gladwell contends that some ideas, behaviors and products reach a point where their popularity starts to spread like an epidemic—a rapid mass “infection” of the public consciousness. Think survival television shows, body piercing and Beanie Babies. According to Gladwell, there are three rules that dictate whether a fashion fad, for example, will “tip” and become an overnight national craze.

For the purpose of this column, we’ll consider the first rule, the Law of the Few, which states that social epidemics are started and energized by a handful of exceptional people who have a particular and rare set of social gifts. Gladwell divides these people into three groups: connectors, mavens and salesmen.

Connectors know lots of people. In fact, it seems like they know everyone. Connectors are influential not only because of the number of people they know, but also because of the many different kinds of social and business circles they inhabit. They are gregarious and intensely devoted to their spheres of influence. Connectors collect relationships like kids collect Pokémon cards.

Mavens are information junkies. They collect information like connectors collect people. Mavens are the folks who know which supermarket has the lowest prices, which car gets the best mileage, which movies the critics like the most and so on. They read Consumer Reports religiously and sometimes write in to correct them.

Salesmen are masters of persuasion. They specialize in establishing rapport, using non-verbal communication and expressing empathy. They could sell you the Brooklyn Bridge and convince you to move it to Florida so that you can drive across that prime swampland they sold you.

Connectors, mavens and salesmen, as Gladwell describes them, are relatively rare individuals. But they are so key to an idea or product catching on that it makes sense for you to try to identify people you know who might fit those descriptions and cultivate relationships with them. There are two good reasons to do this:

First, by observing the behaviors of connectors, mavens and salesmen, you can pick up some useful insights for boosting your own effectiveness. Watch how a connector works his or her relationships; how a maven uses information to help and influence others; how a salesman builds credibility and breaks down resistance. Here are some characteristics to work on for each role:

CONNECTOR - Bring people together who can benefit from knowing each other. Build a strong network of contacts and create a system for keeping track of them. Seek opportunities to meet new people. “The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality,” said John Quincy Adams.

MAVEN - Become an active reader of periodicals in your field. Create a database of useful and interesting tidbits of information. Share knowledge freely with people who can benefit from it. Benjamin Franklin once said, “If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

SALESMAN - Demonstrate authentic enthusiasm. Work on projecting a likable, optimistic personal style. Spread smiles. Listen well. Express empathy. “We are all salesmen every day of our lives,” says Charles Schwab. “We are selling our ideas, our plans, our enthusiasms to those with whom we come in contact.”

The second good reason to cultivate relationships with connectors, mavens and salesmen is that you can increase the likelihood of your business reaching a tipping point by exposing it to one or more of these powerful influences. Actively seeking out and cultivating relationships with these movers and shakers will put you on their radar screen. When they meet someone, obtain a piece of information or see an opportunity that fits with your occupation, they could become the catalyst for an epidemic of new business for you.

At 211 degrees Fahrenheit you have hot water. At 212 degrees you have a resource for powering civilization. Small changes can lead to big results. Think about how knowing and emulating connectors, mavens and salesmen can take your business or career to the tipping point—and beyond.

Copyright 2001 © Mark S. Fulton