The Power of Introduction



Person holding his hand out for a handshake

I’d like to think I could approach just about anybody on the streets and make a good first impression. But since I’m not super-human, I can’t.

I’m not that guy who can sell ice to Eskimos, or sell sand to people on the beach.

And since I’m not super-human or a power-salesman, I have to rely on the power of introductions.

It’s Who You Know

You’ve probably heard the saying, “It’s all about who you know.”

With introductions, it’s the same thing. And it really doesn’t matter who you know. It does matter, however, that the people you know, know someone else.

I would love to spout off bullet after bullet of why being introduced is a lot better than a “cold call”, but I think it’s just too obvious. If you have a good reputation, and you introduce me to someone, it’s likely that that someone will take your word for it until I prove otherwise.

If there’s a girl (or guy) you’ve been yearning to talk to, one of the best ways is to find a friend who knows that person and ask for an introduction. It won’t guarantee you anything further, but it’ll at least get you that foot in the door.

Introductions and Blogging

Blogging and introductions are no different.

What would happen if you suddenly received a few invites a day for xyz product that claims to be the best thing since sliced bread? You’d probably scream “spam” and go for the delete button.

What if, however, your favorite blogger gave a rather nice review of this xyz product and explained its usage. Then, perhaps, you might be just a little more receptive of an e-mail. You may not even need an e-mail and pursue the product on your own. And it was all due to a friendly introduction.

Introductions don’t have to stop with products. I’ve discovered many blogs and bloggers due to recommendations from friends.

Introductions and Commenting

Another introductory approach, which can’t really be duplicated in offline life unless you leave notes for people in the bathroom stalls, is that of comments.

Commenting is a fantastic way to put yourself out there and allows others to get to know you without really knowing you.

After commenting on a site for a while, you start becoming a regular. The other commenters may not “know you”, but you aren’t a stranger either. If you then need to contact one of the other commenters, you can simply say, “Hey, I saw a comment you made at xyz site and I had a question…”

If you would’ve just e-mailed that person out of the blue, you might have a difficult time getting a piece of that person’s mindshare.

Conclusion

If you talk to anybody in the dating or job hunting game, they’ll tell you that introductions can be priceless. All it really takes is that foot in the door.

Once you get that foot in the door, however, the rest is up to you.









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5 Responses to The Power of Introduction

  1. George The Computer Designer December 15, 2008 at 5:21 pm #

    Ronald,

    Did you know that in general a person makes up his or her mind about the other person during the first 3 to 5 seconds after he or she sees this person? No matter what people would tell you (and they’ll tell you that’s not true), it is true. The introduction might be important but the impression is everything. Such is the power of the first impression.

    If I was to extrapolate this to blogs, then I’d guess that in 3 to 5 seconds a person don’t have time to read anything, just to have a look at the blog’s main page, colours, fonts, pictures. So the design is the blog’s face. Like it – very nice, I’ll stay here and see what you’ve got. Don’t like it – I’d rather go somewhere else. Again, a reader can come here upon someone else’s advice but would he or she stay depends on the blog itself.

  2. ShellMedia April 9, 2009 at 9:59 am #

    this is a very ironic post considering I open about 10 emails a day from complete randoms who try to sweet talk there way into a free link on some of my sites. I find some of them quite amusing.

  3. Michele May 20, 2009 at 3:03 pm #

    If I was to extrapolate this to blogs, then I’d guess that in 3 to 5 seconds a person don’t have time to read anything, just to have a look at the blog’s main page, colours, fonts, pictures. So the design is the blog’s face. Like it – very nice, I’ll stay here and see what you’ve got. Don’t like it – I’d rather go somewhere else.

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