20A- Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert:

1)      Who they are and what their background is

I contacted Kathy Benson who is the key account manager for the product pro towels which is a company that sells sand repellent beach towels.

2)      How the person fills the spot.

Kathy Benson is a domain expert because she is the account manager of a product that has similar features to the product I want to sell.

3)      A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I spent time searching the internet for sand repellent products that would be comparable to the product I was trying to create and found the pro towels website.  While on the website I looked for a reputable representative to talk to and found the email address of Kathy Benson.

4)      The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation?

I sent Kathy an email asking her questions about the sand repellent towel product that they sell.  One thing in specific I asked was if they had any specific feedback that she could share about the customer’s satisfaction levels about the product.  I also wanted to know if she would be willing to share her thoughts on my idea of a sand repellent spray.  I hope to get a response, but I understand people are busy.

5)      How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

If I decide to further my idea, I hope to keep Kathy Benson as a resource that I could reach out to about the ways to advance the product to satisfy the customer desires of sand repellent products. 

Market Expert

1)      Who they are and what their background is

I contacted Sarah Jacobs who is the owner of a small beach product distributer.  She sells unique beach products such as nifty chairs, bags, and toys for kids.

2)      How the person fills the spot.

Sarah fills this position because we have the same target audience that we are trying to reach which is parents who go to the beach with their kids and families.

3)      A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

Sarah is a family friends with my neighbor, so I was able to get her phone number to have a short conversation with her to talk about her business and her thoughts about my product.

4)      The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation?

I presented Sarah my elevator speech to discuss her thoughts on my product and ways to improve my idea.  I enjoyed hearing her opinion due to her level of expertise on selling beach products to local families in south Florida.

5)      How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

I enjoyed our conversation.  I am not sure how she can help me but I think having Sarah as a contact can be helpful as she said she would answer any questions I have in the future. 

Supplier Expert

1)      Who they are and what their background is

I contacted Eytan Benzeno who is the manager of a beach product supplier website called beachstore.com

2)      How the person fills the spot.

This person fills my need because he is a large supplier of beach supplies in the south Florida area which I consider to be a large portion of the target customers I want to reach.

3)      A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

This part of the assignment I had some trouble with.  However, I found the website and tried to find someone I could contact.  I ended up finding Eytan’s email on linkdin and sent an email.

4)      The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation?

I was only able to send an email to Eytan asking some questions about supplying beach products.  I also included a link to my elevator pitch and asked for suggestions, but I have not got a response back yet.

5)      How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

I would love to get a response from Eytan but as of now I have not received one.  I understand that not all networking opportunities pan out but this assignment has shown me that it does not hurt to try.

Finally: Reflect.

At first, I was a bit reluctant to extend my comfort zone and reach out to people who could help my networking.  However, this assignment has taught me that it is okay to ask people who have experience for help and advice because they are usually readily available to provide some input.  In future networking opportunities I hope to gain new contacts that can help point me in the direction of success.