1) Devon Blair: Currently a pharmacy student at the University of Florida
2) Domain expert: Devon has been studying pharmacy so he he is an technical expert when it comes to drugs and pills (for my pill that will counteract the toxins in alcohol)
3) I actually knew Devon because I had class with him as a sophomore. Luckily I still had his number so I was able to call him and ask him if he could give me input on my idea.
4) In our exchange I asked Devon if he had experience with this kind of drug and if it were feasible to create a drug that could counteract with the toxins in alcohol that make you feel bad. He said he did have experience with drugs and alcohol because he has to know how alcohol reacts with certain drugs, but he did say he was unsure whether it was possible for a drug like this to exist. He didn't rule it out though.
5) Including Devon in my network will help me exploit my opportunity because he has the expertise to make it happen.
1) Austin Schwindt: A fraternity brother of mine
2) Market Expert: Austin is a senior and has been selling pedialytes to students all of kind on campus for three years
3) I found out about Austin because he is my Fraternity brother and I have known him since I was a freshman in college. I contacted him by walking down the hall and knocking on his door.
4) For my favor, I asked Austin how he started the idea to start selling pedialytes on campus and how he finds his customers. I want to know how he markets so well and how he gets so much customers.
5) Having Austin in my social network will help me exploit me opportunity because he can tell me how he gets so much customers and when he graduates, he can tell his customers to go to me.
1) Zachary Price: Works for PepsiCo and supplies Gatorade products
2) Supplier: This person supplies Gatorade products to multiple stores
3) I found Price on LinkedIn when I searched for Pepsi workers that were also UF alumni. I messaged him on LinkedIn and told him I am a current student at UF and asked if I could ask him some questions.
4) For my favor, I asked Zachary what he recommends for me to do to try and find people to sell to and how I can find distributors for my product.
5) This will help me exploit my opportunity because after this conversation I now know how to market my product and where to look to start finding distributors.
This was an extremely good exercise for me. I learned a lot about networking and gained a lot of experience with this activity. At first it was weird for me to reach out to people that I don't know but now I think I will be able to reach out better to people that can expand my social network. This was definitely different from other networking experiences I've had before because this time I had to reach out first. I'm used to going to career fairs where the people are already there but this was not the same.
Graham,
ReplyDeleteI thought the individuals you chose for this assignment fit perfectly into your business plan. Having these connections, even if small, is very important. I've always heard that sales boils down to relationships and knowing everything about your product. I also thought the assignment was uncomfortable at first, but ended up being really glad I did it because it worked out well for me and helped me develop speaking skills.
Graham,
ReplyDeleteI think you had three really good choices of people to expand your social capital. I agree, it is weird to reach out to people you don't know, especially when it's for a hypothetical class assignment, but it seems like you really put in the effort to find solid connections. Overall, great job on this post and reaching out to potentially helpful people.
Graham,
ReplyDeleteWhile it may have seemed strange to reach out to people you did not know, now you have gained the experience that leads to a network expansion to your own benefit. Reaching out first is the way to put your foot in the door. I was a bit uncomfortable at first as well, but going out of your comfort zone leads to success. I think the people you chose to fit the particular roles assigned were good choices.