The Tipping Point

Chapter 2. The Law of the Few: Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen

1.     What are connectors, mavens, and salesmen?

Connectors are people that seem as though they know everyone.  They have a

gift of being able to make friends and acquaintances wherever they go.

Mavens are the people with all the information.  They could be referred to as

information specialists.  These people read Consumer Reports to be more

informed.  Also, they love to share their knowledge with others, so every one can

benefit from what they know.

Salesmen are the people that persuade the common person to listen to the

information given by the Mavens.  They are very charismatic and mesmerizing in

passing on the message.

2.     What is a “small-world problem”?

The problem looks at how are humans connected.  It also asks how does an idea

or a trend or a piece of news travel through a population?

3.     What is “six degrees of separation”?  Can it truly be tested?

Six degrees means that the connectors you relate to can connect you to

everyone within 6 steps.  The steps between connectors is not equally

proportioned though.

To a degree it can be tested like in Milgram's chain letter, Gladwell's quiz or use

Brett Tjaden's formula for actors and actresses.

4.     What makes someone a connector?

A connector has connections to several different types of people which spans

across different groups.  They don't shy away from acquaintances, they maintain

contact with them to a certain extent.  Their ability to span many different worlds

is a function of something intrinsic to their personality.

5.     Take Gladwell’s “quiz” on pp. 39-40. We will discuss it when we are able to post online

126 score

6.     What makes connectors so necessary in society?

Connectors manage to occupy many different worlds and subcultures.  They

know no boundaries of the people in which they communicate.

7.     What does the phrase “the strength of weak ties” mean?

Acquaintances represent a source of social power, and the more acquaintances

you have the more powerful you are.

8.     Why did Paul Revere’s ride succeed when William Dawes’ ride did not?

Paul Revere was a connector, while Dawes was just an ordinary man in that

term.  He didn't know the right people to tell.

9.     Describe any connectors or mavens from your school, family, or friends.

I have two family members that I would describe as Connectors.  They know who

to contact for anything.  When I am buying new electronics, automobiles or

appliances I always email one of my friends to see what he knows about the

item.

10.  How much do you rely on word-of-mouth information?

It depends on what the information is and who is telling me about it.  If I consider

the source reliable I usually rely on the word-of-mouth.

11.  How did mavens influence the sales of Hush Puppies?

The knowledge and social skills that they possess played an important role in the

sales of Hush Puppies.  Many people view the maven as an expert.  So once the

maven made his case for the shoes so emphatically their friends probably rushed

out and bought them.

12.  What are the positives and negatives of being a maven?

Positives:  ability to help, very knowledgeable and educated, has a desire to

educate and teach what they know, want to share

Negatives:  might solve their problems through helping others, not a persuader,

might become obsessed with passing on the information they know

13.  What makes someone a salesman?

Salesmen have a natural exuberance.  They are very charismatic and very

scripted in their delivery of the material.  These people can be very persuasive in

a non-threatening manner.

14.  According to two studies he cites, what are the three things that Gladden says make salesmen so effective?

a) little things can make as much of a difference as big things

b) non-verbal cues are as or more important than verbal cues

c) persuasion often works in ways that we do not appreciate

15.  What are “micromovements”?

The subtle movements while talking and listening.  Dancing to his or her own

speech.

16.  What makes someone good at charades?

The person has the ability to persuade a person from the outside-in, of an

external gesture affecting an internal decision.

17.  What traits of the connector, maven, and salesman do you see in yourself?

Connector:  ability to make friends/acquaintances; energetic

Maven:  self-educated and knowledgeable; the need to help

Salesmen:  charismatic

18.  Which traits do you wish you possessed?

The ability to persuade

19.  Are these traits able to be developed or are we simply born with them?

I think some traits like being friendly can be developed but you have to be willing

to go outside of your comfort zone.  I think a person is wired to develop traits but

they must have the knowledge, understanding and desire to possess that it.

20.  What disadvantages are linked with any of the three classifications?

The biggest disadvantage I see of Mavens is that although they can influence

they can also use their dissatisfaction to hurt a product.  Connectors might not

pass the information on correctly.  While salesmen might sell the wrong

information they were given.

Chapter 3. The Stickiness Factor: Sesame Street, Blue’s Clues, and the Educational Virus

1.     What is “the stickiness factor”?

It is the emphasis on the message being memorable and sticking with a person

throughout the allotted time.

2.     What makes something “sticky”?

It must be memorable and the person must have been exposed to it at least six

times.  Also, the advice or message has to become practical and personal.

3.     What is direct marketing? What makes for a successful campaign?

Direct Marketing is an ad in a magazine or a direct mailing with a coupon.  To

make a successful campaign direct marketers have to do extensive testing with

several different mailings and ads to get the most feedback from the consumer.

4.     What is the “gold box” that Lester Wunderman used so effectively?

The gold box was a trigger that connected the reader/viewer to become a

participant.

5.     What changes did she and her team make in order for the show to work?

She mixed fantasy with reality.  The lessons should not exceed 4 minutes.  Some

of the dialogue was simplified and only one character could talk at a time.

6.     Compare and contrast Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues.

a) Sesame Street:  several people and characters, short lessons 3-4 minutes,

hour show, humor, wordplay, cleverness, appeals to both kids and adults,

different episode every day with 40 segments an episode

b) Blue's Clues:  one live actor, each episode follows a single story line, 30-

minute show, excruciatingly long pauses, appeals to kids only, discover clues in a

puzzle, uses literal words to describe fantasy characters, Nickelodeon runs the

same Blue's Clues episode for five straight days

c) Similarities:  mixes fantasy with reality, educate children, memorable, asks

explicit questions of the audience and pauses, repetition

7.     What is the Distracter?

The Distracter was a stickiness machine developed by Ed Palmer.  It measures

what part a of episode holds the viewers' attention.  The Distracter tells you the

child understands what is happening and is paying attention.  However, it doesn't

tell you what the child understands or what the child was paying attention to.

8.     What is The James Earl Jones Effect?

The idea of learning through repetition.