工作上有新項目要完成,先在朋友圈發(fā)一下,看看反饋。遇到困難需要解決辦法,在朋友圈發(fā)帖求助,沒準(zhǔn)兒一會兒就有能幫忙的人出現(xiàn)。需要幫助的時候,人們越來越傾向于找通過電腦彼此連接的人幫忙。這就是朋友圈里的人脈關(guān)系,那么這種人脈關(guān)系跟傳統(tǒng)意義上的向自己朋友咨詢意見的方式和作用有什么不同,我們來聽聽Gordon怎么說。
Melanie: Hey, Gordon. ①Could I pick your brain about something?
Gordon: Sure, just as long as you dont try to pick my nose while youre at it.
Melanie: Ha ha, and eww…no thanks. Anyway, I just wanted to ask your opinion on this business idea I had.
Gordon: Ah! So I see youre doing a bit friendsourcing.
Melanie: Wait. What am I doing?
Gordon: Youre reaching out to your most valued advisors (the people you really know) and finding out what they think. That is the essence of friendsourcing.
Melanie: Is this some sort of new fad Im unaware of? I thought people have been asking their friends advice for centuries…
Gordon: Asking friends for help is nothing new. But if I might make a suggestion, asking a group of friends for their advice may ultimately be more helpful to you. Thats where the idea of friendsourcing really takes off!
Melanie: How so?
Gordon: Well…you know about crowdsourcing, right?
Melanie: Yeah! ②Thats when you use public assistance, usually through funding, to help support a pet project.
Gordon: Exactly! So if crowdsourcing is about asking the universe for help, then friendsourcing is all about trust.
Melanie: I still dont see it. Maybe Im missing something…
Gordon: Think about it. Now that social media is perhaps the most personal way to reach customers, crowdsourcing isnt the most effective marketing approach anymore. So basically, set the public aside and zero in on those closest to you. After all, in the immortal words of The Beatles, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”
Melanie: So my friends are actually the key to my future success?
Gordon: ③Yeah, if you play your cards right. I mean, whats the first thing you do when you try a new product or service and you love it or hate it? You tell your friends!
Melanie: I think Im starting to get it.④Because I know I can rely on my friends to have my back, and advertising is all about word of-mouth.
Gordon: Yes! Consumers arent listening to marketers or slick ads or fancy billboards…Sure, those tried and true advertising methods can still put ideas in peoples heads, but when it comes to buying products, using services, and trying new things, friends listen to friends.
Melanie: Wow! That sounds like the best form of advertising you can get (or worst, depending on if your product or service really sucks).
Gordon: True, and true. We are living in an age of new ideas. So if you wanna stand out from the crowd, youd better take advantage of your most valuable resource available…
Melanie: My friends, right?
Gordon: You got it! So, tell me about this idea of yours…
梅拉妮:嘿,戈登。你可以幫我些忙嗎?
戈登:當(dāng)然可以,只要你不要企圖順便摳我鼻子就行。
梅拉妮:哈哈,真惡心……不用謝。不管怎樣,我只是想就這個經(jīng)營理念問問你的想法。
戈登:啊!所以我的理解是你在利用人脈資源了。
梅拉妮:等等。我在利用什么?
戈登:你在咨詢你最重視的顧問(也就是你實際認(rèn)識的人),看看他們有什么想法。這是人脈資源的精髓。
梅拉妮:這是我不知道的一種新潮流嗎?我以為人們向自己的朋友咨詢意見已經(jīng)是由來已久的事了。
戈登:向朋友尋求幫助并非什么新鮮事。但如果我要給你建議的話,咨詢一群朋友的意見最終會對你更有幫助。那就是人脈資源理念走紅之處!
梅拉妮:怎么會這樣?
戈登:呃……你知道眾包,是嗎?
梅拉妮:是的!那是利用公眾協(xié)助,通常是通過集資,來支持一個被看好的項目。
戈登:完全正確!所以如果眾包是關(guān)于尋求普羅大眾的幫助,那么人脈資源歸根結(jié)底就是關(guān)于信任了。
梅拉妮:我還是不明白?;蛟S我遺漏了什么……
戈登:想想吧?,F(xiàn)在社交媒體可能是接觸顧客最個人的方式,眾包不再是最有效的營銷手段了。所以基本做法就是,把公眾放在一邊,瞄準(zhǔn)那些與你最接近的人。畢竟,披頭士還有一句不朽的名言:“我從朋友們那里得到一些幫助?!?/p>
梅拉妮:那么我的朋友實際上就是我未來成功的關(guān)鍵?
戈登:是的,如果處理得好。我的意思是,當(dāng)你試了一款新產(chǎn)品或服務(wù),你喜歡它或者討厭它,你第一件事要做什么?就是告訴你的朋友們!
梅拉妮:我想我開始明白了。因為我知道我可以依賴我的朋友們作為我堅強的后盾,廣告的做法無非就是口口相傳。
戈登:沒錯!消費者都不聽銷售員或漂亮廣告或華麗廣告牌的吹噓。當(dāng)然,那些經(jīng)考驗證明好的廣告方法還是能深入民心,但是當(dāng)涉及購買產(chǎn)品、使用服務(wù)和嘗試新東西時,朋友會聽朋友的。
梅拉妮:哇!那聽起來像是你能得到的最好的廣告方式(或是最差的方式,取決于你的產(chǎn)品或服務(wù)是否真的糟糕透頂)。
戈登:是的,確實是。我們正生活在新理念的時代。所以如果你想出類拔萃,最好充分利用你最有價值的可用資源……
梅拉妮:我的朋友們,對吧?
戈登:你說對了!那么,告訴我你的理念是……
Smart Sentences
① Could I pick your brain about something?
你可以幫我些忙嗎?
pick sb.s brain: ask sb.s help with a problem(讓某人幫忙)。例如:
Tom comes home every weekend and picks his sisters brain to help with his French homework.
每個周末,湯姆回家讓姐姐輔導(dǎo)他做法語功課。
② Thats when you use public assistance, usually through funding, to help support a pet project.
那是利用公眾協(xié)助,通常是通過集資,來支持一個被看好的項目。
pet project: a project, activity or goal pursued as a personal favorite, often without others support(看好的項目,特別項目;常常得不到他人的支持)例如:
I cant believe youre terminating my pet project. Ive been working on it for three years.
我真不敢相信你要終止我喜愛的項目,我辛辛苦苦做了三年了!
③ Yeah, if you play your cards right.
是的,如果處理得好。
play ones cards right: skillfully use the advantage available(處理得好,手段高明)。
例如:
He didnt play his cards right, so the contract went to his competitor.
他事情做得不高明,因此合同被對手拿去了。
④ Because I know I can rely on my friends to have my back, and advertising is all about word-of mouth.
因為我知道我可以依賴我的朋友們作為我堅強的后盾,廣告的做法無非就是口口相傳。
have sb.s back: be prepared to support or vouch for sb.(作某人的后盾)。例如:
Our team can succeed because we always have each others backs.
我們小組能夠成功,是因為全體組員都相互支持。