The Art and Science of the Introduction

In January, I started a new project to better understand the art and science of the introduction. I call this project #DavidtheConnector.

I made 52 introductions in January. Of those 104 people, 89 of them live in Columbus, Ohio. Other folks live in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. Perhaps not surprising, 71% of those introductions were inspired by in-person meetings. And only 7% of introductions were requested (Insight: no one ever asks for introductions -- but they should as you'll soon see).

In a follow-up survey sent in February which 30 people completed, nearly 75% of introductions were met with an in-person meeting. Interestingly, 87% of those who completed the survey said the usefulness of the introduction was "very" or "good." (see chart) I see this chart as being one of the key indicators of my success as a connector. The higher the score on this chart, the better you are at aligning connections. "My Connector Score."

When asked to quantify the value of the introduction, a few respondents said "priceless," or "unquantifiable." But the total for those that could assign a value was $23,600.

One interesting insight worth sharing that could help you better be a connector is to understand and use what I'm calling the "Pre-Intro." The concept is common-sense, not everyone has time at that exact moment to follow-up on an introduction. So now, if it's someone in my network I may not regularly communicate or connect with, I preview the introduction to see if they want the connection. It has already proved valuable and helps me better connect those in my network.

The final nugget I'd like to share is that nearly 60% who answered my survey said they have introduced that person to someone in their network. I'm now wondering how I can gain visibility into this aspect of the process. For example, would I like to be introduced to that same person?

People find jobs, business, and value through introductions. They meet new friends and build meaningful relationships.

The next time you're meeting with someone in your network, make a list of the 1 or 2 people that you can introduce them to. Be their connector. This is the help they will never ask you for.

The data supports it.