Wind
wind (n)—air in natural motion
Collins English Dictionary
Why do you trust your geeky cousin Alfred telling you which computer to buy, but if the salesman at Future Shop says the same thing, you want to shop around and do more research? The answer is obvious—people naturally mistrust you when you stand to gain in a situation.
More than likely, the salesman works on commission. And, whether or not he actually works on commission, you at least suspect that he does, so you remain skeptical. Alfred just really likes his particular brand of computer so there’s no threat of false information.
Applying the principles of what creates influence to business is a challenge. Because, let’s face it, if you’re not in business to make money, you’re not in business. There are plenty of charitable endeavors, but most people still need to make money. Having other influential people endorse your work creates the foundation of trust, even when people naturally mistrust because you stand to profit.
Wildfire word of mouth epidemics happen when many influential people band behind an idea and spread the word. Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point refers to them as the Mavens and Connectors—those we trust and those who have many people who trust and listen to them.
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It’s just before 5 p.m. in New York, when Shawne ducks into a little café to get out of the noise and traffic. She’s so happy, she’s trying not to cry. I’m on the phone with her, my best friend, on the eve of her 48th birthday. And the word-of-mouth epidemic is starting.
It’s been Shawne’s dream for years to do a documentary on the topic of forgiveness. She’s lived through some extreme challenges in forgiveness, being both an incest survivor and having close family friends killed by a drunk driver—the driver being a close friend of Shawne’s family.
We’re recalling three months earlier. Shawne’s husband Terry and I are convincing her to jump off the metaphorical cliff and just start the documentary, even if there’s no funding in place. We’ve all been working non-stop for three months to ask every influencer we know to participate in talking about the launch of a crowdfunding campaign for the movie.
What Shawne doesn’t know is that Terry and I have been working behind the scenes to ask everyone to start early, the day before Shawne’s birthday, the early launch of the campaign being her birthday present. Hundreds of influential people who Shawne has helped in numerous ways are champing at the bit. They all want to do this campaign for Shawne because they love her and believe in her vision. Shawne’s generosity of spirit and all the energy she’s given to others over the years is coming back to her exponentially.
I’m sitting on the phone with her while she sits in a café, watching the notices fly across her phone as donations come in.
“I’m so moved,” she says, her voice filled with emotion.
“I’ve never been given a birthday present like this.”
The wind in your wildfire is all those relationships you have with influential people. Who would you crawl through glass for? Equally important, who would crawl through glass for you? When you have worked to build up those relationships, influencers who love you will want you to win. They will become the wind in your wildfire.
In Part 2 of this book, we will be talking about the habits influencers have that lead to the depth and abundance of relationships that can create wildfire around your work.