20

Domain Expert: 

Who they are and what their background is

1. I talked to Steve from “New Scooter 4 Less ” a popular moped dealer in Gainesville.

How Steve is a domain expert: 

As an employee at NS4L he knows a lot about the target segment, about the suppliers, and how to interact with both the customers and his manager.  

A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

1. I went in to the store during the early afternoon this past Wednesday and he was the employee working at the desk. I kindly asked for a manager for some more expertise but unfortunately there was no manager present that day. Steve was still a great option though.

The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

1. The exchange between us was very conversational, I didn’t want to seem like I was only talking to him to gain insight so I asked him about his job, if he’s happy where he’s at, why he is in Gainesville, things of that nature. 

 How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

1. I think adding Steve to my network will help me understand the industry quite a bit more since I am starting off with very little knowledge. He encounters the same type of customers I would primarily get and knows how to deal with them appropriately and what they ultimately want / need/ 

Market Expert: 

Who they are and what their background is.

1. I could not find a market expert so instead I talked to a person within my target segment whom I did not know prior and have not interviewed before. 

How Carly is within my target segment: 

1. Carly is a Sophomore at the university of Florida, she is apart of a sorority and rides her scooter to various places around town. 

A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

1. Honestly, I waited at the scooter parking in the Norman parking garage which is right next to sorority row. Plenty of my own friends park there scooters there so I knew it was a hub for sorority girl parking. I simply went up to her and asked if she had time to answer some questions. 

The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

1. Carly was extremely nice and gladly took the time out of her day to talk to me. She was intrigued with my business plan but also a bit skeptical. The nature of our talk was very friendly and informal. 

How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

1. I think out of the 3 people that I met through this experience, Carly enhanced my ability to exploit this opportunity the least. I only say this because I have interviewed many girls of similar demographic about my product. She was a lovely a girl, but I gained a lot of useful information from the domain expert and industry supplier. 

Industry Supplier: 

Who they are and what their background is:

1. I contacted Jacob from HCI (Helmet City International) whole is on the support team for this helmet wholesaling company. I got his contact from Steve, who I mentioned earlier works at New Scooters 4 Less. 

How Jacob is an industry supplier: 

1. The phone number that Steve provided me with was met with a support contact which was fine because I really just wanted to speak with anyone from the company. As a part of the HCI team, I consider Jacob a valid industry supplier. 

A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

1. As mentioned before, I received the phone number for Helmet City International from my “domain expert” Steve from NS4L. When I called I was met by Jacob who is a customer service employee, trained to answer questions and deals with complaints. 

The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

1. I wouldn’t call this exchange a favor necessarily because he was doing his job by answering my questions. Of course my questions were a bit different then a normal customers but he answered them all the same. 

How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

1. It was extremely interesting talking to Jacob about what a wholesale company entails and how they do business with retailers. He briefly explained that decided to supply to a retailer or company took a lot of time, background checking, and meeting with associates. 

Finally: Reflect

The networking experiences I have had in the past were through the Heavener School of Business so they were bit different then my experience this time around. During those networking sessions, I dress business professional and carry a pad folio with my printed resumes in them and talk to people in HR from certain companies. This was much more informal and less structured. I did however, learn a lot about the industry I would be going in to. The lack of structure and spontaneity of it all, made it very more relaxed and easier to naturally talk to these people.