Where do clients come from?
A 50-year-old theory sheds light on where solopreneurs get most of their clients. You can tap its wisdom — and learn a 6-word magic question.
This week, I was chatting with my nephew as he embarked on his first post-college job search. We talked about personal and professional networks, and I told him about the impact of connections not only with family and close friends, but also with those who are once removed — essentially, friends-of-friends.
Sociologist Mark Granovetter conducted the original research behind this social network theory, and this year it turned 50. Granovetter’s seminal 1973 article, The Strength of Weak Ties, is now the most celebrated research in sociology.1 It has also influenced scholars in fields as far-reaching as physics, economics, and entrepreneurship.2
Strong weak ties
In his research, Granovetter studied 282 Boston-based job changers and how they found a new position. He discovered that information flows more effectively through “weak ties,” or individuals beyond the job changers’ close personal network.
These second-degree links and beyond offer access to a broader diffusion of information, and are “indispensable to individuals’ opportunities,” Granovetter observed. This research led to the development of related theories, ranging from network structures to Six Degrees of Separation, and the popular parlor game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Nodes in a network
When I discovered Granovetter’s work during my PhD studies in the early 2000s, I recognized that his research was also relevant to solopreneurs. We are single nodes in a network, connected to friends and colleagues — with weak ties to potential clients.
It is in these weak ties where potential new business is found.
Word of mouth remains an important vehicle for client referrals for solopreneurs. But many independent workers only focus on their direct connections. This means they overlook a rich potential source of new business.
Maximize your weak ties
How can you put your weak ties to work? Here are three ways to strengthen those links and land more business.
Ask close ties for direct referrals and to spread the word about your work.
First, review your close ties and make sure they know about the work you do and that you’re looking for additional clients and customers. Ask them directly for referrals — either providing contact names or email introductions. You’d be surprised how often our closest friends don’t fully understand what we do!
Set up ways you can easily be referred.
Make it easy for both close and weak ties to refer you. If someone is willing to be an advocate on your behalf, give them the information they need to do so easily. This might be something as basic as a business card with your website address on it. Or send them an email with details about you and your work that they can pass along.
Always ask the 6-word magic question.
One of the most valuable questions you can ask a new prospect is a 6-word question: How did you hear about me? The answers you receive will give you feedback on where your best referrals are coming from, and where your marketing is working most effectively. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know for sure.
The payoff from weak ties
In looking back at years of solopreneurship, I can trace my most interesting and rewarding projects to referrals from weak ties. These clients and customers turned into strong ties, who in turn referred others.
You never know what strong chain of referrals is on the other end of a link to a mutual connection.
Your challenge this week: Review your list of close ties. Reach out and ask them who they know who might benefit from your work. Transform those weak ties into new clients and customers. Rinse and repeat.
Putting this into practice
How can I not take my own advice from this issue? You, dear reader, are a close tie, and I’m asking you to spread the word about this newsletter to solopreneurs who would benefit from reading it. Thanks for being a reader, and for your support.
Granovetter’s 1973 article is the most referenced research in the field of sociology, with nearly 70,000 citations. Unfortunately, it remains behind a paywall. If you have academic access, you can find the original article on JSTOR.
While Granovetter’s work is now far-reaching, it was not readily accepted at first. The American Sociological Review rejected Granovetter’s paper in 1969. He revised it, and it took nearly four years for the American Journal of Sociology to finally publish it in May 1973.