Online Business Freedom

Mavens

In Part 1 of this series we talked about Connectors, and how they are the spreaders of an idea virus.

However, Connectors usually don’t originate their own ideas.

That is usually the role of the second type of person in our study: The Maven.

In short, Mavens are information brokers.

That’s all well and good, but what makes a Maven truly a Maven?

At first glance, a Maven may simply seem like a bargain hunter. They are obsessive about products, prices, and places.

But what sets a Maven apart from an ordinary bargain hunter is that a Maven will obsessively find the best and most obscure deals and bits of information, but then they will share it with YOU.

They are the facilitators in a marketplace.

If you know a Maven, they will gladly help you do research on purchasing a product or service (if they don’t know already).

In fact, they will take great joy in it.

Mavens connect people to the marketplace for the sheer thrill and fulfillment that it gives them.

Just as Connectors don’t use their immense spheres of influence as bargaining chips, Mavens rarely horde their information, but instead, share it freely with whoever asks.

That is the difference between an expert and a Maven. An expert will talk about cars because they love cars, not because they love you.

Mavens are more socially motivated and will reveal the fruits of their research.

In “The Tipping Point” Malcolm Gladwell interviewed a Maven named Mark Alpert.

During the course of a lunch interview, Alpert:

* Explained why he has cable TV over dish

* Gave Gladwell the inside scoop on Leonard Maltin’s new movie guide

* Explained why Gladwell shouldn’t buy an Audi (“For a while they would give you an under-the-counter warranty, but they don’t anymore. The dealer net-work is small, so it’s hard to get service. I love driving them. I don’t feel like owning them.”)

* Gave Gladwell the name of a contact at the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan who was very helpful in getting a great deal

* Described the long and often hilarious few months it took him to buy a new TV (Warranty fine print, dissatisfaction at the tiniest electronic details, etc…). If a normal person had gone through what Alpert had endured, he would have thrown up his hands and given up. Alpert found it exhilarating.

* Told Gladwell about the TWO times he had written Consumer Reports to correct them about 2 separate inaccuracies they had in their Audi 4000 model and Audi 5000 model. He had out-Mavened the Maven bible.

Mavens seem to actually fulfill their emotional needs by solving other people’s problems.

Alpert seemed to find satisfaction that Gladwell would call his contact at the Park Central Hotel and get a great deal.

Alpert hoped that Gladwell would take his research to heart and save himself the maintenance headaches of an Audi.

How do Mavens absorb so much information?

Mavens usually enjoy the absorbing of information far more than ordinary mortals. They read more magazines, books, blogs, websites, and newspapers in a day than most non Mavens do in a week.

Mavens take great pleasure in analyzing and dissecting this information, and getting it ready to be regurgitated to their social circle.

If you had a Maven friend who made an exciting new discovery in their field of interest, you would probably hear about it very quickly.

And as you just read about Mark Alpert (who is an electronics and technology connoisseur), Mavens tend to have strong opinions about their choices… because they are backed up by cold, hard, statistical evidence!

I have a friend who fits the Maven archetype so perfectly that she single handedly caused me to remember “The Tipping Point” and the 3 types of people who cause an idea virus.

She is also a technology and electronics connoisseur, and to give you an example, just during the last few months of our friendship…

* She helped me get a ridiculous 40% off on my Lenovo ThinkPad purchase (Not sure how she found the coupon codes, but boy am I glad she did…)

* Tried heroically to get me NOT to purchase the ThinkPad, and to instead get a Mac, which she is crusading valiantly to convert the world to. (If you let her she will point out every reason imaginable to switch over. And as with all Mavens, her research and logic are undeniable)

* Confessed that she ALWAYS hits the “Send Report” tab when Internet Explorer or Firefox shuts down due to some problem – and she writes a detailed explanation of what went wrong, EVERY SINGLE TIME (she has also told me about the letters she has written to Sony, Canon, and all sorts of other electronics companies she has purchased with)

* Got me a sickeningly great vacation deal at the MGM Grand Hotel in Vegas, for the same price I was going to pay at a lesser known hotel

* Subscribes to, and READS, hundreds of electronics, design, and consumer blogs every day

* Taught herself Java, HTML, Ajax, C/C+++, and a plethora of other programming languages that make my head hurt

* Helped me with my blog!

And in true Maven form, all of this knowledge was given to me cheerfully and openly.

That is the true power of Mavens.

Their advice is taken without question because they have the knowledge and expertise, but more importantly, because there is no motive or agenda behind the sharing of this knowledge and expertise.

But here is where the line is drawn.

Mavens are not persuaders by nature.

They simply know what they know, are superb peddlers of information, and are great influencers of their personal social circles.

It’s when their ideas catch on to Connectors that the virus begins to spread.

But as we discussed in the previous post, even Connectors aren’t persuaders. They are simply connectors of people.

So the final type of person to complete the trifecta is the Salesman. More on that tomorrow.

-James D. Lee

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