20A networking

David Kim 

1) Who they are and what their background is. 

 He is employed in Samsung Electronics in Korea. 

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot. 

Domain Expert

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

I found about him through my father who is a professor in Korea. I personally reached out to him via email and was able to engage in a phone conversation.

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

It was a huge favor they did for me spending time with me in their busy schedule. It was amazing how he did not expect anything back.

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

This will enhance my ability because he is an expert in recognizing where the phone business is heading and what to expect in the future. 

John Butz

1) Who they are and what their background is. He is a sophomore at the University of Florida and is the definition of an average Joe.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

He is the market expert because he is from an average income family who is an avid cell phone user. 

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

I met John through one of the classes we had at UF. 

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

It was a casual talk about my business idea and I also bought him lunch. 

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

He will provide insights from an average customer perspective which will be huge for me.

Kevin Lang

1) Who they are and what their background is. 

He is a local AT&T worker. 

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

He is a supplier expert since he sells cell phones as a job. 

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

I walked into a local AT&T store and engaged in a conversation with him during his lunchtime. 

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

We had a casual conversation and I promised him that I would contact him for my future phone purchases and received his business card. 

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

He will be able to provide insights from a supplier perspective which would be huge for me. He can also provide insight into how much I should price the phone and how to market the phone.

Finally: This assignment was really helpful for me. It provided me great networking, but more importantly an opportunity to hear what the experts thought of my idea. I learned how to treat the experts and learned that it is important to be intentional about building my network when engaging in a conversation.