100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS • 83of epidemics, as they communicate throughout different
“networks” of people. Masters of the “weak tie” (a friendly,
superfi cial connection) can spread ideas far.- Mavens—information specialists—also connect with people,
but focus on the needs of others rather than on their own
needs, and have the most to say. Examples of mavens include
teachers. - Salespeople concentrate on the relationship, not the
message. Their “sales” skills, with mastery of non-verbal
communication and “motor mimicry” (imitating the person’s
emotions and behavior to gain trust), afford them a pivotal
role in persuading others.
- The stickiness factor. W i t h p r o d u c t s o r i d e a s , h o w a t t r a c t i v e t h e y a r e
matters as much as how they are communicated in determining
whether they spread. To reach a tipping point, ideas have to be
compelling and “sticky.” (If something is unattractive, it will be
rejected irrespective of how it is transmitted.) The information
age has created a stickiness problem—the “clutter” of messages
we face leads to products and ideas being ignored. To create
epidemics, it is essential to make sure the message is not lost in
this clutter, and to ensure the message is “sticky.” - The power of context. Changes in the context of a message can
tip an epidemic. Given that people’s circumstances, or context,
matter as much as their character, a tipping point can be
controlled by altering the environment they live in. This has
many implications for businesses, from employee performance
to generating sales.
An example of the tipping point is “broken windows theory.”
One person, seeing a single broken window, may believe there
is an absence of control and authority, making them more likely
to commit crimes. In this way, small crimes invite more serious