Strangers to Friends
A cornerstone strategy to progress
Every month Jana and I get ourselves along to the South Kingsville Slow Food Melbourne Farmers Market. It is a typical producer’s market with some beautiful local food of many kinds. It has become a ritual for us and we have now started to bring friends along because it is so good!
with Don and Jo at the latest Slow Food Melbourne
Farmers Market in South Kingsville, Victoria
One stall we always look forward to is Restdown Wines. Run by Don and Jo, this is an organic vineyard based in the Echuca Region, Victoria. Personally, I have always found organic wine to be little sub-par in taste which is a shame because they tend to be low in sulfites which correlate with less sore-headedness the next day after having a few.
But, when we tasted their selection, we quite enjoyed it. Don and Jo told us about their production methods, their farm, their history, and their philosophy, and before you know it we were talking all things life, family, politics, and everything else in between. Less than six months later we are a part of the Restdown Wines Members Program and have introduced Don and Jo to many friends of ours. And when we have friends over, we open a bottle and re-tell some of the stories associated with Restdown.
The key takeaway of this story is that the wine has an important role, but it is a cameo. The wine is the Hollywood Star that is only on stage for a few minutes. The central role is played by Don and Jo, who we sit and chat with every time we visit the market. And every time we do, we make the cross over from stranger, to customer, to friend, and have found ourselves quickly becoming an advocate.
I feel that every job role, every department, and every business needs to have a ‘Stranger-to-Friend-Strategy’. If we understand that this is the game we are playing, then a world of fulfilling opportunity opens up. Once we surround ourselves with friends, it seems to be an easy step towards building a tribe of advocates. And a tribe of Advocates becomes a powerful, profitable, and sustainable catalyst for achievement of targets and goals.
As you plan for the upcoming quarter, half, or year, what is your Stranger-to-Friend-Strategy?
