Apply Tipping Point Theory

Tipping Point Theory

Apply Tipping Point Theory

Applying tipping point theory: Salespersons

As articulated by Malcolm Gladwell, tipping point theory suggests that small changes can make an enormous difference, in terms of the ways they create waves of change that eventually affect the rest of the surrounding environment, much like one carrier of a 'disease' that spreads an illness from person to person can create an epidemic. Although the disease metaphor is an example of a negative manifestation of tipping point theory, positive reforms can also be spread from person to person very quickly. Another good example of this is that of the 'meme' or Internet phenomenon that 'goes viral' as more and more people share the image or video with their online acquaintances.

Gladwell divides the disseminators of ideas into three categories: that of mavens, connectors, and salespersons. Mavens know a great deal about a topic and have the authority and enthusiasm of an expert; connectors know many people and can spread ideas quickly through their social channels; salespersons are highly enthusiastic about ideas and spread ideas through the force of their personal charm and enthusiasm. In my own life, I can see a clear example of my style as a 'salesperson' in terms of motivating my friends to make sushi part of our going-out routine.

I admit that I am not an expert on food or even an amateur restaurant critic. But after tiring of eating pizza and burgers so often on our nights out, I began to encourage my friends to patronize some sushi places when we went out to eat. I enjoy getting sushi for lunch in a 'grab and go' format, but actually going out for a nice sushi meal seemed like a great way to try new flavors.

At first there was some resistance, given that going out for sushi is more expensive than going out for pizza. However, I was able to persuade the group, noting that we had had some bad meals and bad service at our usual hangouts. Also, some members of the group were interested in eating healthier and losing some weight and sushi is more figure-friendly than typical fast food. Finally, I urged the group to try something different, so we could break out of our 'comfort zones' and avoid becoming boring and predictable in our patterns. Using these persuasive arguments, I encouraged the group to go out for sushi once, and now sushi is a regular part of our social routine. I have also noticed that more people are willing to get sushi as a take-out lunch, versus a sandwich from Subway or a slice of pizza from the cafeteria.