Ever been in a situation where you are trying to get a hold of someone or get introduced to another person but just can’t figure out how? This is the reality for most salespeople. How do you get pass that low level gatekeeper and get an introduction to the real decision maker at the company?
Give your network a boost with PeopleMaps
The answer is in PeopleMaps.
This really cool tool I read about on Laura Ramos’ blog, shows the path between you and your desired target. By gathering information from your LinkedIn, Facebook, Yahoo, Gmail (not Hotmail, mind you), and other social media sites you belong, it maps out your connections and the connections of your connections.
There is a free version that is worth trying out just so you see the power of undcovering a strong connection between you and another person you may want to befriend. Is like LinkedIn on steroids, because not only you can see who’s connected to whom, but also HOW they are connected.
And here is where some caution is necessary. I saw that in some cases it showed me a path to a person via a friend of mine just because they both worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. And PWC is a company with thousands of people from all over the world, so although the fact that they worked for the same company is good, it doesn’t really ensure they know each other. A call to this friend could solve the mystery, though, and is better than no clue at all.
Sales reps should look into this tool as a potential route for getting in direct contact with those hard-to-reach contacts, and also to expand their networks. And if you are looking for a job, this may be a great way to find a way to get a personal introduction to the hiring manager on that company you want to interview for.
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The Effective Marketer 
Daniel, thanks for this post. I tried out PeopleMaps and agree that it is really cool. I can see myself using it but can’t get my head around $49/mth – seems too high. Will see if I can get by on the free version. (Look forward to meeting up with you at BOS 2009.)
@darren, I know what you mean… the price is indeed a big obstacle unless you are trying to network like crazy or you’re in sales and rely constantly on introductions to meet prospects. If they priced it at $10 / month for instance it would be more attractive. Look forward to catching up with you at BOS!