I mapped how a warm relationship actually becomes a deal. Poke holes in it.
Maker here, thinking out loud about something I keep running into.
Everyone says their best deals come from people they already know. But "work your network" is useless advice. It's not a system, it's a vibe.
So I tried to map what actually turns a dormant connection into a real conversation. Four things have to line up:
Relationship: you already know them, or you're one degree away
Signal: something changed. A raise, a new role, an expansion
Fit: the change is actually relevant to what you do
Timing: you catch it while the moment is still open
Miss one and it falls apart:
A signal without a relationship is just a cold lead.
A relationship without timing is dormant.
Timing without fit is noise.
When all four line up, you get the one thing worth acting on: a reason to talk to someone you already know.
Two questions for this community:
What am I missing? Is there a fifth ingredient?
How do you personally catch the "timing" part today? Gut feel, a spreadsheet, or do you just miss most of them?
Genuinely trying to pressure-test this. I'll share what I learn from the replies.
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