5 easy steps to becoming an insider
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to get information when the knowledge holders are a closed community. It’s not the same as the cool kids’ lunch table but it can feel like it. For example, the travelling artists that sell at festivals – they might want to be helpful but if they’ve survived this far they know better than to say ‘yes, it’s been a great weekend and I made $10,000 (all of which is within five feet of me) to a complete stranger. And another example being treasure hunters that aren’t all that keen to share the spot where they finally found some bounty after twenty years of looking and particularly not with someone that hasn’t even put forty hours in yet. So you could whine about the unfairness of it all, or try this approach:
1. Put the time in – acknowledge to yourself that you are an outsider and have yet to earn your stripes. Go to art shows, show up at the golf course with your metal detector, even if you don’t know what you’re doing.
2. Ask for help but limit yourself to just one question; the most burning and critical one I hope. Nothing looks more manipulative than “here, show me how to do it” until the whole project has been done in demonstration. It worked on my dad when I was a kid but I’d be embarrassed to try it now.
3. Follow the rules, but don’t follow blindly. If it’s illegal to metal detect in state parks, don’t do it. But just because everyone else you see walks in straight lines doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try a zigzag. If nothing else people will start asking you about it and you’ll get some conversation going.
4. Pay it forward – there is always someone more ignorant than you, offer help to others now, don’t wait until you’re sure you’re an expert.
5. Develop your intuition and trust your gut. Most people are genuine but some are not. If a hot tip doesn’t ring true, ask around and go with your instincts.
