Frequently Asked Questions about SmallWorld

What is SmallWorld?

SmallWorld is a software application that helps companies of all sizes leverage the power of warm introductions and referrals to help drive sales and new business opportunities.

Buyers are 5x more likely to engage with a salesperson through an introduction from someone in their network vs. cold outreach, yet these warm introductions from trusted sources are very under-utilized today. SmallWorld solves this problem for both the salesperson and the person being asked to make the warm introduction by providing the tools and intelligence to reveal where real relationships exist and the best path of connectivity to engage any target prospect.

How is SmallWorld different from other professional networks or methods of seeing who is connected to whom?

SmallWorld helps solve 4 major challenges that salespeople face today when seeking warm introductions to target prospects using other tools / methods:

Lack of visibility into where relationships might exist. Salespeople are limited to seeing connections to those in their own network or colleagues who have their company listed on their LinkedIn profile. This typically excludes many potential connectors such as board members, partners, customers, advisors, investors, and others who have a vested interest in the success of the business (and are often expected to help make warm introductions as a way to contribute to the business) but do not publicly share their affiliation with the company.
No clear way to determine the strength of a relationship through “connections”. Even should there be a visible ‘connection’ to a target prospect, these “1st or 2nd degree connections” are often weak and, in most cases, there is not a real relationship to leverage for a warm introduction. In fact, 82% of people in a survey admitted to accepting invitation requests from people they didn’t know. SmallWorld solves this problem by applying our Relationship Strength index for all relationships in our database to drive more data integrity and to reveal where the real relationships exist.
Requesting an introduction is still very manual and often a bit awkward. Most sales teams today do not have a common application where they can manage and inform warm introductions for those who are helping make the introductions. These requests often come with too little context from the salesperson on the purpose and reason behind the introduction. SmallWorld helps Connectors more easily deliver warm introductions through a simpler user experience and relevant context behind each introduction request.
Lack of data or measurement on impact of warm introductions or referrals. SmallWorld tracks these warm introductions through a dashboard so sales and marketing teams can easily measure the impact on top of funnel, conversion rates, and win/loss ratios when deals are initiated or enabled through SmallWorld.

Who is a Requester?

The Account Executive, Sales Development Representative, Field Marketing Representative, etc. who is seeking a warm introduction to a Target Prospect

Who are eligible Requesters?

Eligible Requesters are salespeople (or marketers) from the participating company who have been selected to be subscribers by the Account Administrator and have registered within the SmallWorld platform.

Who is a Connector?

The person (senior executive, advisor, board member, partner, customer, etc.) who makes the warm introduction to the Target Prospect

Who are eligible Connectors?

Eligible Connectors are people that can make successful warm introductions through their relationships with target prospects to companies where they are directly or indirectly involved in some way. This includes employees, partners, customers, board members, advisors, investors, and anyone directly connected to these people (e.g., a spouse of an employee). For example, an active board member may have a partner at their venture firm who isn’t directly involved in the business, but has a vested interest in seeing it be successful. They are by definition an eligible Connector because of their indirect relationship and motivation to seeing the business grow through new customer acquisition.

What are Eligible Connector Incentives?

Board Members: Part of the expectation for their role and equity - helping the business grow by leveraging their network at the appropriate time

Investors / Advisors: Part of the expectation for their role and equity - helping the business grow by leveraging their network at the appropriate time

Senior Executives: Part of the expectation for their role in driving shareholder value and increasing the value of their equity

Employees: Potential commission / referral bonus for any closed business aligned with current SDR team bonus structure or aligned with new hire bonus

Channel Partners: Easier way to track and account for referral fees, building goodwill / reciprocal opportunities

Customers: Potential contractual discount / concessions. Prioritize those already willing to be a reference and consider incentives to others who are advocates of the product / service

Partners at the VC firm of the board member: Vested interest in the success of the company to help overall portfolio performance

Spouse or friend of employee: Direct benefactor of the success of the business or act of goodwill

External network: Providing mutual benefit to both parties when introduction request is relevant to current prospect needs / requirements

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Do I have to upload my connections to SmallWorld to participate as a Connector?

No. Although we encourage all registered Connectors to upload their networks to get the most value from the tool, you can still participate as a Connector without uploading connections by actively picking up Open Requests or submitting Offers to Introduce through the platform. Uploading connections just makes it easier for Requestors to identify

Does SmallWorld integrate with my CRM application?

Today, SmallWorld integrates with the Salesforce CRM, but we have plans to both improve upon the existing Salesforce integration as well as integrate with other popular CRMs in future versions. Stay tuned and we’ll update all users once we’re live with these integrations and enhancements

How is relationship strength determined?

Relationship strength is completely subjective and always based on the interpretation of the Connector so as a result, we look to the Connector to control and submit the strength of their relationships in SmallWorld.

How does a Requester choose the right Connector?

After submitting an Introduction Request, Requestors will see which Connectors have relationships to the target prospect either directly or indirectly (e.g., they know someone who may work at the same company). They will see the name, title, location, and relationship strength (if captured) and can use that information along with history about the Connector to inform which one to choose for an introduction request. For example, Requestors might choose a more senior Connector (advisor, C-level exec, board member) to help engage a senior level peer for an active deal whereas a channel partner might be better suited to help open the door into a new opportunity.

How do I use Salesforce as a Requester?

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How do I get started as a Connector?

Can I be a Connector for more than one company?

Yes, you can be a registered Connector for more than one company and will be visible as a Connector for every company where you are a registered Connector

As a Connector, when should I use SmallWorld?

One of the reasons we built SmallWorld is that Connectors were looking for an easier way to make warm introductions and a place they could reference to find target accounts from the sales team where they could help. Given that warm introductions and business development support is a key contribution from many of the Connectors, we encourage all Connectors to use the platform often to either review the Open Requests, respond promptly to Introduction Requests, submit “Offers to Introduce”, and to track their contributions to company through their network of relationships.

How are Connectors incentivized to make warm introductions?

Most eligible Connectors either already have a built-in incentive from the Company for making introductions (e.g., referral fees, etc.) or have intrinsic motivation to help the company grow through new business. We work closely with SmallWorld customers to determine the right incentives for each type of Connector so there is ample reason for them to actively participate. We intentionally focus on the internal network of a company to identify Connectors so there is no misalignment with the incentives and the quality and authenticity of the relationships and introductions.

For any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out to support@smallworld.ai

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