Finding a Mentor - DIGITAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEMS course

1. Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial
Finding a Mentor
DIGITAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEMS
2015-16
António Grilo
Aneesh Zutshi

2. 2
Why you would want a mentor?
• Mark Zuckerberg – Paid to be around more succesful people
• Being around successful people
– Passionate
– Yes you can do it
• Pushing you
– Get outside of comfort zone
• Accelerate learning
– Learn from experience of others
– Learn from other’s mistakes
• Not paid for, is a gift – other means of exchange, building relationship

3. 3
How to find a mentor?
• How to find a mentor?
• How to attract the attention of a mentor?
• How to keep a mentor?

4. 4
Who should be a mentor?
• Someone who is making a
lot of money.
• Ambitious.
• Inspiring
• In-person potential
• Aspire to have close
personal relation
– Work with
– Partner with

5. 5
Idea of Passion
• Cynic – Passion is living in fairy tale land
• Idealist – Nothing but passion should drive me
• Too many Passions

6. 6
Pitching Prelimineries
• Anticipate the things you want to do
– Consolidate your dreams
• Develop a body of work
– Blog
– Youtube Channel
• Research the Mentor
– Hear Interview, podcast
– Read all his body of work

7. 7
Questions to ask about Mentor
• Free Writing the answers to these questions
• Why did he or she start what they are doing?
• What are the main benefits the followers/clients receive?
• What are the biggest problems of the followers/clients?
• What are the biggest frustrations of the people you are
contacting in having to provide a solution?

8. 8
Questions to ask about Mentor
• How can you help? Tips ? Your proof?
• Why wouldn’t they want you to work for them and what
objections they might have?
• What is their dream?
• What is their nightmare?
• Get inside their head.

9. 9
Meet in person
• Edward Druce
(www.the21convention.com) shares his
experience with Owen Cook
(www.realsocialdynamics.com)
– Event with 400 people
– Personal problem – Shoulder Injury
– Book “Becoming a supple leapord”
– Nervous, no appropriate time
– Tap him on stage during 2 minute activity

10. 10
Charm their assistants
• “Never eat alone” – Keith Ferrazzi.
• Identified Richard Branson’s mom
• After went out for drinks

11. 11
Email Radar
• YourName@ CompanyYouWorkWith.com
• Immediately send an email of appreciation
• Show knowledge about what they are doing
• Get More Exposure
– -Similar to how the new i-phone you keep hearing
about from different sources

12. 12
Pitch
• Ask : How I can make the person more succesful
– Not ask for help
• Intent – single line
• Dream
– You would love to dominate your industry
• Problem
– Build a small level of pain
– Salesforce – Email marketing systems were a mess
• Solution

13. 13
Objections
• Objections
– Paying you
– Babysit you
– Commitment with someone
• Overcoming Objections
– 2 weeks unpaid trial
– Bonus – Tasty tip

14. 14
Mistakes
• Spelling
• No LOL, no HAHAHA
• Warm and friendly, but professional
• 1 
• Neutral Font
• Do not use the word – Mentor
– Like going to bar, “Will you be my girlfriend”
• No message “Sent from i-phone”
• Don’t show you will be their competitor

15. 15
Pull the trigger
• Avoid Fretting
– Go and get more options
• Persist
– Mindset – No obligation to respond
– “Hi, I know you are busy, but…”
– Any bonus.
– Respond to old email

16. 16
Listen
Listen far more than you speak
– Do not moan, complain
– Do not drain their energy
– Make your mentor’s life easier
– New ideas must add value

17. Nothing to Say
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“If you’ve got nothing to say, don’t say nothing.
Nothing to give? Don’t take nothing.
Something to give? Show me something.
Nothing to say? Don’t say nothing.”
—Don’t Say Nothing

18. Perfect Timing
• When you catch people at their best, take them for
everything they have got
• No matter if you are in the middle of – sleeping, eating,
getting ready to go out- if you get a call at an odd hour
• Your mentor is in talkative mood, wanting to explore
new ideas- that’s your reality
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19. No Comparison
• Don’t compare yourself with your mentor
• You have your own goals, own values, strengths,
weaknesses and resources
• Trying to plot your map directly in the shadow of
someone else is road to ruin
• “Envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide.” - Ralph Waldo
Emerson
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20. The Law of 33%
• Spend a third of your time with people better than you, a third
with people on a similar level to you (and equally as driven), and a
third with Edward Druce 11 people who you can teach and have
more experience than. He calls this “the law of 33%”.
» - Tai Lopez
• The first drives you higher, the second is great for competition,
and the third keeps you grounded and reminds you that you’re
doing okay.
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21. Say Yes to Everything
• If you dream of starting your company, get your hands dirty in all
areas.
• From marketing, to product development, to design, to finance, to
hiring.
• Pay massively when you are looking to build your team.
• Of course if you don’t want to run a company and you’re quite
happy specializing, get on your merry way and become the best
you can be at that one thing you do better than anyone
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22. Summary
• Begin to build your body of work
• Mentorship is a lifelong process
• Only Regret – Don’t feel it yet
• Get good at business and marketing so you can enjoy
your passion.
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