Stories that involve the movie The Shawshank Redemption grab my attention quickly. So when author and speaker Christopher Tuff joined our mastermind as a guest expert- and a story he shared was called “Shawshanking”- I was immensely curious. Tuff, the author of The Millennial Whisperer, is a super connector.
Tuff and I connected initially when ghostwriter Nick Pavlidis brought us together for Tuff to interview me for his latest book, Save Your Asks. In that conversation- and each one subsequently- Tuff displayed a mastery of becoming a wealth of connection. Some people want to have it, some work to have it and some just have it. Tuff has it. Each conversation, he astounds me with his ability to form connection, curiosity and engagement with such a wide variety of people.
We were chatting a few weeks back when he told me about an encounter he had on a flight home from a speaking gig. For many, it’s common to put headphones on, close their eyes and avoid any type of conversation when they get on an airplane. But Tuff thinks differently.Unlike my fashion boringness, Tuff has a unique style and brand. Even down to the bright colored frames for his glasses, the style is truly him.
On this flight, he noticed a harmony in styles with the guy sitting next to him. Initiating a conversation about how their characteristics were similar, they struck up a conversation. While passengers around them slept, Tuff and this stranger began forming a bond. Always on his toes, Tuff gifted a copy of his new book to his new friend. By the end of the flight- after reading some of the book- this new friend was sold on Tuff and his message.
A few days later, they chatted by phone. He asked Tuff if he was connected to a certain national talk show host- a name we would all recognize. When Tuff said he wasn’t, this guy said that he would make the connection because his message and book would be great for the show.
Now, connection to a highly successful television host doesn’t usually come that easy, even for Tuff. But Tuff learned a longer term method that one of his most successful connections taught him, and it came from The Shawshank Redemption.
During one of the scenes in the movie, prisoner Andy Dufrensne wanted to get the library in the prison funded. With nothing else to do, he wrote a letter a week to the government asking for that funding. After two years, the government got so sick of the letters from Dufresne, that they sent him two hundred dollars. But that didn’t stop him. He kept writing letters. Because of that, the government wound up sending enough money to fund the nicest library in the prison system.
Tuff spoke to the Total Life Freedom Mastermind about a concept that he calls “Shawshanking.” He mentioned his friend Jason, who he has known since the very beginning of Facebook. Jason and Chris were closing a deal together- and it was the biggest contract of Jason’s career.
“As a sales person and networker myself,” Tuff asked him, “how did you do it?”
“Chris,” Jason turned to him and stated, “I shawshanked you!”
“What is that,” Tuff asked with excited curiosity.
“Every single week for the last seven years- every single week- I had a touch point with you,” Jason described. “It’s been on text. It’s been on Instagram message. It’s been on email. But every single week, I’ve had a touch point with you and I shawshanked you.”
Tuff was so amazed by the process, that he built it into his own connection process. It wasn’t long before he received a call from the CMO from Home Depot, wanting to hire him to be their social media person. But Tuff wasn’t as interested in that as he was in having them be a client for his agency.
After their initial meeting, where he declined their offer to be their social media person, Tuff continued to keep in touch. He was honest in telling them that so many social media people are full of garbage that he decided that he wanted to be a resource for them. So instead of being hired to do the work they wanted, he did a great deal to help them without trying to get hired. Tuff did this for fourteen months. It was at that point when Tuff’s agency got their first contract with The Home Depot.
That one contract helped create an agency within their agency where there are now a whopping 140 people that work on that one contract. After eight years, they are now one of their biggest clients. And it’s all because of shawshanking.
“Shawshanking,” says Tuff, “is all about genuine connection. ‘When you are building those relationships, all you are doing is creating common passion points. And all of my stories- whether it be with Home Depot, or Nike, they wind up becoming some of my best friends. And that is one of the most amazing things about this idea of Shawshanking.”
Vincent
I’ll be back next week!
In the meantime, I love adding options that can be a help to you!
1- I offer the audio version of my first book, Freelance to Freedom, absolutely free here. I was honored to have amazing people like Seth Godin and Pat Flynn to endorse
2- Grab a copy of my new book, The Wealth of Connection here.
3- If you are looking for an amazing community of business owners to work through the loneliness of entrepreneurship, build amazing connections and create that business that provides you time, money and location freedom, check it out The Total Life Freedom Mastermind Community here.
