This post is a response to an external blog found here.

Dunbar, is the number of relationships you can maintain, which ranges from 100-250 depending on the person. Within the blog, the author claims that “the more people who know you, the more likely they are to buy from you or refer people to you.” which means she correlates the Dunbar number with success of relationships. This leads to the idea that the better you market yourself, the higher level of success you will achieve.

From a personal standpoint, I tend to believe that the more people you know, the weaker your relationships become. As a result, marketing yourself becomes less effective, as people begin view the relationship through a different perspective. Certainly, as you have more connections, some people may view you as a more credible source. Despite the benefits surrounding building a large network, I believe that people will start to doubt the intentions behind you and the meaning of your relationship as the number of people you know increases. Rather than viewing you as a person who is seeking to develop a lasting relationship, people will begin to see you as a person seeking only to market themselves and make surface relationships in order to benefit themselves.

I believe such thinking is also reflected from the marketing strategies of many successful companies. Big brands such as Nike target specific crowds, focusing on the quality of relationships they have with their customers, as opposed to quantity. A large network without quality in the connections isn’t necessarily a good thing. Thus, I feel the better someone knows you will lead to a stronger network, compared to just an increased number.

Sources:

“Improving Your Dunbar.” Shaping the Future of Marketing. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.