Fool Proof Tips for Cold Call Networking - Part 1
I want to cover the topic of approaching someone you don’t know for a meeting/interview/lunch/information/internship or to just introduce yourself. Rather than breaking this out specifically for tips to get an internship or interview for example, I’m going to cover it together as most of the points are fairly universal and I trust all of you to connect those dots. This is part one, which has to do with the first part of your letter or email (which should be the first step, which I’ll cover later as well).
Also - especially in this first part, everything I’m saying probably sounds *really* elementary. The problem is, between the hiring I did in my corporate life and the inquiries we get now for all sorts of things, I’ve received and read literally hundreds of these types of inquiries the past few years and 90% of them fail on one of these points. SO! Even if you think this stuff is obvious, refer back before you hit send.
First! Whether you are hoping to gain audience with a high powered business person (not me) or the owner of a small business you have interest in (me), there are a few overarching principles that most of the individual tips will fit into. If you read nothing else, read these.
1 - This person is busy, they have their own stuff going on. If you want their attention, it absolutely must be just as easy for the person you are contacting to say YES than for them to say NO. You have to do all of the legwork here.
2 - There has to be something in it for them. This can be tangible or intangible - maybe you are also someone that they would like to know, maybe they need an intern, maybe they really enjoy mentoring new business owners, or maybe it’s lunch. There has to be an upside for them.
3 - Show a little respect. This ties into doing all the legwork in point 1, but it’s one of the most common reasons I will hit delete rather than reply on an email or voice mail. Respect their work/position/whatever is compelling you to get in touch, respect their intelligence, and respect their time.
4 - After all of that, you still have to break out and get their attention. When you get to this stage presumably you haven’t annoyed or offended them, but why should they notice you?
With me? OK. Here are a few points for the first half of your letter. Check back later this week for subsequent sections!
i - Take a few minutes and do your research - know who to address. Sending an email with the words Sir or Madam anywhere will land you in the trash quicker than, well I don’t know what. Take the time to figure out who you are writing to.
With larger companies this can take some more research, with smaller ones like ours where our names are plastered everywhere it’s downright rude when someone can’t take the time to figure out who to address, and yet wants us to take the time to meet with them. If you are a sir/madam person and unsure why you never get a response, this is why!
ii - Let your contact set the tone. This is more or less applicable depending on who you are contacting, but if you send someone who is decidedly not formal a very formal letter, you sound stuffy and boring and will not get a response.
On our site in the about section under the heading Reilly + Miranda we mention interests ranging from snowboards to polaroids to jujubes. We have fun, I think we sound fun, so make yourself sound fun too! For us, this would mean *not* addressing us as “Mr. and Ms. Lievers” and writing like you are addressing a law society. Take a queue from your contact and write like you would speak to them.
iii - More research - don’t send a form letter. Simply put, if you are emailing many people rather than just one contact (ie: job hunting), customize your email or cover letter to show that you’ve at least read through the website.
For a large company open up google and read their latest press release to at least have a clue what is new and exciting for them. For a small company, look through their website and reference something you saw. Even if you are sending 30 letters, take a few minutes to show you put a little time into each one.
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At this point if you are sending some sort of letter it should be addressed and be partially written. This could be long, or for an email to us, it could be as simple as this:
Hey!
I saw your website and loved your blog. The Cuba photos in particular are awesome - I was there last year!
…
The key, however, is at this point you don’t want to have done anything that will get your inquiry tossed. Haven’t fully gained my attention just yet, but haven’t lost it, so we’re doing OK.
In Parts 2 & 3 I’m going to talk about how to ask for what you want (and figuring out what you want in the first place), how to make it just as easy to say yes as to say no, how and when to follow up, and a few things to avoid in the process.
Cheers!