“No, thank you. I do not want meet you for coffee, and give you free advice.”
There are MILLIONS of blogs, YouTube videos and forums dedicated to sharing “free” knowledge and expertise.
So when I get an email asking to meet for coffee to give some “free” tips, I immediately know the sender doesn’t (yet) understand the concept of…
ADDING VALUE FIRST!
Nor have they done their homework properly enough for me to desire meeting their request for connection.
Never ever.
Never ever ever.
Ask for a favor from someone you want to connect with.
Because chances are:
1. They are buys professionals
2. Asking for favors is what 99% of people ask them.
Find a way to add value to them first.
And you will make an impression — and have more chances of a real actual connection.
“How?” you may ask…
DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
Here are some examples:
- Follow them on social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook are gold mines for researching anyone! (PS: Do not add them as a friend on Facebook) there is a FOLLOW button on Facebook for a reason.
2. Read their blog and go over their website — in-depth! Reading ONE article doesn’t count.
Why?
Because rarely do people do this. And it will make you stand out when you connect with them online or in person. (You can read what I have to say about standing out here and here.
And rather than a “cold” email.
Start with some connecting on social.
Like a Facebook post. Share one of their tweets. Comment on some of their Instagram photo, YouTube Videos, or blog posts (in moderation, don’t co crazy, no body wants a STALKER, ever if you are stalking a little ;)).
This can increase your chances of them recognizing your name in their inbox, rather than it going to SPAM.
A good example and a bad example.
Recently I received an email of a woman who did exactly that.
See below…
This made her stand out.
Whereas, when I got an email asking to meet for coffee to offer some “free tips” I didn’t respond the same way.
Learn about what the person may be interested in via what you read. Do they love a certain kind of music? Do they keep sharing quotes from their favorite books? Are they posting their blog articles.
Read. Learn. Discover.
DO NOT ASK FOR A FAVOR
bout how you can ADD VALUE to them, before asking for anything.
In fact, going into this thinking you’re going to get something out of them, is wasting your time. And you will be showing you’re only self-interested.
True networking is going out and adding value to EVERYONE you meet in your field. Offer to make connections between two people you’re met. Go learn who is in your field. Who your competition is. Even offer something to your competition by way of free work, service or product.
Don’t be the needy guy handing our your business card to everyone. Expecting other people to do the work.
YOU DO THE WORK
Because if you’re wanting to ask for favors (introductions, tips, connections) then you have more time than you have money. And when you have more time than money — you need to HUSTLE!
Gary Vaynerchuck is the master of teaching hustle. Check out his recent article on this very concept.
MAKE AN OFFER — A VALUE ADD
Example email you could send:
“Hey Jacqueline.
I discovered you on Twitter last week and I read all your writing on Medium. I loved your article about “standing out of a crowd.”
I was able to action your suggestions there, and I recently got an interview at my dream company! Thank you so much for sharing your advice.
Also, I noticed as I read your blog, that you run a few websites!
I’ve been a professional (seo/designer/writer/editor/coder ) and I’ve created this (design/document/list/spreadsheet) for you — it would improve your (search results/readability/ascetics etc etc. etc).
I’m available on Skype any day this week and I’d be happy to walk you through this at no cost. I’d just love to add some value to you. Ping me anytime, or email me here if setting a time would be more convenient for you.
Thanks again,
Awesome Reader Name
(Skype, email, website)
What am I likely going to think when I see an email like this, after seeing that persons name a few times a week or days before.
I’m going to think.
- This persona has done their homework
- This person understands value exchange
- This person may be someone cool enough to connect with.
So I would likely Skype with this person.
CAVEAT: Do not make the mistake when you get a chance to connect with the person of interest, to ask them for a favor, or for a share.
ASK THEM HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM:
Example:
Do you have any upcoming launches/releases/articles/projects.
I’d love to be able to share this with my network.
PS: There is actually an immense amount of value in this article. Only 1 in a 100 people would action what I’ve shared here. Is that one person you? If so, I’d love to hear from you.
