Here’s
what I prefer when you make first contact with me …
First
– I prefer some kind of ‘initial’ contact.
I’ll explain this from two different perspectives: what I prefer, and
what I think someone should do.
For
me, what works best is if a person emails me and just basically introduces
themselves first, not initially just trying to get me into business with them
right away.
The
worst thing that can possibly happen is some person coming and saying. “Hey
– I’m John Doe and have this product. I
want you to market it and I think we could do this and that together.”
Well
– (a) I don’t know John Doe, and (b) I certainly don’t know what his
product is, and so (c) I don’t feel comfortable doing business with this
complete stranger.
What
I like to see is someone coming to me first to just ‘touch base.’
I’ll
give you a great example. Alex
Sampson approached me one time about doing a Joint Venture. He didn’t immediately come out and say, “I want to do
business with you.” What he did
say was that he just wanted to touch base with me, and Joel Christopher had
contacted him and said that I was someone he should get to know.
Then
Alex wanted to know when a good time was that we could get together and talk.
The essential things that Alex did were:
v
He went
through someone who is a friend of mine (Joel), and
v
He
contacted me through Joel
v
He used
Joel’s name so I was more apt to respond to him, and
v
He
didn’t come right out and ask me to do business with him
v
He
didn’t even mention his product during the first contact
What
he did do was simply ask me when it would be convenient to just get together and
talk on the phone. What Alex may
not have known is that Joel had already talked to me and said, “Hey – I gave
this guy your number. What can we
do? Is it OK if he calls you?”
I
said, “Yeah – sure – why not?”
I had heard of Alex before, so I had some kind of reference to go by when Alex called me after that. When he called me, we got to know each other. He got to know me and I ...
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