I’ll be frank: networking is hard. Really hard. Especially in the early days when no one knows you, when you don’t have a lot social proof, when you’re introducing yourself 90% of the time and being introduced 10% of the time.
It’s hard.
Unfortunately, it’s also an inevitable stepping-stone on your quest for success. So today, I want to share with you a powerful email formula that will help you connect with your industry’s top talent. The head honchos. The big cheese.
If you aren’t interested in knowing why this works, or how to use it, you can skip ahead and download the template here:
However, if you’re here to learn, let’s talk about what makes this such a great email…
Shutting off the Lizard Brain
Right off the bat you’re doing something unique. Instead of immediately jumping into a long soliloquy about who you are and why you’re awesome, you do something neat— you tell your recipient why they’re special and why they’re awesome.
This is key.
Writing your email with this kind of opener shuts off your target’s “lizard brain” and stops them from immediately moving your email to its new home— the spam folder. Instead, they see a warm compliment and can’t resist opening your email to learn more.
Congratulations, your foot is in the door. Now, let’s establish some credibility.
Sell Your Skills… Quickly
OK, we’ve got their attention. Now what?
Well, if you want your prospect to take you seriously, you need to give them a reason to do so. Quickly, toot your own horn a little bit to let them know what you do. Why should they hear you out? What kind of qualifications would impress them?
But be careful when writing this section. Try to keep it to one or two sentences and no more. You don’t want to sound arrogant or like you have something to prove. Keep it short, to the point, and then move on.
RELATED: Learn who you really are: 5 Ways to Hack Self-Awareness
Answer their Burning Questions
As it stands, you’ve successfully piqued their interest and told them who you are. Now, answer the burning question in the back of your prospect’s mind:
“What’s this all about?”
Here’s where you tell your client why you’re contacting them. Quickly pitch your idea and mention how you think they could help. Keep this personal, and try to mention something specific that your target has written/created/published/etc. that gives them credibility in your eyes.
By keeping it personal, you hammer home the idea that they aren’t receiving yet another blast email and are instead receiving a target request for their attention. Do this, and you’ll skyrocket your chances of connecting over a call.
Schedule That Call… The Right Way.
The last step is to ask for the call. No need to complicate it, just ask to speak to them in order to get their thoughts on your situation. Pretty simple. However, there’s one piece here that makes your email 100x more powerful than any other generic networking email…
…Offer to pay for their time.
Chances are, the professional you’re contacting is busy doing incredible things. Chances are, that’s exactly why you’re contacting them. And chances are, they value their time extremely highly.
Don’t overlook this. Stand out from the crowd by recognizing the high value they place on their time and don’t worry about the price. Because chances are, they’ll admire your passion so much they won’t even charge you.
Download Email Template:
Using This Template
One final thought on making this work: networking is a numbers game. While this template is powerful, it’s only going to work if you send it out over and over again. The more connections you attempt to make, the great your potential for beginning a successful relationship.
If you have any questions, send me an email or use the comments below.
