Hello ... Let's get married! ... [🐝U]

When was the last time you walked up to a complete stranger & said,
“Hi I’m (first name) … Let’s get married!”
(not even a “will you marry me?”)

A statement that feels like a demand.
No warm-up.
No connection.
Just straight to the altar.

Or what about walking into a business, heading straight to the cash register & saying,
“Give me $X to do ___” … without the introduction?

 0K … 1 more question …

How often do you reach out to prospects with a pitch &/or price point before getting to know them?

I’m sure you scoffed at the first 2 but had to give serious thought to the 3^rd one.

Online, we do the exact same thing we’d never dream of doing in real life.

I’ll be honest … I’ve caught myself doing it too.
It’s way easier than we want to admit.

It’s the same energy … different situations.
& the cost is big … lost trust, ignored messages, & a perception for being “that person.”

The Cold-Pitch-Slap

The dreaded cold-pitch … we’ve all been on the receiving end at some point
& as much as we hate it done to us
We do it to others a lot more than we realize. 

The frustrating part is when it’s done on purpose.
Here’s a perfect example from last week

Someone slid into my inbox…
they were offering me a free website review
& proudly told me they’d send over a list of chores.

Chores!
As if anyone is sitting around the week before Thanksgiving whispering,
“You know what my life needs? More tasks from a stranger.”

If they had simply said,
“Hey, here’s what I found. & here’s why it matters to your business,”
I might have actually cared.

I don’t know anyone who likes or even wants more “chores” … do you?

A better approach?
Tell me why the report matters to my business
Give me the specific insights right there in the email.
Make the fixes feel simple, doable, & not a “chore”
Then once you’ve earned trust follow up with the next “problem” those solutions create .

 & while we’re on the topic of confusing outreach …

Most outreach mistakes come from good intentions and rushed fingers.
But here’s a question … if your Subject Line has “website price”, why isn’t it referenced in the body of the email?

That’s not curiosity.
That’s confusion … even a little click-baity

Then there’s the wishy-washy uncertain approach

No one wakes up excited to build a new website for their business.
Most of us are still recovering from the emotional trauma of building what we have.

& if you’re going to tell me it needs improving, at least be gentle …
I’ve poured time, money, & tech-stress into it.

What – exactly – are the latest features that can help ME & my business specifically

“we” are a professional development company but there’s no name, no link to their website

Don’t hoard information like it’s a hostage situation.
Give people what they need to understand the problem.
The how is what they pay for
The what builds trust.

How to soften the pitch blow

The easiest fix?
Don’t pitch in the first message.
They don’t know you … yet.
& people don’t buy from strangers
They buy from people they know-like-trust.

You also don’t know how aware they are of their problem
Turn your features into their benefits
Remember to think about what’s in it for them
Use a lot more “you” & very little “I/we” … you can use the find function for a quick tally
Use plural verbs to put the “work” on the product/service more than the client

How to keep track of all these prospects (& pitches)

Ideally, you have a CRM so everything’s stored in one place that lets you track & set follow-up reminders.

Spreadsheets work too.
Yeah, they’re a lot clunkier
But they’re budget-friendly when you’re just starting out.

The tool matters less than your consistency in using it.

My cheap & lazy LinkedIn approach

I send connection requests without notes
But it’s only to people who shared their profile during an event.
Context matters.
They expect connections that week, which lowers the “are you about to pitch me?” alarm.

As they start accepting, reply with a thank you message:
→ thank them for accepting the connection request,
→ tell them how you found their profile
(“you shared your link in the chat during (event) & saw that (something else in common)” → → Ask a relevant question to the event to encourage a response (aka start a conversation)
(“How long have you been following/active in (event organizer/business name)’s world?”)

People are hesitant to accept connection requests with no notes because they don’t want to get a cold pitch slap

But they’re more open to seeing them when they share their link in group chats.

That means we can take advantage of reaching out without a note
… so I don’t have to pay for LinkedIn Premium (that’s the cheap part)

& if the 1^st message explains why we’re connected & has some common ground, I can always scroll up to that’s 1^st message as a reminder (that’s the lazy part)

Here’s where things fall off the rails for us …

Once someone connects with you, that’s when the real work begins: nurturing.
Not selling.
Not pitching.
Just talking to them like a human you just met in real life.

Ask questions to encourage a response … just like talking to someone you just met in person

(it’s like a CTA in your social media content / newsletter / blog … so there’s no “dead-end”)

Encourage engagement by actually being engaged.
Respond to their comments.
Ask them questions … Be genuinely curious.
People remember who remembers them.

Remember to send a connection request to someone who likes/comments (if you’re not already)

“Thanks for liking/commenting on my post about (topic)” …
& ask them a question about (topic)

What if they reach out to you without a note?

You know that feeling …
Who are they?
What do they want from me?

We all know we’re showing up because we want money in some way
& people are willing to pay for your products/services
But unless they’re terribly desperate, they’ll want to know-like-trust you a bit 1^st

The great thing about that is the better they know-like-trust you …
the more they’re will to pay to try-buy

If you’ve reached out to me without a note, chances are you’ve seen this or a variation.
I’m going to ask you how you found my profile & what prompted you to reach out

That leads them to answer the question before the pitch (doesn’t always work)

& sometimes there’s generic nonsense
 “I love what you’re doing”
“you’re doing great things”

I’ll be obnoxious & push back … what specifically

& if they skip answering & go straight to the pitch, I’ll ask them what they see in my profile that indicates I need what they offer & that a random cold pitch without answering my question was OK

& if I’m feeling especially spicy?
I’ll pull out the Reverse Uno card & cold-pitch them right back.
Not out of pettiness … to make a point:
If it doesn’t feel good when you get pitched…
Why would it feel good when you send one?

Try this today:
Send a connection request to OR message one person you actually want to talk to
No pitch.

Want to build the habit?
Start with me.

Reply to this email with one sentence:
“Here’s what made me open this email.”

Or send me a LinkedIn DM with:
“I found you through ___ & wanted to connect because ___”

Make it a great “conversational“ week!
EG

PS:

Don’t get SaaD. Get Rippling.

Software sprawl is draining your team’s time, money, and sanity. Our State of Software Sprawl report exposes the true cost of “Software as a Disservice” and why unified systems are the future.

Stop SaaD in its tracks

CTV ads made easy: Black Friday edition

As with any digital ad campaign, the important thing is to reach streaming audiences who will convert. Roku’s self-service Ads Manager stands ready with powerful segmentation and targeting — plus creative upscaling tools that transform existing assets into CTV-ready video ads. Bonus: we’re gifting you $5K in ad credits when you spend your first $5K on Roku Ads Manager. Just sign up and use code GET5K. Terms apply.

Use code GET5K now

PPS:
Every email is based on what you ask for … the more something’s asked for, the faster it finds its way to the top of the to-write-about pile
📣 Tell me what you want to read about … here

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn … here

📈 Want to talk about better marketing results for your business by being yourself?
Find a time that fits your schedule.