The Power of a Personal Connection: How to Reach Out and Ask for the Business You Want
By Stephanie Chandler on Apr 10, 2012 with Comments 5
Several years ago when I began my marketing consulting practice, I wanted to reach out to a CEO, but knew I would 
never get through to him by phone so instead I wrote a letter. I explained precisely how I could help his business, put a stamp on it, and dropped it in the mail. A week later he signed a substantial contract to work with me.
When I’ve needed endorsements or interviews for my books, I have simply asked. I reached out to fellow authors via email and social media. This has resulted in endorsements and interviews from Michael Gerber, T. Harv Eker, Brian Tracy, David Allen, Seth Godin, Jay Conrad Levinson, Ivan Misner, and many others.
For media interviews, one simple email to a business reporter resulted in interviews for Business Week and the LA Times. This same strategy has brought me corporate sponsorship opportunities, paid blogging contracts, and speaking engagements.
I have also been on the receiving end of this kind of personal communication. My book designer contacted me via LinkedIn and let me know about his services at a time when I needed a new designer. My website designer responded to a job posting I had on Craigslist and wrote an email that stood out from the rest.
In a world where we spend so much time on social media, texting, and moving through daily life at a frantic pace, it’s easy to forget about the power of making a personal connection and simply asking for what you want.
Who could you reach with a personal letter?
What kind of connection could you make via email or direct mail through one of your social networks?
Who do you really, really, really want to work with?
Note that this isn’t about sending form letters en masse. It’s about personalizing your interactions. Let your subject know that you understand and appreciate what they do, and how you can solve a problem for them. I bet you’ll be surprised by the results.
Filed Under: Marketing by SC
Comments (5)
Comments Rule! 5 Reasons to Leave a Comment on This Post
- We link your name to your website which may improve your site ranking with Google.
- Because we include your web link, other readers may click through and visit your site.
- Contribute to the conversation. Did this help you? Do you have something to add? Share with our readers!
- It's good karma! You just might get more comments on your blog as a result, not to mention visibility with other readers.
- We pay attention to comments and appreciate users who take the time to contribute!
Leave a Reply
Related Articles
The Secret to Pitching Anything to Anyone
My last “real job,” before I ventured into entrepreneurial life ten years ago, was in software sales. I worked for a big Silicon Valley tech company and went through countless sales training programs over the years. But there was one lesson nobody ever taught me in those high-dollar training classes, and it’s the most important [...]
7 Essential Steps to Build an Online Presence for Your Business
I’ve been speaking about the topic of online marketing for many years now, yet I still come across people every day who are struggling to put the pieces together. It can sound overwhelming to build a brand online, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Following are some important and effective steps you can [...]
From Entrepreneur to CEO: The Most Important (and Profitable) Change You Can Make in Your Business
For years I have watched hundreds of entrepreneurs with tremendous potential struggle to grow their businesses. I have listened to their stories and watched the frustration that so many of them experience. Having built several businesses myself over the years, I eventually identified the common denominator: trying to do it all. By nature entrepreneurs are [...]
20 Ways to Generate Blog Content Without Writing it Yourself
For years I have been preaching the value of blogging for small business owners and anyone who wants to build an audience online. When you update a blog regularly (at least twice per week, though more is better), your website traffic should increase over time. Google gives higher priority to websites that update content frequently, [...]
How to Analyze Your Revenue Streams and Prepare for Significant Business Growth
Several times each year I go through an exercise where I analyze my revenue streams and forecast where I want them to be. There is a lot to be learned in this process, and it can have a significant impact on the growth of your business. No matter what kind of business you run, you [...]
Excellent reminder Stephanie, that we need to reach beyond the typical means of communication. I’ve recently started doing more targeted, direct mail because so many people have moved to digital, it seems that I get a greater response with a “physical touch” than sending an email which would most likely end up the trash/spam box.
I also found that meeting with people “in-person” earned me a higher closing ratio than those businesses I only communicated with via the internet.
~ Jenn
There is absolutely nothing wrong with moving out of the main stream to get what you need. People notice stuff like that.
I made a very important change with my LinkedIn invites, for example. I give them a personalized note rather than the standard example that pops up. It takes only a moment and just a little work.
Enjoyed.
Personal thank you notes have always worked for me.
I will take the next step and ask for opportunity I seek. Excellent article.
Simply asking what you want is very easy to forget. That’s so true and thus, easy to lose the business we didn’t ask for.
It is an excellent reminder to business owners that social media will not yield the results by itself. It will work if we use it effectively to generate business. Great article. Thanks!
Thank you for your feedback, Kumar!