10 Must-Follow Rules of Email Etiquette
If you are an entrepreneur, in
sales, or in general business, follow these rules to not screw up.
BY BUBBA PAGE - inc.com
I'm sure you get these emails too. People asking to pick
your brain, see their demo, provide feedback on their product, and the list
goes on. Being a natural connector in the space, I'm constantly getting the
ask, "Can you provide and intro to _____ for me."
I was able to meet up with Max
Altschuler, founder of SalesHacker,
who recently wrote a book, Hacking Sales.
We got talking about this topic and I wanted to share our mutual agreement
about the rules you must follow for email introductions.
Your connections and relationships are extremely important
and introductions are delicate. It's a huge pet peeve of mine when they aren't
treated as such. Therefore, here is my lesson in introductions that should be
used by all salespeople, or even just all human beings in general.
Great business-to-business (B2B) introductions require an
art and require proper etiquette. It's simple, follow these rules. No excuses!
1. Who Responds First, And How
Fast?
When making an introduction, the person who asked to be
intro'd (the "requestor") OR the more junior person should respond
first. I find about 98% of the time the "requestor" is also the more
junior person.
This "requestor" should respond within 1 business
day of the intro being made. Very little excuses here. If you are the one who
made the request for the introduction, you better respond promptly,
thoughtfully, and politely once you get it.
2. Double Opt-In Introductions
Only
Cold, blind intros are awful. Intros absolutely must require
both sides to opt-in. The only real outlier here is a complete no-brainer. ex.
"Bill Gates wants to invest/buy your company, connect..."
It's a huge problem when someone makes an introduction to
you and doesn't ask you if it's ok first. Now they put the burden on you to
respond or look like a jerk.
If someone asks you to make an intro, reply with,
"Sure. Can you send me some context I can forward along? I'd be happy to
make the intro if they're interested in chatting with you."
Then send that along and give an endorsement of your own if
you'd like. Once they say, "Sure. Please make the introduction." then
you're good to connect the two individuals.
3. Don't Flake
Once a double opt-in status has been made and both parties
agree to the introduction, the responsibility lies on the requestor to respond
promptly. It makes the connector look bad if ball is dropped after intro is
made.
If you're really that busy, don't opt-in. Please, it will
save everyone their time.
4. Move To Bcc
After the first reply on either side, it is up to the people
that were introduced to move the connector to Bcc immediately; unless for some
reason you want them to stay involved in the conversation.
ex. "Thanks for the intro Bubba! (Bcc'd)
Hey {name}, nice to meet....."
5. Context
Like I mentioned in #2, if you want an intro you must
provide the connector with some context or a blurb they can forward or pass
along.
ex. "Hey Max,
I see you know {name} and if possible, I'd love an intro so
I can ask him how they navigated the process around {challenge} and potentially
use their services. Any chance you can do that for me? Here's something you can
send his/her way.
My good friend {requestor} is working on X and is interested
connecting with you regarding {challenge} and your company's services. Would
you be open to connecting to me providing and introduction?"
Then if I were to forward this on, I would add my
endorsement at the end.
"I think the connection would be mutually beneficially.
He/she is really dialed-in..."
*Side note: (I like the term dialed-in because of what it
implies, it could be interpreted that the requester is both intelligent and
connected.)
6. Make Intros Mutually Beneficial
This is important! Try to only make intros where you truly
believe there's real mutual benefit. Even if that benefit on one side is
further down the road.
"ex. A subject matter expert in Product Management
could be beneficial to a salesperson down the line should that sales person
decide to start their own company one day. If you know that salesperson has
expressed interest in being a founder, then it could be mutually beneficial
later on."
·
If I introduce a VC to a company, I
better believe that company is going to do well and that VC is one of high
integrity.
·
If I introduce a potential sales
hire to a company, I better believe in both sides.
·
If I introduce a potential client to
a company, I better believe the company can produce!
7. Close The Loop
A good connector will circle back later and see if they
connected. "How'd it go?" If they never connected, be sure to ask
why? You may not want to vouch for that person again if they made you look bad
by standing someone up. That's just bad karma.
8. Say Thanks!
As the requestor, always circle back
to thank the connector. Help him/her close the loop and report back. If it went really well, send a gift or some type of thanks.
Sometimes when I get a good gift for something that makes me
feel appreciated, I keep that person and their company top of mind for a while.
This means I start looking out for them and talking them up. Sometimes without
realizing it. For the space I'm in, this could be pretty important for a
person/company that thanked me.
ex. You received an intro to a VC and then the VC invested
in/lead your next round. Or you received an intro to a potential client and
they just signed the deal. You better be sending a gift basket or even better
for that one.
FYI--As for Max, he's a scotch
guy... for me, a referral to my company QuotaDeck is
something I'd love.
9. Be Thoughtful. Customize the
Introduction Email.
The best connectors and most connected people I know write
incredibly thoughtful introductions. It's not just task on their to-do list.
Being thoughtful in an introduction starts a new
relationship off on the right foot. Often times both parties end up talking
about how awesome you are when they first connect for a real conversation. You
win, they win, it's a win-win.
Add some nice context around the people and scenario. Just
don't write a novel.
Here is an example from Max: About a week ago, my buddy Adam
Liebman sent me this intro.
"Chris, meet Max. Max,
meet Chris.
Chris is currently an AVP at
Mimeo, where, among other things, he helps his team to use sales tools to
absolutely crush it. Chris and I worked together at Yext, and he's the first
guy I would try to hire if I needed a sales leader.
Max is a man of many talents,
including throwing the Sales Hacker Conferences all over the country. He also
just published his first book, Hacking Sales, and is the man behind the idea of a "Sales Stack."
The two of you know more about
sales and the tools that make sales easier than just about any other people I
know. I think you'll both enjoy connecting, and I hope you get a chance to
soon. I know Max is going to be in town next week for the next conference,
maybe all of us can find a way to get together.
Will let you two take it from
here.
Cheers!"
This is a great intro. It made me excited to meet Chris,
flattered me, which naturally makes me like Adam more, and gives good context.
It's too long, but in this particular case, it worked.
I think for this point more than the other, you really need
to "read the room".
ex. For a VC intro, it's probably best to keep it very short
because their inboxes are busier than most.
10. Provide
Value
Once you've been introduced and you're looking to connect
with the person, provide value, even if it's only a free lunch or drinks. If
you do any research beforehand, you'll be able to provide more value because
you'll know what resonates.
ex. Maybe you meet with someone way more senior than you in
your profession. Professionally, you fear that there's nothing of value you can
offer and maybe you're right.
But if you did your research on Twitter/LinkedIn/Google,
you'd find out that he/she flies planes as a hobby, and you have some
background in that. Now you can provide value when you catch up, which will
strengthen the relationship and ultimately make the connector look good.
Lastly, if the prospect, the one you wanted to meet, gets
busy, be understanding. Offer to circle back at a better time if necessary.
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In addition to this blog, Netiquette IQ has a website with great assets which are being added to on a regular basis. I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, “Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". My new book, “You’re Hired! Super Charge Your Email Skills in 60 Minutes. . . And Get That Job!” will be published soon follow by a trilogy of books on Netiquette for young people. You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:
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