How To Handle E-mail Introductions
According to the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” any two people on earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart from Kevin Bacon. Narrow that group down to people involved in the tech world, change the name to somebody you’d like to meet, and I’d wager that number is down to three.
Despite the fact that networking is a critical part of success in business, I am frequently surprised at how few people know the etiquette of e-mail introductions and how few people handle them correctly both as the connector and the recipient.
Here is the correct way to handle an introduction, it has worked well for me.
Suppose that persons Jen, Bob and Pat exist. Jen and Bob are friends, Bob and Pat are friends, and Jen would like to talk to Pat for some reason.
First, Jen asks Bob for an introduction. This request might happen over e-mail or in person, it’s not relevant to this article. Bob, being socially sophisticated says “Sure, tell me what your goal is, then let me check with Pat and make sure that she is open to the introduction first. If she is then I’ll be happy to.”
Step 1) Warming up the introduction:
Bob should never send a blind e-mail introducing Jen & Pat. This is surprisingly common and when this happens, both Jen & Pat are put at a disadvantage. It’s awkward, Pat doesn’t know why Jen wants to connect and never consented. Here is what Bob should send to Pat before making an introduction:
Hi Pat,
My friend Jen from San Francisco is building a new SaaS product for the crayon industry that you might find interesting. She is hoping to get feedback from an expert in the space and I thought of you.
Would you mind if I make a brief introduction so that the two of you can connect for a call or coffee?
Thanks,
Bob
Step 2) Assuming Pat consented, sending the actual introduction:
Hi Pat,
CC’d on this e-mail is my friend Jen. As I mentioned previously, Jen is from San Francisco and is building a new SaaS product that is focused on improving efficiency in the crayon industry. As the CEO of Crayons, Inc. I believe you would be in a position to give Jen some valuable feedback on her product.
Jen, Pat is a friend of mine from my days at Balloons, Inc. and now has a reputation as an expert in crayon technology. Pat is based in Springfield, Illinois.
I hope the two of you find the introduction useful.
Bob
Step 3) The Follow Up Response:
The first question is WHO should be the person to respond? The answer is dictated by who the Step 2 e-mail was actually written to. In this case, Pat. The e-mail was to Pat and since Pat is the one who Jen wants to meet, Jen now needs to wait patiently for a reply. After a period if time, if Pat hasn’t replied, Jen can do so. My usual rule of thumb is 3 days.
Lets assume Pat doesn’t reply within 3 days. After all, Pat is a busy CEO at a crayon company. Regardless of who responds, the same rules apply… do not CC Bob. BCC Bob, thank him for the introduction and suggest specific times and dates for a follow up.
Bob (BCCd to spare your inbox,) thank you for the introduction.
Pat,
It is a pleasure to meet you via e-mail. Bob spoke highly of you when I met with him last week. If it’s not too much trouble, would you be available for a brief call in the next week? I would like to explain my business and hear your thoughts on the crayon industry.
How does Thursday the 3rd at 3pm PST or Friday at the 4th 9AM PST work? If neither of those work, perhaps you can suggest an alternate 30 minute time slot?
Thank you in advance for your time,
Jen
The above format achieves two things. First it removes Bob from your ongoing back and forth e-mails. Bob is probably busy and only cares that you received the introduction, he really doesn’t care which coffee shop you chose to meet at. Be polite, BCC. Second, it is respectful of Pat’s time. Pat already knows you want her time, don’t ask again, Bob already asked. Be direct but polite. If the introduction is warm, you know that Pat already said yes to connecting, suggesting times now helps reduce the back and forth of scheduling.
That’s it. This formula has worked well for me in the past. Perhaps it will work well for you.
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Also Read: The Karma of Drinking Coffee with Strangers
