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A cold outreach strategy that works

patrickrivera.co

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Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#51

Post by goatherders »

nonzeromeans wrote: post #44
goatherders wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question b/c I'm curious: does this mean that as a policy you won't engage with cold outreach regardless of what is being offered? And if so, do you ever consider that such a policy may indeed hinder your business? A non-zero portion of unsolicited sales-based emails DO include something of meaningful value.

A non-zero number of alternative methods don't have to involve spam, which does nothing for us than show us you are not to be taken seriously.

If not email, then what kinds of alternative methods do you find acceptable/permissible for someone to connect with you in an effort to introduce you to a new product or service?

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#52

Post by patrickrivera »

danial wrote: post #36

Patrick, if you’re reading this, I enjoyed this article. It reminds me that if you spend a little bit more time researching your prospect, you are more likely to get positive results. Another lesson is that it helps to focus on a few prospects you really want to work with, rather than spray and pray. Thank you for sharing.

thanks, Danial! exactly. the strategy isn't the literal tactics I took (e.g., spending ten hours, reaching out to one company, etc.) the strategy is thinking about cold outreach as a sales process and adapting it to your situation.

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#53

Post by tom_mellior »

I think this post tries hard to claim something that wasn't quite the case. The author did not overcome a "no". They "overcame" a "sure, next summer might work". Which, given that they were a student, was really a "sure, whenever you are free might work"; the company assumed that they would be studying during the fall.

So what remains is that in the initial mail, the author presumably failed to mention that they would be free already in the fall. If they had, it looks like the company would have happily interviewed them for their fall internship program.

So my reading is that there really was no "no" at all to overcome, just some unfortunate initial communication. Including the fact that the company created the impression that they "weren't hiring", while in fact they were.

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#54

Post by _jal »

hash872 wrote: post #49
_jal wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm talking about spam. And I do indeed want spammers to do something else for a living - making spam economically nonviable is the strategic intent of suppressing it.

How do you propose that the salespeople, without whom your employer or employers would go bankrupt, reach out to new prospects? How would that work? Am genuinely curious. By definition it seems to involve cold outreach of some type

I don't manage sales people; telling them how to do their job isn't my job. I can suggest that if the lack of a single communications channel would be crippling for you, you're already in a pretty precarious place and should maybe think about that.

As for what you appear to believe is your gotcha, we don't have sales people, because our business doesn't work that way. I have worked for firms that did, though, and strangely, they somehow managed to do their jobs without spamming.

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#55

Post by mkchoi212 »

A lot of people may think this blog post is either over complicating stuff or stating the obvious. While slightly true, you'd be surprised at how many people miss the points highlighted by the author. I get so many cold emails that don't hit any of these points and I just end up deleting them immediately.

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#56

Post by PedroCandeias »

I'm seeing some negative comments that focus on the article specifics. So I thought I'd say well done Patrick for reaching your goal using creativity and the right kind of persistence. Thank you for showing the actual steps you took and sharing your thought process.

I've been in software almost 20 years and due to some incredibly poor timing am in need of finding my own door of opportunity, so I found your post inspirational. Thank you.

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#57

Post by MomchilIvanovK »

The article provides good value. But it would be better if the guy (Patrick) also included the script he used to reach out.

1. Research is important - no doubt about it. Without knowing your prospects, you can't do anything to persuade them.

2. Offer value - is also true.

3. Overcome obstacles - also true!

But I'll add one more - baby steps.

Baby steps means that you shouldn't ask to hire you in your first cold email. It feels like a lot of work to do and CEOs typically don't have the time.

Instead propose them a time when you can chat more about it so the CEO can see if you are a good fit, etc.

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#58

Post by tener »

_jal wrote: post #42
goatherders wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question b/c I'm curious: does this mean that as a policy you won't engage with cold outreach regardless of what is being offered? And if so, do you ever consider that such a policy may indeed hinder your business? A non-zero portion of unsolicited sales-based emails DO include something of meaningful value.

A non-zero portion of just about anything includes something of meaningful value to someone. This does not mean that sifting through it will yield value considering opportunity cost. Given the volume of spam I get from would-be vendors, there probably has been something I could have used somewhere in there. Similarly, I've probably walked past storm drains with valuables in them. I don't dig in there either. If some…

Huh, why do you bother with replying at all? Wouldn't silent ban be quicker and therefore cheaper for you?

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#59

Post by whack »

BlackCherry wrote: post #17

This blog post over complicates and mythologizes an extremely simple process. That is to not be embarrassed or ashamed to ask people you want something from what you can do to get it. Additionally, this is survivorship bias. His emails sounded very professionally immature and while this companies leadership may have found it endearing, I could easily see other groups of people finding it off putting. What this guys e…

> willing to basically do whatever I want him to do whenever and however long I want him to do it. In other words he’d be a good lackey.

This is unnecessarily condescending. When having to choose from a crowded field of seemingly-competent candidates, it's natural to want someone who is passionate and willing to go the extra mile. And as someone who is genuinely passionate to work in a certain industry or to work for a specific company, it is also smart to signal your dedication using tactics like what the author described.

Neither of the above warrants condescending to someone as "being a good lackey"

> Definition: a person who is obsequiously willing to obey or serve another person or group of people.

Re: A cold outreach strategy that works

#60

Post by patrickrivera »

PedroCandeias wrote: post #56

I'm seeing some negative comments that focus on the article specifics. So I thought I'd say well done Patrick for reaching your goal using creativity and the right kind of persistence. Thank you for showing the actual steps you took and sharing your thought process. I've been in software almost 20 years and due to some incredibly poor timing am in need of finding my own door of opportunity, so I found your post inspi…

thanks, Pedro! yep. you can adapt the idea of research, add value, and handle objections into whatever permutation works best for your situation. that's the strategy part. best of luck, you can do it :)
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