I love helping people and introductions to good people is a great way to do it.

But…

I get a lot of bad emails asking me for introductions.

Here are my thoughts;

Mutual Respect First

I need to respect you before I introduce you, because if you do a bad job, that makes me look bad. If I already do, great. If not, then help me get to know you. The hardest part of this is time. I’m not going to spend hours doing it. Here is how I’ll invest my time.

5 seconds: I will read a subject line or first line in an email. If it’s personalized to me, short, clear and related to what I do, then I’ll read on. If it’s clearly a form email/spam, generic (like “New startup idea” or “I’d like to pick your brains,” then I’ll stop and never go back to it.
1 minute: read the next paragraph, click a link or maybe open a pitch deck. If what I read is good quality, relevant and clear, then I’ll keep reading. If not, exit and I’ll never come back.
5 minutes: I’ll read through the rest, watch a video, look through the rest of your deck.
Homework: At this point, if I’m still interested, I’ll ask a few questions back to you. This is testing to see if you’re throwing out 100 of these or if you really are paying attention.
15 min call: If I like your answers and responsiveness, I’ll send you some options for a brief call. In the call I’ll ask what you are doing, what you need and then tell you how I’d like to help.

I need two emails from you:

1. A Target List

Send me a link to a Google Spreadsheet which lists down the exact people or an email with job titles plus company names. If you just ask for generic people, then you haven’t done your homework. I’ll go through the list and see who I know. I’ll use Linkedin to see if I’m connected.

2. Intro Email

Send me an email that I will forward on to others. This is the format I’ve found works for me with notes. Email it to me with the subject line

Subject:

Artslet.com, health tech, $14B market, $65k MRR, Growth through partnerships

Email:

Hi Mick, thanks for the call. Here is the outline and I appreciate your support.

http://artlset.com : healthtech IOT device which connects doctors directly with pacemakers
$14B market, 112 active customers, 62% NPS, $35k MRR
6 month focus: Bringing on 3 distribution partners, get sales to $1M ARR

We will be in San Francisco on January 15–23 and are open to any introductions to people deep in this area for a call or meeting.

Regards,

Mary Kwasi

CEO

+55 555 555 555

Blind Intros

I will then forward those on to people I think fit what you want. I’ll ask them to see if they are interested. If they respond, then I’ll introduce you.

Follow Ups

I normally start with 2–3 introductions. If I get good feedback from them, and a follow up from you, then I might do some more.

Additions:

Start with a fresh email. From this useful post via Rayn Ong; http://also.roybahat.com/post/92544681186/introductions-and-the-forward-intro-email
I use Double Opt In like Fred Wilson http://avc.com/2009/11/the-double-optin-introduction/
Julie Trell and how to make her happy with intros; https://medium.com/@julietrell/successful-introduction-oxytocin-release-54ebd3ff721d

Mick Liubinskas was a driving force behind Pollenizer, Startmate and Muru-D, and has worked hard to support the local startup ecosystem. He’s passionate about climate action and getting more diversity in tech. He is an investor and advisor and has written a book for his two daughters and a million other girls who love technology. It’s called She’s Building A Robot and is released on December 15. You can find out more here. Read more of Mick’s inspiring interviews with women in tech here.