What you'll get
- 5 copy-ready blocks
- 4 min read
- Ask your contact
- The note they forward
- The note, filled in (illustrative, not a real company)
- Thank-you to your contact
- If nothing happens after four working days
How to use it
when a contact says "you should talk to our head of operations", do not reply "great, could you introduce me?" That gives them a writing job, and it will sit in their drafts. Write the introduction yourself, addressed to the new person, and ask your contact only to press forward.
The hack: when a contact says "you should talk to our head of operations", do not reply "great, could you introduce me?" That gives them a writing job, and it will sit in their drafts. Write the introduction yourself, addressed to the new person, and ask your contact only to press forward.
Step 1: The ask
Send this the same day, while the conversation is fresh.
Ask your contact
Subject: Two lines for [new person's first name]
Hi [Contact],
Thanks for today. You mentioned [new person] looks after [specific part].
To save you writing anything, the note below is ready to forward. Change whatever you like, or tell me if you'd rather I didn't.
[Your name]Step 2: The forwardable note
Put it directly under the ask, in the same email. Write it to the new person, in your own voice, so it still makes sense when they read it cold.
The note they forward
Hi [New person],
[Contact] and I spoke on [day] about [topic, in the company's own words]. [Contact] said [specific part] sits with your team, and that you would have a view on [one specific question].
In one line, we help [type of company] with [problem].
Could we speak for 15 minutes this week or next? I'd like to make sure anything we discuss with [Contact] fits how your team works.
[Your name]
[Your company, phone]The note, filled in (illustrative, not a real company)
Hi Marcus,
Asha Rao and I spoke on Tuesday about slotting at the new distribution centre. Asha said the warehouse system sits with your team, and that you would have a view on how a planning tool should connect to it.
In one line, we help third-party logistics operators keep slotting plans current through the shift.
Could we speak for 15 minutes this week or next? I'd like to make sure anything we discuss with Asha fits how your team works.
Sam Carter
Quaywise, [phone]Why it works
- It costs your contact ten seconds. Forward, one line on top, send.
- It arrives from a colleague. The new person opens it because of who sent it.
- It names a question that belongs to their role. They can see why it came to them.
- Your contact stays in the story. You are widening their conversation, not leaving it.
Step 3: Close the loop
Thank-you to your contact
Hi [Contact],
Thank you for passing that on. [New person] and I are speaking on [day]. I'll tell you what comes out of it, so you're not the last to know.
[Your name]If nothing happens after four working days
Hi [Contact],
No pressure on the note for [New person]. If it's easier, I can write to them directly and mention that we spoke. Would that be all right with you?
[Your name]Only write directly once they say yes, or once you have told them you will.
Check before you send
- Is the note under 90 words?
- Does it read well to someone who has never heard of us?
- Does it quote what the contact really said, with nothing added?
- Is there one question that belongs to the new person's job?
- Have I made it easy to say no?
Three mistakes to avoid
- Asking your contact to write the introduction. It becomes a writing job, and it waits in their drafts.
- Writing the note to your contact, not to the new person. It has to make sense to someone reading it cold.
- Going direct without telling your contact. Write directly only once they say yes, or once you have told them you will.
Make it a habit: end every good conversation by asking "who else is affected by this?" and send the two emails within the hour.
Why this works on named accounts
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