Tips on how to successfully reach out to a stranger

I am very active on social media, so every day I’m approached by dozens people hoping to connect via LinkedIn.

I’m honoured to receive requests, but the quality of the connection is weak. When I get an email though, I feel a lot closer to that stranger. But some email messages are just not personal - at all! Here are some tips on how your prospecting skills can give your email a boost and make me (or any stranger) reply to you.

1) One ingredient that need to be present in your communications, and avoid failing to make a positive connection, is research. You’re reaching out to someone because you heard his or her name in some reference.  An article you read, they are famous because of Y, they work at X company. That is good, but not good enough to make a connection. Think something that is not that obvious: you both share a passion for a sport, or he or she lives in a city that is very cold at the moment. Something a friend would mention.

2) Think where the email you received came from. If you used an online tool, you can definitely mention this so it is not a weird “how the hell…?” moment. Be considerate. Email plugins can be useful for both of you!

3) Be brief, you have no idea how busy this person is, so might be better if you keep it short and ask a relevant question at the end so you can follow up and there is a reason for the prospect to reply.