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by mediaman 1459 days ago
That's an interesting approach.

When I did my first startup, I landed my first seven figure deal because I'd done the research to know someone needed my product. But they were too busy to respond.

I regularly followed up over six months by both email and phone. I knew they needed it. But I also know that people tend to prioritize their days by what fires are burning and need to be put out.

Eventually I bothered them enough that they realized they should do something to get me to go away. I guess I became the fire they needed to put out. Only then did they actually process anything I'd sent enough to realize it was something their Fortune 500 client actually did need, and that they'd look great by proposing it.

They wound up being my biggest client and helped make my startup profitable.

I could have said: Mr. Potential Client, I'll send you one email. If you don't configure your mail filters and organize your workflow properly, well, "fuck off."

If I did, I wouldn't have likely gotten any of my clients. Then I could explain the outcomes to my investors: "Well, I sent them an email. They failed to read it!"

The point is that if you want to persuade other people to see things your way, your approach doesn't survive first contact with reality. That's OK: your job may not be that, and it probably works just fine if you only deal with incoming requests. There's just going to be a limit to what you can do.

2 comments

sounds like survivor bias
Not even that.

This anecdote is a simple cost-benefit play. Playing the lottery makes sense with certain odds.

Sounds like common sense.
again we are confusing the. concepts of responcibility and best practice.

it's best practise to vet the builder to make sure i get someone who does his job properly. its best practice fpr a war correspondent to wear body armor, and to avoid dodgy beighbourhoods on the way home

but its tjr builders responsevility to do his job properly and not to defraud you, a reporter is not at fault for getting shot and it's not my responsebility not to get mugged

The applicability of your metaphor to the conversation at hand may not be as clear to others as it is to you.