If you ask any successful person in any profession, “What’s one of the keys to your success?”
I bet they’d tell you this, “Personal introductions.”
When people introduce you to someone they know, like and respect, it means they trust you enough to introduce you to someone in their personal or professional circle. That holds a lot of weight because their credibility and professional capital is at stake, and so is yours.
If you’re making the introduction, follow The Confidence Project Formula. If your one of the people being introduced, hang on, I’ll get to that in a moment!
As the introducer, here’s the 3-step Formula.
Explain,How you know each person
What you admire or respect about them and,
Why you want them to meet each other.
Remember to hyperlink to each person’s company website and their LinkedIn page for easy research. Here’s an example, on p. 166 in my book, The NOW Hello.
Hi Pamela and Mike,
I hope all is going well for you. I’m delighted to introduce you to each other.
Mike, Pamela Neferkara is a past client and friend. After a brilliant corporate career, she’s now the Founder of Elmira Street Associates. In addition to serving on boards and being an angel investor, Pamela is a trusted and wise mentor of young people as part of the Monday Night Mentorship.
I admire her deep commitment to ethical leadership and her calm, steady demeanor that conveys confidence and trust.
Pamela, Mike Tarbell is the President of Playbooks Consulting. Mike also enjoyed a fantastic corporate career and is an expert in talent management. Today, he coaches top executives and their teams to help them reach their full potential.
I have collaborated with Mike on several projects and admire his commitment to mentoring and developing up-and-coming and diverse talent.
(That’s how I know them and what I admire about them. Now, why I want them to meet.)
I believe your work is complementary, and I thought you would benefit from meeting each other to share insights and ideas.I’ll leave you two to connect.
Very best,
--Tracy
If you received a generous introduction like this, wouldn’t you be thrilled?
Now, if you’re one of the people being introduced, promise yourself this: No matter how busy you are -- No matter how many deadlines you have, hit “Reply All” pronto. It takes less than 1-minute to type, to the introducer:
“Hello so & so,
Thank you for your generous introduction.”
To the other person: “Hello _____. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ll reach out in a separate email for us to connect.”
Then, in your follow-up email, use this simple subject line: Thanks to Tracy Hooper or thanks to whomever introduced you.
Then, in the body of the email tell them you’re delighted to meet them and set up a time to talk.If your time is tight say something like, “I’m up against a deadline, or I’m out of town, or I’m on vacation…so please send me some open times on your calendar and I’ll make it work.” Offer them a date range when you are available. Finally, “I look forward to meeting you. All the best,”and your name.
That’s it. A 1-minute reply can lead to a valuable relationship that could change the trajectory of your career or boost your credibility or elevate your personal capital. And it shows deep gratitude and respect for both people.
If you already use this introduction Formula, great. If you know someone who could benefit from it, feel free to share this video.
Thank you for reading.