How a Rainmaker Writes a Letter of Introduction, Part 1
I have been trying to get to know you better by analyzing the wisps of data that you leave when you visit this blog. You don’t leave much to go on, but what I do find is intriguing. For example, what country has the second highest number of visitors to this blog. You can find the answer at the end of this post.
Many of you found this blog while looking for information on how to write an email or letter of introduction to a prospective client. My previous postings (Write Before You Call?, Of Water and Buckets, and Open Me, Please) may have been off the mark, because they used letters of introduction as a vehicle to addressing a larger matter.
Today and in the next two posts, the email and letter of introduction take center stage. These posting will show you how to write them in five easy steps. To simplify, from here on I will refer only to emails. You can assume that what we cover applies equally to letters.
Step One: Think from the reader’s perspective
Before you write anything, you should reflect on what you know about the reader. Usually you have never met, but you can make some reasonable assumptions, even so.
For example, if your letter is intended for a high-level executive, it will probably be screened by her assistant, who will decide whether she will ever see it. In that case, you are writing as much for the assistant as you are for the executive.
You can also assume that the executive is so busy that she is predisposed to delete an email lobbed in from someone who almost certainly wants to sell something. Among the assistant’s duties is making sure the boss’s time is used well, meaning the assistant will toss most introductory emails, too.
But not everything is doom and gloom. Most executives are interested in ways to do their jobs better, in staying abreast of changes in their industry or their field, and in ways to improve their own fortunes. The assistant will admit people who offer enough value to the boss.
All this means that you must make a compelling case and make it concisely. It should take no more than three short paragraphs, leaving lots of space on the screen. I have seen effective emails of one paragraph.
Stay tuned for the next post in the How a Rainmaker Writes a Letter of Introduction series: Remember Your Objective and Write Your Letter Following a Three Part Structure
Oh, I almost forgot. The country of origin of the second largest number of visits to this blog is China.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:31 am
[...] posts have described how to write e-mails and letters of introduction and meeting confirmation letters and e-mails. Once you have had a meeting, you will also want to [...]