A fellow entrepreneur told me my follow up emails were too pushy - so I changed everything

At a networking event in Austin last month, this guy I respect said my emails sounded like I was selling instead of connecting. He told me I was using too many exclamation points and asking for meetings right away. So I started sending just a short note saying it was nice to meet them, with no ask at all. Has anyone else gotten feedback like that and changed their approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleym431mo ago

Three weeks of no-ask notes got me two coffee meetings.

alice_hart1mo ago

That thing about "selling instead of connecting" really hit me too. I used to think being direct and persistent was just good business, you know? But after getting similar feedback (from someone honest enough to tell me the truth) I totally changed my tune on this.

grace_gonzalez461mo ago

And honestly, I still catch myself slipping into "sales mode" sometimes. @alice_hart, it's like my brain defaults to that old script and I have to mentally smack myself. Guess I'm a work in progress, huh?