I tell you, one "Dear Sir" email and I am inspired to write two blog posts! (You can read Part I here.)
People seem to want me to do favors for them lately. I was noticing I've been receptive to some but not all people. It got me to thinking why.
There are clearly a few more ways you can get someone to help you out. In this post, I am going to use the example of Alexis. Now Alexis is pretty rocking in her own right. First of all she's cute and a snappy dresser. She's also into social media and blogging, has beagles, and lives in San Fran with her probably very cool husband. (Ok so I'm a little jealous but we're now internet friends so I can move beyond it.) Ok now on to finishing my thoughts from yesterday. (Oh and why am I starting at number 4? Because 1,2, and 3 were in yesterday's post)
4) Make it personal, and genuine. If you want me to care about you, why don't you care a little about me? Mention something I said or where I might have met you to help jog my memory. Being personal, especially on the internet, is completely disarming. Professional sales people are fake-personal all the time by using your name in conversation as they sell you something. But go a little bit beyond that and I am putty in your hands.
So onto my Alexis example. I could tell when she wrote me she had at least looked at my blog and was willing to engage in some conversation with me. Alexis wrote to me last year to ask for a review on the book Financial Infidelity. She was super polite about it, and wrote me this year to ask about reviewing another book for a different author.
Her emails, while short, felt engaging and personal. They weren't splattered with logos for the latest and greatest new website I should write about and the tone didn't feel overly pitch-y. It felt like a friend was writing me to see if I would be interested in a copy of a book. Yup, she's good, and I'm totally reviewing the book she sent me.
5) Be flattering, but only if you mean it. Yeah, fake flattery will blow up in your face (because people can smell that a mile away) but real flattery will get you everywhere, at least with me. Like my writing style? Appreciated reading about such-and-such topic? Let me know. My ears perk right up at that stuff.
6) Say thanks. If I did do something nice, follow up with a thank you e-mail. Or even a tweet. Just acknowledge the fact that I did you a favor. You noticed and appreciated what I did? I'm feeling even better about you and the possibility of granting future favors!
So yes, you too can get me (and most any other logical person) to do a favor for you if you follow this general guidelines. Has anyone used these "tricks" on you only to have you become putty in their hands?