I converted a cold sales lead into an active prospect in 4 sentences. Here’s the story.

The Result

This proposal was posted last Thursday.
I composed and sent my cold contact while I was waiting for my coffee to brew on Tuesday morning.
Chris replied before lunch that very day, saying they wanted to talk.

They Said

Chris (not their real name) had written on LinkedIn:
“Having trouble translating my achievements and experience into words. Want to showcase my work and make it really pop on paper. I have the skills and credentials to back up what I want to say, but I don’t know how to put it on paper.”

I Said

Hiya Chris! Reading your LinkedIn journey was almost like reading about my own story. I’m an ex software architect at eBay in the build/release/devops space and I can absolutely relate to what you’re going through. I’m from Singapore, and I’m going also guess that you’re coming from a (nearby Asian country) culture where we are not taught to properly own our victories. It would be an honor to help you project yourself authentically.

The Setup

Now, when someone posts a project request on LinkedIn, they are unsurprisingly usually bombarded with proposals within the first day or so – they’re the hot girl, and LinkedIn is the pretty much the Tinder of finding work, ie the responses pile up rapidly and it becomes overwhelming very quickly.

The Breakdown

Let’s break it down, one sentence at a time

• Hiya Chris!

Simple, casual greeting. I’m not approaching Chris as a prospective client. I’m keeping the tone deliberately informal, which is the way I approach all my coaching conversations.

• Reading your LinkedIn journey was almost like reading about my own story.

This first sentence hooks Chris, and they are now wondering, how is my journey the same?!

• I’m an ex software architect at eBay in the build/release/devops space and I can absolutely relate to what you’re going through.

First thing I had done prior to my email to was take a quick look at Chris’ LinkedIn profile. Chris is a senior software engineer (I was an architect, ie a few steps up the promotion ladder from Chris). writes developer tools (related-ish to the space I was in) at a large F100 tech firm (so is eBay).

• I’m from Singapore, and I’m going also guess that you’re coming from a (nearby Asian country) culture where we are not taught to properly own our victories.

I had noticed that Chris has a rather unique last name that makes me guess that their roots originate from (some country in Asia). I’m ethnic Chinese from Singapore, and “downplaying our victories / being humble / not boasting” is a big part of our cultures. Yes, this is a risky play by making a huge assumption about Chris’ ethnicity and culture. I believe you don’t breakthrough results by making normal and safe moves.

• It would be an honor to help you project yourself authentically.

Chris says they have problems translating their wins into words despite being able to back up what they want to say, which suggests strongly that they care about being truthful and accurate, and not just fake up a bunch of nonsense.

Some Subtleties

I used an abbreviated “yes ladder” format. I started with getting Chris to agree to something small (that we walked similar paths), then agree about something more (how our paths are similar), and finally close out with Chris agreeing to a cold read (my guess about the root cause being the culture they were raised in).

Don’t Sell

I also consciously did not close with a call to action. I don’t want to “sell” something to Chris. I want Chris to choose to reach out. The best coaches don’t need to shout to get your attention. They connect by being present, credible, and generous, and that is what makes people want to come to them.

Mind Blown Yet?

Be precise. You don’t need to make 1000 cold calls if you make the right ones really count!