WEBVTT - Reach out to someone you admire

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about how to reach out to someone

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<v Speaker 1>you admire. I recently read a fascinating article in Harvard

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<v Speaker 1>Business Review from my friend Dory Clark on this topic. Dory,

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<v Speaker 1>the author of Standout, is a personal branding expert and

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<v Speaker 1>runs courses and conferences on how to become a recognized expert.

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<v Speaker 1>As she wrote an HBr, we all have professional idols

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<v Speaker 1>we'd like to meet. Sometimes we might luck into getting

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<v Speaker 1>to say hello at a conference or having a mutual

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<v Speaker 1>friend who can introduce us. But often, despite our suspicions

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<v Speaker 1>that we have a lot in common with and could

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<v Speaker 1>even be friends with our heroes, they remain out of reach.

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<v Speaker 1>Dory notes that she's been on both sides of this equation,

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes people reach out to her, and sometimes she's reaching

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<v Speaker 1>out to her idols. How to do this well? In

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<v Speaker 1>her article, she suggests four strategies. First, establish your credibility.

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<v Speaker 1>When you send a networking request, it's important to immediately

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<v Speaker 1>set yourself apart as someone worth knowing. Dory writes, for instance,

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<v Speaker 1>when I recently wrote to a prominent film director. I

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<v Speaker 1>started the note by citing our shared alumni affiliation and

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<v Speaker 1>because I wanted to inquire about adapting one of his

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<v Speaker 1>films into a musical mentioning the prominent shows that had

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<v Speaker 1>been created by graduates of the Musical Theater Workshop, I'm in.

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<v Speaker 1>If you make it clear that you are credible and

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<v Speaker 1>not just some random guy and trusted in famous people,

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<v Speaker 1>you're far more likely to get your note read and

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<v Speaker 1>responded to second offer value, Dory notes that your idol

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<v Speaker 1>is likely to view all queries skeptically, as she should.

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<v Speaker 1>High profile people get all sorts of random requests, so

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<v Speaker 1>you need to demonstrate how you can help. Dorry notes

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<v Speaker 1>that right before she was scheduled to speak in Denmark,

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<v Speaker 1>she got a note from someone who lived in Copenhagen.

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<v Speaker 1>This person didn't just ask to meet for coffee in

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<v Speaker 1>order to pick her brain. Those requests are incredibly boring. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>this person mentioned that she was a fashion designer and

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<v Speaker 1>a stylist, and that Copenhagen had all sorts of wonderful shops.

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<v Speaker 1>She offered to take Dorry on a personal shopping tour

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<v Speaker 1>with the holidays coming up. This was actually appealing as

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<v Speaker 1>Dory notes, we ended up spending more than half a

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<v Speaker 1>day together and we're still in touch. Third, Dori suggests

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<v Speaker 1>that you highlight what makes you interesting, even if it's

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<v Speaker 1>not directly relevant to your idol's career. Why successful people

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<v Speaker 1>like connecting with other interesting people because it feels like fun,

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<v Speaker 1>not work, she writes, and yet so often they're approached

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<v Speaker 1>by people taking the role of supplicants who only want

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<v Speaker 1>to ask questions and glean wisdom. It's flattering at first,

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<v Speaker 1>but with enough volume it can become exhausting. So one

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<v Speaker 1>secret is to position yourself as a peer who is

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<v Speaker 1>notable in your own right. If you've done something really cool,

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<v Speaker 1>like serving in the military as a fighter pilot, or

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<v Speaker 1>visiting a hundred countries, or have a sideline writing music,

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<v Speaker 1>these little details will make you stand out and increase

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<v Speaker 1>the chances of a response. Of course, you're not guaranteed

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<v Speaker 1>a response, and so Dorry notes that the last strategy

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<v Speaker 1>is to make it clear that you have no expectations.

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<v Speaker 1>As she writes, even if your pitch is well crafted,

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<v Speaker 1>your idols might be in a busy period and simply

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<v Speaker 1>don't have time to connect. You get extra points then,

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<v Speaker 1>for empathizing with the situation and addressing it up front.

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<v Speaker 1>She notes that too many people reach out with an

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<v Speaker 1>extraordinary level of entitlement, asking for free things a significant

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<v Speaker 1>introduction are a lot of time when you, as Dory says,

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<v Speaker 1>show an awareness of your heroes circumstances, explaining that you

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<v Speaker 1>don't want to take up too much time in their schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>You set yourself apart in a positive way. So who

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<v Speaker 1>will you reach out to today? Use these strategies and

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<v Speaker 1>you just might add someone fascinating to your network. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E

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<v Speaker 1>the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at

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<v Speaker 1>iHeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out

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<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of

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