The icing on the entrepreneurial cake is being referred to someone by a colleague.
A mutual connection senses a karma overlap between me and the other referral in his/her network.
An email or LinkedIn message links the two, originated by the referrer as the fulcrum in the equation.
Almost always I initiate the contact with my “betrothed” to find common days and times that we can connect by zoom or phone.
It may be this or next week, but asap.
Then no reply. A slap in the face of the refer-er and the refer-ee.
Curious: too busy to email me?
Too full up with connections and colleagues to meet new people, as kindly as I was described in the e-intro, as were you?
Missed the LinkedIn message and the email (twice)?
Not interested? Manage my expectations.
Yes, we all screw up but it’s a good idea to review the barrage of messages once in a while to be sure nothing/no one slipped by.
I fell between the cracks? Ouch.
To not honor the compliment of the referrer to connect to another professional with nor response to my initiation of our contact is not particularly promising for the relationship. A slap in that face.
So I repeat the original message with the new message, “Perhaps you missed this.”
No reply in a couple of days? I’m already on to others I am referred to, those who appreciate and reciprocate. I believe in old-fashioned civility and etiquette. Even in a pandemic. Not unnoticed.
I worked hard to get to the point to be referable. You can’t know how I help you, since you never tried to find out.
