Newsletter #703 "The How To Meet A CEO" Issue

{Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I Thought of That Email Newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received.  Sign yourself up using the handy form on the left.}

1> Work the switchboard
2> Find a company email address
3> Offer to interview them for your blog
4> Just call and ask 

1> Work the switchboard 

Call after hours when the secretary is gone. A great time to call is at dinnertime--chances are the CEO is there, but the secretary isn't. Use the dial-by-name phone directory to connect. The CEO will answer the phone because they probably think it's their spouse, wondering when they'll be home for dinner. 

The Lesson: The best time to reach a CEO is after traditional business hours. 

 

2> Find a company email address 

Company e-mail addresses usually follow the same format. Find an email address for someone at the company and copy the email pattern. So let's say the address on the press release is bsmith@company.com. Chances are if the CEO is Jane Jones, her e-mail address will be jjones@company.com. 

The Lesson: If you don’t want to call, it’s easy to find an e-mail address. 

 

3> Offer to interview them for your blog 

Chances are the CEO would love to be interviewed. Introduce yourself and ask if they're interested in doing an interview or even better--dial in to record a podcast. Respect that CEOs are busy so just get right to the point and do a quick interview. 

The Lesson: Flatter them with an interview request and you just may get a meeting. 

 

4> Just call and ask 

Hey, you never know--calling and asking to speak to the CEO may work. Worst-case scenario, the secretary will take a message which will eventually make it to their desk. Keep trying without being a pest. A CEO may very well help out an entrepreneur. After all, someone took their call years ago. 

The Lesson: Why not? Just give a CEO a call. They might be a nice person.

Comments

Lewis Green said... (Jul 14, 2008 10:37:14 AM)

Andy,

Great suggestions. I have used the e-mail one in the past but not the other three. The "interview the CEO" recommendation is a heavy hitter. Nice!

Kyle Baker said... (Jul 14, 2008 3:10:34 PM)

Just make sure you sign your email, and clarify all your intentions. I cracked the "email code" to directly email an unlisted leader I happened to know personally. When a friend of mine emailed the same leader the same way, alarm bells went off in the system because no one knew who she was or how she got his email...
I had to promise to never give his address out again.

Bill Moran said... (Jul 15, 2008 1:00:59 PM)

Two great sources for finding high-level contacts:

jigsaw.com and linkedin.

Andy's suggestions are great -- we've all worked the phones and sent emails; sometimes it's best to work every angle. But like Andy said, don't be a pest!