The Accidental Salesman brand markThe Accidental Salesman

Subject notebook

Attention & introductions

Relevant outreach, useful content and stronger professional networks.

33 entries · Editorial years are reading-sequence years; historic years are capture years, not publication dates.

Editorial essay · 2024

Build a referral network with complementary expertise

Another adviser can be a competitor in one conversation and a valuable partner in another. The useful distinction is whether your work overlaps, complements or follows theirs in a client's decision process.

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Editorial essay · 2024

Your website should help a buyer decide

A professional services website often tries to demonstrate breadth. The navigation lists every capability, the homepage promises transformation and the team page establishes credentials. A buyer can read it all and still not know whether to contact the firm.

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Editorial essay · 2024

A case study needs a chain of evidence

"We helped a client grow revenue" leaves most of the important questions unanswered. What was happening beforehand? What changed? What did the adviser actually do? What else happened during the same period?

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Editorial essay · 2024

Content should answer a question worth having

An article can attract attention without helping a buyer judge your expertise. Broad advice is easy to agree with and difficult to use. "Build trust" is true enough, but a reader facing a difficult pricing conversation needs more.

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Editorial essay · 2024

Follow up with something that moves the decision

"Just checking in" reminds the buyer that you are waiting. It rarely helps them decide. A useful follow-up either resolves uncertainty, makes the next step easier or establishes whether the opportunity should remain active.

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Editorial essay · 2024

The cold email must earn its interruption

A cold email begins with a disadvantage: the recipient did not ask for it. Personalisation does not remove that fact. Mentioning a university, hobby or recent social post can make a message look researched while leaving its commercial relevance unclear.

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Editorial essay · 2024

Networking without collecting people

A crowded contact list can conceal a weak network. Knowing many names is different from having relationships in which people understand one another's work and feel comfortable asking for help.

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Editorial essay · 2024

A referral request needs a reason

"Do you know anyone who needs our services?" transfers a difficult search task to the person you are asking. They must remember your offer, scan their network, judge relevance and decide whether making an introduction is worth the social risk.

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Editorial essay · 2024

Make your introduction easy to repeat

An introduction that only works when you deliver it personally is fragile. Referrals depend on someone else remembering your work well enough to explain why another person should speak with you.

Attention & introductions · 2 min

Historic resource · 2015

Dumb down your elevator pitch

Historic article · Archive capture 2015. Original source and contemporary practice notes.

Attention & introductions

Historic resource · 2016

Elevator pitch examples

Historic article · Archive capture 2016. Original source and contemporary practice notes.

Attention & introductions

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