Master Your Introductions

Download The Interactive Worksheet Or Read Below.

Master your introductions

Tools: Yourself, a pen and paper Time: 20 minutes

Context: In growing your network you need to master your introductions. This means learning how to write killer emails that follow through on the ‘links’ you make within your sisterhood. ‘Links’ are the connections you perceive as possibilities to support two or more women within your network. These can be introductions that spark new ideas or sustain start ups, creating opportunities and delivering on the needs of those close to you. You become the gift of connection when you help those who share with you. They are looking for something and you know who in your network can deliver that, by putting them in touch.

It is important, both when you are asking for an introduction and when making them on behalf of others, that you understand how best to make one.

In this worksheet we will explore how to write your own templates to ensure that you are prepared for the opportunities that start to come your way.

Instructions: Creating an introduction template

Step #1: Writing your own introduction Remember your elevator pitch from Chapter 1? This is your foundation for your introduction. Get it out and write it into a paragraph that you can copy and paste into emails to the women who are making connections for you. Save it with a clear name that allows you to find it at a moment’s notice.

Example: Introduction Bio for new connections

Check that you have included: + Who you are and how you help people + Your Why + What you are currently working on + What you need help with + What you can offer to others + How you can be reached – your contact details, including your email address and a phone number + Where to find you online – add in your website URL, LinkedIn profile, and your Instagram and Twitter handles

It is vital that you tweak this and make it personal when sharing it with others. Make it as easy to help you as possible – do the work so they don’t have to. The more clearly relatable the bio, the easier the introduction being made on your behalf.

Note: It is likely that there will be core aspects of this bio that you maintain and perhaps update every six months, and other sentences that shift for each introduction. Save any alternative sentences to help you save time.

Step #2: Writing a template for you to introduce others This is different. You are now in the seat of the connector. You have seen and joined the dots. The tone of this email is one of excitement and potential. Lining up an opportunity for a new connection is a wonderful position to be in, and yet if not addressed appropriately this can be received badly, however genuine the gesture.

This is why we invite you to create a simple template for you to revise and adapt as needed.

It is important you understand and consider what it takes to make a clear and purposeful connection on the behalf of others.

When making a connection, consider the following: + What is the link you have noticed? + How are you communicating the ‘ask’, opportunity, and synchronicity? + If needed or appropriate, get in touch with each women first and check if they would like an introduction + Do you have the bios of both parties so you can share what it is you think they will connect over and how it is mutually beneficial to them both? + Finally, finish your introduction with encouragement and curiosity that leave it open to a yes or a no. Remove the pressure.

Draft your template and save it for when you need it so you can return to this as your basic formula to make effective introductions.

Pro Tip: Be clear, keep it on topic and to the point. Save time for the woman you are emailing and put the ‘opportunity’ or the ‘ask’ within the first few sentences. Leave it open and remain in the spirit of good faith. After all, you can’t control the outcome.

Following this exercise will mean you are now able to successfully connect women in your network to each other in a way that feels easy and comfortable to you, and can serve their own career development. This is how you get good at giving to your sisterhood. On the other hand, you are now also ready at any moment to send your information over to someone who would be happy to connect you to someone they know.

The challenge: Write a list of 3 links (6 people) you can make that will serve your current network and support you to begin to give to the women you already have in your sisterhood, by making that introduction.