“The power to get in” (1998)

In: Books / 4 comments

16 Jul 2009

It’s one of the useful books (written by Michael A. Boylan) that made me think about the importance of the opportunity of talking 5 minutes with someone. I thought about presenting it briefly after someone asked me the other day what they could do to contact Mr. X who was unapproachable.

The book itself is easy, interesting and not exactly “for dummies”; it’s a step by step guide about how to get to talk to a certain person to whom you can’t find an entrance to. It tells you who you need to send emails to, who to put in CC, how to use manipulation to your advantage in the entourage of the person you want to meet – 300 pages that can be useful in different moments in entrepreneurial life, focused in general on “enterprise sales” processes, if you have to sell a product, a company, an idea or even yourself (sometimes the hardest sale).

But what I found extremely inspiring at the time – I think around 2000-2001, but that is still very true today – is the book’s ending:

„Once you are there, you’d better be good”.

At least to me, it happened many times (fortunately, increasingly less often with time) to get to talk to a person to whom I had wanted to talk to for a very long time, and fail the meeting completely. Out of emotion, out of lack of adequate preparation, out of ignorance… Has it ever happened to you?

We all have (or we build) the opportunity to talk to people that can change our professional path – investors, potential clients, consultants, partners… – and sometimes we are so good at messing up the moment! Such moments must be a) considered, b) prepared, c) treated with the utmost concentration.

Good luck…

(English version by Teodora Popescu)

Original Romanian version

“The power to get in” (1998)

Una din cartile utile (scrisa de Michael A. Boylan) care m-a facut sa ma gandesc la importanta oportunitatii de a discuta 5 minute cu cineva. M-am gandit sa o prezint pe scurt dupa ce zilele trecute m-a intrebat cineva cum sa faca sa ia legatura cu dl. X, inabordabil.

Cartea in sine usurica, interesanta si nu prea – din zona „for dummies”, un ghid „step by step” despre cum anume sa faci sa discuti cu o anume persoana, la care in general nu se poate intra. Cui trimiti mail, pe cine pui in cc, cum folosesti manipularea in anturajul persoanei pe care doresti sa o intalnesti pentru beneficiul tau. Un 300 de pagini care eventual pot fi utile in diverse momente de antreprenoriat, in general pe procese de „enterprise sales”, fie ca ai de vandut un produs, o companie, o idee sau chiar pe tine insuti (uneori cea mai grea vanzare 🙂 )

Insa extrem de inspirat mi s-a parut la momentul acela – cred ca prin 2000-2001, dar foarte valabil si azi – sfarsitul cartii:

„Once you are there, you’d better be good”.

Mie cel putin mi s-a intamplat de multe ori (cu timpul din ce in ce mai rar, din fericire) sa ajung sa vorbesc cu o persoana cu care imi doream de mult sa discut, iar momentul intalnirii sa reusesc sa il ratez complet. Din emotie, din lipsa unei pregatiri corespunzatoare, din ignoranta…. Vi s-a intamplat si voua?

Avem (sau ne construim) cu totii oportunitatea sa discutam cu oameni care ne pot schimba traseul profesional – investitori, potentiali clienti, consultanti, parteneri… – si uneori ne pricepem atat de bine sa frigem momentul! Astfel de clipe trebuie a) constientizate, b) pregatite, c) tratate cu toata concentrarea posibila.

Bafta…

Comments

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Radu Apostolescu

July 16th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

Cred ca tine mult si de experienta practica pe care o capeti cu timpul tocmai din acele prime intalniri, mai mult sau mai putin ratate. Prezenta/prestanta personala la aceste intalniri cred ca trebuie sa reflecte exact nivelul la care se afla persoana …daca incearca sa se pozitioneze mai sus, va fi imediat vizibil si pierderea va fi maxima. O atitudine naturala si o pregatire mentala ca cel cu care te intalnesti e un om absolut normal probabil ca vor conta enorm. Cat de competent esti in anumite domenii …asta nu poti pregati in noaptea dinainte 🙂

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Jan

July 17th, 2009 at 4:51 pm

Am patit sa ratez de cateva ori, problema in general fiind momentul in care trebuia sa dau cifre concrete care nu le stiam sau nu mi le aminteam.
Cred ca sunt mult prea multe carti pe piata cu blah blah americanesc (in care am crezut o perioada) care se pot rezuma in 2-3 pagini.

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Alex Pop

March 16th, 2012 at 1:01 pm

Am ratat de multe ori o intalnire importanta. Mai ales din cauza emotiilor si din cauza ca la un moment dat nu eram pregatit.

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