By Far Best Response to a Boutique Cold Email I've Gotten

Lmao this can’t be real

Ignore, this is very unusual behaviour. 

name and shame

Was it an MD?

If it is an analyst or associate, it is a bit harsh - unless he is from other side of the pond or something. But if it was a senior banker, I would understand.

serious SDE

No deal flow energy

I actually once talked to a well-intentioned kid on a networking call who kept referring to me as "Mr. [last name]". It got so annoying so quick I had to tell him to cut it out and that no one does that lol 

People who say “mr.” Are obnoxious. I hope this was the head of a group or something. Even for an MD this is strange

Sorry OP, you crossed paths with another hardo. I swear to God some 22 year olds are so f*cking weird. This kid isn't an MD, he's 22-24 and therefore still a KID. 

If it brings you any solace, when I was trying to join my school's investment club, I shot out a generic email to like 4 different members. One girl got on the phone with me and then proceeded to grill me about why I should join the club like it was an IBD superday, and then proceeded to tell me how unprofessional it was that I emailed 4 STUDENTS the same email just adjusting for their names. Last I checked she worked in WM and I secured multiple IBD internships without any help from the club so I would say I came out on top.

Keep hustling and remember that some weirdos at boutiques aren't indicative of all bankers. Many of the boutique guys and girls I reached out to ended up being great and grabbed coffee with me even though I had no experience.

This is a random but potentially helpful data point but try reaching out to small boutiques in Denver specifically. I have never had a higher hit rate, with 50+% of the firms responding and multiple offering interviews despite cold outreach. Banks include GLC Advisors (really sharp guys), Quadriga (IIRC O&G focused), and CVA Advisors (may have rebranded under another name but pretty successful firm with a great culture of smart folks). All the Analysts I spoke to from these firms were super down to earth as well as intelligent and hardworking. Good luck in your hunt!

I have analyst / associate friends at multiple banks and many of them have said if you address them "Mr. Last Name" - they will not respond to you. This industry is so fucking confusing and contradictory sometimes. We need to put to together some "Generally Accepted Banking Principles"

you have to be Chairman of the FED level of banker to deserve a "Mr"...MAYBE. Even then prob be weird. CEOs / CFOs of multi billion revenue companies (that i worked at) dont require their employees to call them "Mr"

He could probably use an intern to proofread his writing. Or just write things for him.

This guy is such a loser. If someone addressed me as “Mr.” I would think they’re some Indian bot asking me to kindly do the needful.

This guy totallly took his wife’s last name.

Lol this person needs to learn how to chatgpt 

What no deals does to a mfer

I wonder if he was a banker in the 90s, or earlier (or had bankers of that era among his early senior leadership).

While Gen Z nowadays might expect things to be quite familiar/casual; it's important to remember that previously in banking (e.g. 70s, 80s, 90s), there was often a certain strict formality (almost militant at times), as the norm of how seniors expected to be treated.

For example: Many things that nowadays are seen as normal, might have resulted in firing, back during my father's era (70s/80s/90s), or even during my early career.

I saw enough of it, during my lifetime/career, to say that it was often very different back then.

Another example: Watch the movie "Margin Call" (about the GFC), set around ~2008. Watch the Senior Partners meeting scene, and notice the obvious formality. (FYI: From what I remember, many other scenes were also quite accurate of that time).

I know times change, and I am not trying to necessarily advocate strict formality, but it might be helpful to understand the perspective, as possibly held by some seniors, still in banking today -- to understand their mindset, would help to avoid potential issues later on.

"Sir" tends to be well received, as a generic form of respectful address; if contacting/addressing a male, in a senior-level role.

I find that the casual use of "Sir" tends to be more common in addressing a senior, rather than "Mr. [Surname]" nowadays.

I hope this provides a bit of context.

I really don't understand, what is the problem here? At least in Germany, it is completely normal to not consider someone's requests if they're being too casual. That's basic societal know-how, right? A certain level of casualness, of course, is possible further down the line (even then the practice of adressing my boss by his first name and Du still weirds me out a bit), but in the beginning? In an outreach? As a socially inferior (ie younger)? Are you kidding me, of course you have to garnish your email with every, every flourish of politeness you can find! Someone who's either too uninformed or reckless too care will never have a place in my team, we are in a client-centered business first and foremost. So yeah, maybe a bit harshly put by the MD, but at least here this would be a completely appropriate reaction.