HELP: Billionaire responded to my cold email
Freaking out rn. non target kid who somehow found that a billionaire went to my school, messaged him on linkedin and guy responded and scheduled a call with him
quick search showed guy owns like 4 private jets. He had a family office so i thought id reach out to just to create a connection which may help down the road, I did not expect at all the guy would literally respond to me and schedule a call, his message was pretty nice, looks like he would be appreciative of this
Any advice on how to take this call? I have done networking calls but not with a billionaire, sheez. Looks unreal but any help on keep this warm?
FYI I emailed this guy like 4 times before just for visibility, he actually wrote that he searched my name in his inbox and he liked my hunger, bryuhhh
Ask him thought provoking questions and get him talking. The more he talks, the more he will think he likes you.
yup, works like a charm with a every finance senior folk...
Ask him what he thinks he did right in his life, about any regrets, and if he has any advice for you
From what I’ve read and personal experience. Please don’t interview him, just act like he’s a friend, yet be professional
Cliff Asness follows me on Twitter. You ain't that special.
You want a medal?
Nah, the ten letters after my name and the paper I co-authored with two Harvard Business School Professors are enough. I can harass any HBS grad by just talking about that.
.
I have spoken with 3 different billionaires this week, and I have a regular standing call with another on a weekly basis. It really isn't that crazy of a situation.
For this to be productive for you do the following.
1) Do your research. Know what he does before you go into the call.
2) Do reasearch on those things before the call.
3) Be calm.
4) Ask questions, listen to the answers, ask follow up questions, listen. Repeat.
5) Be VERY congnizant of the time. If he tells you he has 20 min to talk, provide a heads up at say 18 min into the conversation that his time allowance is approaching. This will prove you 1) value their time 2) respect their schedule 3) are aware. It will also allow them to take responsibility for going over their time allotment. This is CRITICAL if the conversation runs over. These people are usually very busy and their time is exponentially more valueable than yours.
6) The last thing, be very blunt with this. Ask them to describe a nagging challenge that they are facing, take copious notes if they provide an answer. Then follow this answer up with a simple question. "What is the best way to get in touch with you if I discover a solution to this problem?" Leave it at that. Then after the conversation do everything you can to solve that problem. It is unlikely they will tell you something extremely complex or something that is completely beyond your comprehension as those problems they will hand off to their team of expert advisors.
Thanks alot for this, do you think should I keep it casual? Like whats ur fav pj out of 3 lol
That's kinda cool for you, I agree with everything that was just said. The only other thing I'll add is to remember that he's a human being just like you. He walked the same halls at your university just like you at one point, he sleeps, showers, shits, bleeds, and breathes just like you. What I mean is to do your best to treat him like a human being. Everyone he meets wants something from him (you're no different and he knows that) and kisses his ass all day every day. He rarely gets honesty and authenticity from strangers so do your best to be respectful without being fake. He knows you didn't message just to talk about his feelings so get to the point but be classy and confident about it (not arrogant), do your research, find a connection (an obvious one is you went to the same school so maybe it can bring back some old pleasant memories of his college days), and treat him like the human being he is.
He's smart enough to acquire a billion dollars so you're not going to trick him into thinking you don't want anything. It would be a waste of your time and his. He wants to add value to your life so make it easy for him to do that. You probably can't add much value to his life other than being a genuine person who will allow him to help you. It will make him feel good about himself. Be clear about your goals and objectives.
Edit: You also want him doing most of the talking. Imagine talking to a billionaire and walking away having done all the talking without learning anything. You can't teach him anything (he knows that) and not learning anything would have been a failure. You want him to walk away feeling productive, feeling like he helped you, and you both had a good time.
I would keep it casual, but also keep it focused on something that is mutually beneficial. These are people who generally have huge demands on their time. So casual is good but a conversation that completely wastes their time is not going to reflect well on you. You don't need to go in as if you know everything. But to spend 20 min talking about football if they don't seem at all interested isn't good either.
I'm probably in the top 5% of older people on this forum, have pitched billionarie's and UHNWs, and worked in family offices for MMM and a Bnaire.
Biggest thing for young people to understand, being rich is just like being a hot girl, don't put them on a pedestal. Ask him about his time at university, bring up a funny anecdote about something someone did e.g. some frat put fizzies in the swimming pool. Have a sports talking point incase you went to a big sports school. If you researched he played football, don't say i know you played football, just ask if he played a sport in college. Then crucial casually switch the conversation over to business.
He should then start to direct the questions, don't be so rigid with a script(have talking points), but go with the flow. He is going to want to help you on this call, YOUR job on the call is to make him want to help you at the end of the call. You can help steer the conversation, but don't lead it.
Biggest take away from being an old person, you don't think of yourself as old. You may look different in the mirror, but you still view yourself as young. Treat him like a contemporary in your speech(to a degree)
If you have to ask, they aren't worth it. I threw out Cliff because he's outspoken, but most people are very quiet about their wealth.
We got $300M from the Georgia St Endowment, (which I think is public) and an amount I cant disclose from an Asian Sovereign wealth fund. CICC would kill to know who they are. (they asked)
delete
What do you wish people would ask about but don't
It's lonely at the top / money changes people. How has success changed your life and how people treat you
Give him insider information on Bluestar Airlines
You say you've done networking calls. This is just one more on the list. The guy being a billionaire is irrelevant to your goal, which is getting a job. Who cares how many planes he has? He probably doesn't.
Just do your homework and talk to him like a human being, not like a teenage girl meeting Taylor Swift. He's just a dude. This is just a call.
Also wouldn't get your hopes up. I got my hopes up once talking to someone of significant wealth ($20-30M+) as he knew my parents very well. Public company C-Suite, a company everyone on this website would know. He ignored multiple follow-up requests from me after I met him recently in person. Saw him while running errands and he quickly walked away. Annoying because I know who he has access to in his professional network and at least 2 of them can likely help if he made the warm introduction.
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