Cold calling non alumni
So, my cold email response rate is very low from nonalums, however, some of these people could probably really help me out because my school only has so many alums in real estate that I can reach out to. My question is, what if I just called them up and not bother emailing them? Would this be coming on too strong? They either ignore my email or will tell me to fuck off and not call them again over the phone, but at least some might appreciate the effort. Idk help me out here.
I would say that it's probably worth doing both. Start with an email here and there and then politely follow up via phone call. Play up the student card hard and make sure you're able to tailor the convo specific to them and their firm. Nobody likes wasting their time on a generic conversation. At the best, they'll admire your persistence without coming off as too annoying. At worst they'll tell you to fuck off, which sounds like you've gotten a few of already, so no shock value there.
What I do now is just cold email, if I don't get an answer I'll follow up a week later and if I still don't an answer, I'll just let it go. I'm thinking after the follow-up email I give them a call and if they tell me to fuck off it's whatever or we'll have a good conversation and they'll appreciate my persistence. I have a feeling it'll work pretty well with brokers, which is what I want to be anyway.
Try to join other organizations that these people are a part of. Volunteer clubs, CRE associations, etc. Esp on LinkedIn Groups. Like Multif@mily4life said, it's hard to get a response if the person doesn't have a connection, but sometimes seeing that they're active in other organizations can help. I did that -- got a coffee chat with someone through a volunteer organization that we were both a part of and ended up name dropping her in an interview and it worked in my favor.
Be a little creative and try to join anything that they might be involved in. A friend of mine who's a broker learned to play squash and joined the squash club in his market where all the older development guys play just so he could "conveniently" run into them lol.
Good luck!
Edit: is my comment getting cut off? I can only see half of it when I post.
If I don't have any connection to you (a friend, school, etc.) I'm not going to pick up your call. I'd say you're going to get 5% hit rate (at best) without any introduction and you may earn a bad reputation (depending on how wide your net is geographically and how annoyed the people you call are). I'd recommend against cold calling in general. Have any of your alumni been helpful in introducing you to others you could talk to? There may not be many of them, but they should have networks that you may be able to tap into.
yes, it's cut off.
huh, super annoying, I typed a much longer paragraph. The gist was that I would recommend against cold calls and focus on the alumni you've had positive interactions with, and getting them to give you warm openings to talk to their friends. A cold call may have more negative effects than positive ones.
You can try a phone call. I’ve never heard someone do it. It’ll probably work better on a broker, or someone who used to be a broker, than anyone else in the industry. Although I might take the call, if you caught me at the wrong time I probably would just tell you to email me or not want to talk because of how aggressive it is.
Too aggressive to call someone? That’s a requirement in this industry. I’d call them, chances are you’ll get their VM, then I would follow up with an email.
True, it’s our industry. But most people aren’t aggressive and most people aren’t sales types. I think you could very easily rub someone the wrong way. Just my two cents though so take it with what it’s worth.
I can appreciate that.
I'm in the industry, I'd say email them first and get a response to set up a call. Especially if they're higher up, I'd honestly never cold call. Reach out on Linkedin and explain your situation. I've literally done the above of cold emailing someone who was not an alumni and didn't know me asking for career advice. They responded positively, go for it be polite and direct.
First, not to try an "spin" this, but the reality is you get a higher response rate from alums.... which is totally expected, as many alums would just legit feel bad not responding. Someone who is just being cold emailed... well, you are a "rando" and randos are easy to ignore (I'll admit, I'd 100% reply to an alum, mixed for sure if I would to a rando, just like if you catch me on good day, otherwise, I'll forget tbh).
So a few pointers/responses...
1. I would not call or text, I would just email tbh. I find calls to be almost always "Sales" or spam or even fraud, so I think you will catch someone at their most defensive. Just the facts of calls these days, emails (or LinkedIn msg) are the proper medium.
2. Alums are great, best affinity group for most. Before you go total "cold", look for more affinity groups, such as NAIOP or ULI. Emailing as "Hi I am a member of NAIOP chapter XYZ" could be as effective as alum of XYZ. Plus if you are a member (clearly join some groups if not), you get the benefit of the member directory which probably has valid emails! Better than LinkedIn messages tbh.
- Side note, anytime you can find any shared affinity (like both interned/worked at same company, even if different times/locations) you will have better success. I mean, even doing this on WSO via PM can work better than with randos from LinkedIn. So think about clubs, groups, cities, hometowns, military service, whatever. Anything that makes you 1% more similar than a rando, will help!
3. Send multiple emails!!!! I would literally reply/forward the prior email and just say.... "Hello, not sure if you received this, but I would still like to connect if you have time. Thanks, XYZ" - This can generate some second email guilt, and for those who would have replied but got busy, this is gold! For those intent on ignoring you, no additional harm! You can do this a few times/every so often, but don't go too crazy. I'd send the 2nd email like a week later (no later!), if a third... wait maybe 2 weeks, then probably best to drop it for many many months.
4. Keep your emails short, seriously, they should read well on a PHONE, don't give your life story.... we have all networked for jobs, we get it, you don't need to justify yourself, we have ALL been there!
In sit et ex quis cupiditate sapiente quod. Deleniti vitae sit recusandae sit. Quis debitis aut dignissimos voluptas fuga voluptas odit optio. Praesentium nulla et ea et atque.
Excepturi necessitatibus quibusdam quas eaque nobis et quam. Quidem repudiandae quia quia harum architecto eveniet fugiat. Aut accusantium aut sunt sint. Est magnam libero itaque in voluptatem.
Temporibus pariatur quis eius. Sunt et numquam doloribus quae rerum.
Illum et harum dolorem ab. In officiis ab autem. Aliquam earum modi non quis dolorem delectus voluptatem vero. Placeat quia at voluptatibus est voluptatem omnis est maxime. Et tempore repellendus cumque et delectus vel dolorum.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...